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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The Inoue vs. Doheny fight card features a five-fight event headlined by pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue defending his IBF, WBC, and WBO super bantamweight titles against former champ TJ Doheny in a 12-round boxing match at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) is widely considered one of the top talents in all of boxing. The 31-year-old Japanese fighter most recently defended his belts with a sixth-round knockout of Luis Nery this past May. A four-division champion, Inoue is the first boxer in modern history to become the undisputed super bantamweight champion and one of only three male boxers in the four-belt era to become undisputed champ in two different weight classes.

Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) is a former IBF super bantamweight champion hailing from Ireland. The 37-year-old has struggled to find consistency since dropping his title in 2019, stringing together a 5-4 record over nine bouts, but turned his fortunes around to win three straight fights over Kazuki Nakajima, Japhethlee Llamido, and Bryl Bayogos over the past 15 months.

Inoue vs. Doheny takes place Tuesday, September 3, and airs live on ESPN+.

Catch live Inoue vs. Doheny results and a main event live blog on MMA Fighting.

An updated Inoue vs. Doheny fight card and weigh-in results can be found below.

Fight Card (5:45 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Naoya Inoue (122) vs. TJ Doheny (121.5) — 12 rounds, IBF/WBC/WBO super bantamweight title

Yoshiki Takei (117.75) vs. Daigo Higa (117.75) — 12 rounds, WBO bantamweight title

Jin Sasaki (146.25) vs. Qamil Balla (147) — 12 rounds, welterweight

Ismael Barroso (139.75) vs. Andy Hiraoka (139.75) — 12 rounds, junior welterweight

Toshiki Shimomachi (122) vs. Ryuya Tsugawa (121.75) — 10 rounds, junior featherweight

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Lerone Murphy recently suggested that Jon Jones warrants special deference to avoid a potential showdown with Tom Aspinall.

Aspinall’s patience appears to be wearing thin as he persistently calls out Jones for a UFC heavyweight title unification bout. The interim heavyweight champion has been unreservedly articulate about his eagerness to challenge “Bones” ever since he claimed the title at UFC 295 last November.

However, “Bones” has shown little interest in the much-anticipated matchup with Aspinall. Instead of considering a showdown, the reigning heavyweight champion has made it clear that his focus is firmly on fighting Stipe Miocic, a bout expected to headline UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden this November.

Jones has often teased the possibility of retiring after conquering an esteemed former heavyweight champion like Miocic, which would further solidify his status as the GOAT. Meanwhile, “The Miracle” believes that with everything Jones has already accomplished in the sport, there’s no need for him to prove himself against Aspinall…

Murphy Thinks Jones Enjoys Perks Uncommon To Other Fighters

During a recent interview with Title Sports Network, Murphy weighed in on the escalating tension between Jones and Aspinall, noting that things have taken a turn for the worse. The undefeated featherweight contender remarked that Aspinall should have taken a tougher stance from the start. However, he doubts his fellow countryman will secure the fight he’s after, as Jones enjoys certain well-earned privileges from the UFC.

Jones last graced the Octagon in March 2023, where he claimed the heavyweight title with a decisive submission victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. He was set to defend his title for the first time against Miocic at UFC 295, but “Bones” was compelled to withdraw just two weeks before the fight due to a severe pectoral injury.

• Read More: Jake Paul Tries To Broker Multi-Million Dollar Payday For “Bones” To Fight Tom Aspinall: ‘Jon Jones Doesn’t Dodge Anyone’

Continue Reading Rising UK Contender Lerone Murphy Feels Jon Jones ‘Deserves’ Special Treatment To Avoid Tom Aspinall Fight at MMA News.

MMA News

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Belal Muhammad may have been the underdog heading into his title fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 304, but he quickly proved his championship mettle.

After waiting more than a year to fight for UFC gold, Muhammad made the most of his opportunity with a stunning performance to dethrone Edwards and claim the welterweight title. As much as it seemed like the odds were stacked against Muhammad heading into the fight, one of his former foes had a lot of faith that he would become champion.

Gilbert Burns, the last person to face Muhammad prior to his title fight, wasn’t surprised by the result. He says he predicted the UFC 304 upset well before it happened.

“I kind of saw that coming,” Burns told MMA Fighting. “Especially [because] Leon is a great fighter, but whenever he was saying, ‘I’m going to knock this guy out’ — bro, it’s hard to knock Belal out. The guy has a chin. Leon Edwards in the last, I don’t know, 10 fights, he has maybe one knockout against Kamaru [Usman]. Other than that, he doesn’t knock people out.

“On technique, striking-wise, Leon Edwards is very, very good, but putting everything together with the pace, with the volume, staying in your face with takedowns, dirty boxing, especially doing the camp with Islam [Makhachev] and Khabib [Nurmagomedov], I kind of felt that was the path for Belal to win — and he did exactly what he had to.”

At the end of the day, Burns was one of only a few who foresaw Muhammad’s impressive performance. He expected Edwards to put up a better fight than he did that night in Manchester, England, but ultimately Muhammad left no doubt about his mettle, largely dominating the fight both on the feet and with his grappling across five rounds to become UFC champion.

“I wasn’t impressed — I knew what he was doing,” Burns said. “He had a long layoff preparing for this fight and I think he was feeding off the [fact that] UFC made him wait, Leon made him wait. He was fed up from that. He was very hungry. He worked super hard. You saw he was in amazing shape.

“I just thought Leon would do a little bit better job defending, but I still [expected to see] Belal overwhelming him with work. Belal looked very good in becoming champion. People cannot deny him anymore.”

