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In his bid to build a super fight between Terence Crawford, as well as super middleweight gold holder, Canelo Alvarez – Saudi adviser, Turki Alalshikh has hit out at the Mexican for apparently “wasting time” during negotiations as well as picking “easy fights” during his career.

Canelo Alvarez, the current super middleweight champion, returns to action next month in Las Vegas, taking on unbeaten New York challenger, Edgar Berlanga in the pair’s grudge fight – with the WBA, WBO, and WBC championships on the line.

As for Crawford, the unbeaten striking sensation landed the WBA and interim WBO light middleweight crowns in Las Angeles over the course of the weekend, turning in his stunning forty-first professional win with a decision success over Israil Madrimov. 

Turki Alalshikh hits out at boxing star, Canelo Alvarez

And amid links to a potential super fight for gold in the future, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford have hit a sticking point in negotiations according to recent reports this month – with the above-mentioned, Alalshikh hitting out at the Guadalajara puncher in particular.

“I heard what Canelo said that he respects me but doesn’t like the way we do business,” Turki Alalshikh posted on his official X account. “As for him respecting me, it doesn’t matter to me if he does or not. As for the way I do business, I know why he doesn’t like it, because I only target big fights at fair prices, so of course anyone who likes big fights won’t like that.”

“And I know how he feels after losing to Bivol, so he’s been looking for easier fights ever since,” Turki Alalshikh continued. “Also, I’m not the one who’s afraid of fighting Benavidez or Crawford. Therefore, I knew he was wasting our time and making excuses with big amounts of money that can’t be paid. So I’m continuing my way to make big fights that serve the boxing world, and he’s on his way to making eash show-only fights.”

LowKickMMA.com

TJ Dillashaw recently escalated his critique of Anthony Smith, backing up all of his previous fault-finding of the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger.

Smith might have faced a sobering reality regarding his hopes for a second run towards the title after enduring a challenging unanimous decision loss to short-notice replacement Roman Dolidze at UFC 303 in June.

Interestingly, the former UFC bantamweight champion was highly critical of “Lionheart’s” performance during his appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST with former UFC champions Rampage Jackson and Luke Rockhold last month. Dillashaw mocked Smith’s moniker, bluntly stating that the 36-year-old Texan will never become champion because he lacks the resilience to persevere.

Smith swiftly responded to Dillashaw’s pointed remarks during an episode of the BELIEVE YOU ME Podcast. “Lionheart” didn’t hold back, taking a scathing jab at the 38-year-old Californian’s positive performance-enhancing drug test in 2019, which resulted in a two-year suspension from the UFC.

However, the exchange of verbal jabs didn’t end there. Dillashaw has returned with a fresh barrage of critiques, once again labeling Smith as a quitter…

Dillashaw Thinks Smith Becomes Defensive When Judged

During his recent appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST, Dillashaw sought to defend his previous comments about Smith, arguing that he lacks the attributes of a true championship contender—a reality Smith himself has acknowledged.

The bantamweight veteran further noted that while Smith frequently criticizes other fighters, he doesn’t handle criticism directed at himself with the same grace.

Smith competed for the light heavyweight title in March 2019 against Jon Jones at UFC 235. In that bout, “Lionheart” decided to continue after being struck by an illegal knee from Jones and ultimately lost by unanimous decision.

Following his defeat to “Bones”, Smith struggled to find his footing, unable to gain any significant momentum in his subsequent outings.

• Read More: Anthony Smith Feels Leon Edwards More Improved Than Belal Muhammad Ahead Of Rematch: ‘He Was So Good On His Feet That Colby Didn’t Even Want To Shoot’

Continue Reading TJ Dillashaw Criticises Anthony Smith: ‘He Doesn’t Have That Dog In Him…’ at MMA News.

MMA News

Chad Mendes was ranked as the second-best featherweight on the planet behind Jose Aldo for many years in the 2010s and gave the Brazilian one the hardest tests of his UFC reign in an epic battle in 2014. Looking back, he names Aldo as the toughest man he’s ever faced.

“Aldo’s a beast,” Mendes told MMA Fighting. “I still tell everybody to this day, that was my toughest fight. Everyone always thinks it’s Conor [McGregor], but it wasn’t. Aldo was next level. I think that took about 10 years off my life, I always say. That night I got back to the hotel, I was pissing blood. I’d never had that happen on any of my fights. I was pretty beat up after that fight.”

Mendes tested himself against three other former or future UFC champions during his final run in MMA — Conor McGregor, Alexander Volkanovski, and Frankie Edgar, plus Eddie Alvarez in bare-knuckle boxing — but says there’s still no one like Aldo.

Mendes was undefeated in MMA when he first challenged Aldo for UFC gold, venturing into enemy territory as an undefeated 11-0 prospect but ultimately losing via first-round knockout in 2012. Mendes earned another crack at Aldo’s featherweight title in 2014 after earning five wins in a row, and the two put on an epic five-round thriller again in Rio de Janeiro. Aldo won a decision, his final title defense before losing to Conor McGregor.

Mendes replaced Aldo on short notice at UFC 189 to face McGregor for the interim featherweight title the following year, but lost via second-round stoppage.

Aldo recently returned to the UFC after nearly a two-year hiatus — a period in which he went 2-0-1 in boxing — and dominated rising prospect Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. After completing his UFC deal, Aldo re-signed and now faces Mario Bautista at UFC 307.

“He’s a beast, man,” Mendes said of Aldo’s lateet win. “I’m definitely not surprised he came back and completely dominated like that. … I didn’t even know he was coming back [for UFC 307]. He doesn’t need to. I think he just has the true love for it. And honestly, I do too, that’s why I keep coming back. But that’s awesome, man. I always like watching Aldo fight.”

Aldo could make a case for another shot at the UFC bantamweight title if he keeps beating up-and-comers and UFC contenders, and Mendes won’t count him out against the likes of Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, who headline UFC 308 for the belt on Sept. 14.

“I would imagine he’s gonna keep pouring his heart and soul into it,” Mendes said. “He doesn’t seem like a guy that half-asses anything, so I think [he can win].”

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UFC

Aleksandre Topuria is joining his brother Ilia Topuria in the UFC, MMA Fighting confirmed after the bantamweight talent announced on social media.

UFC has yet to work on a date and opponent for his octagon debut.

Topuria, 28, is one year older than his UFC featherweight champion brother. The elder Topuria scored all his five professional victories via first-round finishes, choking out his first two opponents and then beating his past three by knockouts.

Topuria (5-1) lost by TKO the sole time his fights stretched past the opening round in MMA, falling short against Ivo Ivanov on the Spanish circuit in 2015. He took a six-year layoff from MMA after that loss before returning with a win over Lucas Tenório in 2021.

Ilia Topuria is currently scheduled to put the UFC featherweight belt on the line in the main event of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, facing Max Holloway on Oct. 26. It will be his first title defense since a shocking knockout over Alexander Volkanovski in February.

Mike Heck contributed to this report.

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3 potential opponents
| BJPenn.com

First-round brackets for the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) were released earlier this week for the upcoming grappling tournament on Aug. 16-17 from inside Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to the $ 1 million grand prize, CJI will also pay out $ 50,000 for “Submission of the Night.”

CJI will run head-to-head with ADCC 2024, also being staged in “Sin City.”

Check out the first-round brackets below:

Under 80kg:

Tye Ruotolo vs. Jason Nolf
Roberto Jimenez vs Levi Jones-Leary
Lucas Barbosa vs. Kenta Iwamoto
Jozef Chen vs. Andy Varela

Kade Ruotolo vs. Matheus Diniz
Renato Canuto vs. Tommy Langaker
Magid Hage vs. Eoghan O’Flanagan
Nicky Ryan vs. Andrew Tackett

Over 80kg:

Nicky Rodriguez vs. Max Gimenis
Owen Livesey vs. Mahamed Aly
Adam Bradley vs. Kyle Boehm
Luke Rockhold vs. Pat Downey

Victor Hugo vs. Lucas Kanard
Inacio Santos vs. Pedro Alex
Fellipe Andrew vs. Daniel Greg Kerkvliet
William Tackett vs. Joao Gabriel Rocha

Minimum prize purse for each competitor is $ 10,001.

In addition to the bracketed showdowns, CJI will also feature a pair of super fights, starting with former ADCC champion Mackenzie Dern taking on defending ADCC gold medalist Ffion Davies. Elsewhere on the card, event organizer Craig Jones battles nine-time world champion Gabi Garcia in a special crossover match.

For much more on the upcoming CJI tourney click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Daniel Cormier is against the recent rule change to legalize 12-to-6 elbows in MMA.

But not for the reasons you’d assume.

“I don’t like that. I don’t like 12-to-6 elbows and I don’t like soccer kicks. I do not want to see soccer kicks,” Cormier said this past week on his YouTube channel.

“So here’s my thought, because there’s a little bit of a difference, right? So when I was fighting [Anthony] ‘Rumble’ Johnson, you can’t [throw a 12-to-6 elbow], but if you do a little bit of an arch, it’s OK. Angle and arch. So I was able to cut ‘Rumble’ with an arching elbow, but it really did come straight down. It was very little in terms of not being straight up and down. I just don’t want anything that makes fighting look like a street fight. That’s it.”

In July, the Association of Boxing Commissions voted to remove the 12-to-6 elbow as a foul as one of two key rule changes for the unified rules of MMA. The other rule change altered the definition of a “downed fighter” to open up more offensive opportunities in scrambling and wrestling transitions. Those changes are due to go into effect on November 1.

The most infamous incident of a 12-to-6 elbow occurred in Jon Jones’ controversial 2009 loss to Matt Hamill. Jones, a fierce rival of Cormier’s during Cormier’s UFC career, was disqualified for hitting Hamill with a downward elbow in a fight he was otherwise dominating. Fifteen years later, that fight still stands as the only loss on Jones’ pro MMA record. UFC CEO Dana White and Jones have both spoken openly over the years about wanting to get the loss reversed, and did so again after the rule change was finalized.

Considering their rivalry, which included two heated UFC championship bouts from 2015-17, it’d be only natural to assume Cormier dislikes the decision to legalize 12-to-6 elbows because of Jones’ history with the no-longer-banned technique. But Cormier says that’s not the case. Instead, he says, it has to do with the slippery slope the decision could kick off.

“John McCain, before he passed, was against fighting [MMA] because he said it’s human cockfighting,” Cormier said of the once-critical U.S. Senator who reversed course on MMA later in life. “But then they would show these videos of like gang fights, and people running around and people on the ground and they would just kick them in the face. You know how that happens. If we get to soccer kicks, it starts to look like that again, and that’s not good.

“Everything kind of looks clean [without 12-to-6 elbows]. I’m telling you, bro, these are my reasons. I don’t like the [12-to-6 elbow rule change]. I mean, 12-to-6 elbow, I don’t feel as strongly about — I don’t care as much about 12-to-6 elbows, but I think the moment we start opening those rules again, then it’s going to be more and more and more, and then ultimately we’ll get back to soccer kicks. Because you do know that now, hands down, starting in November, is not grounded anymore. … Again, that’s one move back toward that, then there will be something else moves closer to that. That’s just my biggest worry.”

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Alex Pereira has gained massive popularity in the UFC, not just for his fighting style and consistency, but also for his cold walkouts to the Octagon. He starts with a hobbled, limping walk and then mimics shooting an arrow towards the opponent while screaming at them.

Unlike stars such as Israel Adesanya, “Poatan” has used the same walkout since his debut at UFC 268. In return, fans regularly appreciate and imitate him on social media platforms and it is unlikely that he would change his walkout going forward.

Pereira has also used the same walkout song in his UFC fights, and here’s everything to know about it…

The Story Behind Alex Pereira’s Walkout Song

Itsári by Brazilan heavy metal band Sepultura is the song Pereira has used for all his UFC walkouts. In the Xavante language, Itsári means “Roots” and the instrumental track is an ode to Brazilian traditions.

Like the song, Pereira’s walkout routine is also inspired by his indigenous history. His first kickboxing coach was indigenous and after enquiring his parents about it, the UFC light heavyweight kingpin became aware of his cultural heritage.

In an interview with ESPN MMA in November 2022, “Poatan” explained how he came up with his UFC walkout theme and song:

“My first teacher had indigenous roots. I went home the same day and asked my mom. She said my grandparents were indigenous. It made me feel more confident. We wanted to resurrect my origins and indigenous culture. I made a ritual with a bow and arrow. Then a sequence with the indigenous music and that’s how it started.”

Pereira’s bow and arrow sequence depicts an early ritual in his culture. When matched with Itsári and his stoic face, it undeniably becomes one of the most intimidating walkouts in UFC history.

The former UFC middleweight champion proudly represents Brazil’s indigenous Pataxo tribe through walkouts, face paint, and interviews. He’s also popularized terms like Chama from Portuguese and Poatan from Tupi in MMA circles.

• Read More: Umar Nurmagomedov Touts Bellator Champion As Islam Makhachev’s UFC Lightweight Successor

Continue Reading What Is Alex Pereira’s Walkout Song In The UFC? at MMA News.

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