Immediately after his win, Muhammad started looking toward the future, laying out plans to defend his title against the biggest and best challenges UFC can throw at him.

Despite living in the “money fight” era where picking popular opponents sometimes trumps more worthy contenders, Muhammad made it clear that he wants to be a fighting champion who takes out the top contenders in his welterweight division.

That list potentially starts with undefeated wrecking machine Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Burns appreciates that Muhammad recognized that right away.

“He’s a good champion,” Burns said. “I think he’s doing a good thing facing Shavkat [Rakhmonov], the toughest competition out there, whoever is the No. 1 [ranked contender]. I like what he’s doing.”

Because UFC has already mapped out the rest of the schedule for 2024, there’s a good chance Muhammad won’t fight again this year. All of the remaining major pay-per-view cards are effectively booked aside from an official confirmation regarding Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November, and then the year-end card at UFC 310 on Dec. 7.

If Muhammad doesn’t defend his title in 2024, Burns likes the idea of a true No. 1 contender emerging with Rakhmonov potentially facing another top-ranked welterweight.

“In the whole division, I think [Rakhmonov is] the guy that deserves it the most, but I know he was going to fight Jack Della Maddalena,” Burns said. “That was a good fight, but Jack still has an injury on his arm, he had a couple operations making the arm good. But if Belal is not ready this year, I think Shavkat should do one more this year, maybe [against] Jack or maybe Ian Garry. I think those are the guys at the top. Kamaru is there but it’s three losses [in a row], he kind of doesn’t necessarily deserve it right now. Colby [Covington is there, too], but he’s not doing anything. Leon, I don’t think he deserves a rematch right now.

“Shavkat against Jack or Ian Garry would make a lot of sense to be next. Shavkat could be next if Belal is ready to go in Abu Dhabi or in Salt Lake City, but if he has to postpone due to these injuries, Shavkat might do one more to get it so we have a clear No. 1 contender.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Shavkat Rakhmonov understands that Conor McGregor returning is big box office, but he still feels he’s the no-brainer option to get the next UFC welterweight title shot — even if the former two-division champion delivers in his comeback fight.

Rakhmonov appears to be the likely No. 1 contender for the 170-pound championship, which is currently around the waist of Belal Muhammad following the now-champ’s win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304. “Nomad” told MMA Fighting that he was offered a title shot against Muhammad at UFC 307 in October, and agreed to it, but claims Muhammad declined due to the timing of the fight.

Should McGregor return to fight Michael Chandler—which was initially scheduled as a welterweight bout to take place at UFC 303 in June—before Rakhmonov puts pen to paper on a contract to fight Muhammad, McGregor’s star power could potentially make things murky, as history suggests. Regardless, Rakhmonov believes the UFC will stick to their word.

“To be honest, I don’t even think about when’s Conor going to fight, [and] when he’s going to be ready,” Rakhmonov told MMA Fighting. “I don’t think about all that. He’s been getting ready to fight for a long time but wasn’t able to do that yet. So, in my head, I don’t really think about him [maybe] winning this one fight in three years. [Is that] going to do something?

“I understand he’s a big star but in my head, I don’t see it being possible, I believe UFC is the best and the most fair organization, so I believe they’re going to do everything right.”

The 29-year-old Rakhmonov has finishes all 18 of his opponents, including the six fighters he’s faced in the UFC. In his most recent outing, the No. 3-ranked welterweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings became the first fighter to submit Stephen Thompson at UFC 292 this past December.

While Rakhmonov doesn’t think McGregor has a case to jump the line over him should timing work out in the Irish superstar’s favor, he admits that a fight with McGregor would certainly interest him should it be offered — although, it’s not something he’s chasing.

“So yeah, who don’t wanna fight Conor right now?” Rakhmonov said. “But to be honest, I don’t even think about it for me. The most important thing is to win the belt, and that’s my focus.”

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The Irish presence
| BJPenn.com

The Saudi Arabian boxing power broker wants to slash PPV prices on Riyadh Season events down to $ 20 in order to combat piracy.

If combat sports fans have any concerns about Saudi Arabia taking over the boxing landscape in the past couple of years, they’re keeping mostly quiet because power broker Turki Alalshikh keeps delivering the goods.

Alalshikh is the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, a government department in Saudi Arabia that regulates and promotes entertainment events inside and outside the country. They’re the ones bankrolling all the recent major heavyweight showdowns, with long-awaited but never realized bouts finally becoming a reality.

Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 1 and 2, Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, and Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua were all put together quickly and easily by Alalshikh, who uses his Saudi bankroll to bulldoze through any problems or disagreements he encounters.

Now, Alalshikh is about to make another move which will make combat sports fans happy: he’s going to slash the price of boxing pay-per-views.

“You mention the PPV, I think this is my next big fight,” he said in an interview with talkSPORT. “I dream of a PPV with a good price to make the fans happy and subscribe and get them to watch it legally. Usually when I see a high PPV [price], a lot of people go and watch the fight illegally, and this is not healthy for boxing and the platform.”

“What I will try to push is to have our Riyadh Season shows at less than £20 in England and less than $ 20 around the world. I would prefer to have one million fans subscribe and buy the PPV for $ 20 than less than 500,000.”

The price of pay-per-views has skyrocketed over the years. I remember a day long long ago in 2006 when UFC events cost $ 39.95. Nowadays UFC pay-per-views cost $ 79.99, and the upcoming Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga fight is $ 89.99.

“The people go around it illegally because the price is high,” Alalshikh said. “In the future, this will not build boxing. If I give the fans good fights at a good price, then I will increase the fanbase.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts