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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ryan Garcia flew to Japan to watch Manny Pacquiao’s exhibition match with Rukiya Anpo at Super RIZIN 3, and he added the Japanese promotion to a list of potential future homes.

Garcia, a former WBC champion who’s currently serving a one-year doping suspension, said after Sunday’s event that he wants to fight “the best fighter in my weight class in Japan,” but mentioned UFC stars as specific targets for MMA or bare-knuckle bouts.

“I would fight — what’s his name? Sean O’Malley? ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley? [And] Conor McGregor in bare-knuckle,” Garcia said. “But yes, it’s a very big possibility. I know how to wrestle, I know how to do a lot of things that people don’t know. So yeah, I would do it.”

“I would knock out Suga Sean O’Malley’s rainbow hair off his head [in MMA],” he added.

Aside from his doping suspension, Garcia was also expelled from WBC for using racial slurs on social media and charged with misdemeanor vandalism following an arrest days later.

The controversial but talented boxer entered the RIZIN ring on Sunday and called out both Pacquiao and Anpo, who fought to a draw in their exhibition match. Anpo is a former K-1 champion who had a massive height advantage over the 45-year-old boxing legend.

Garcia explained his callouts after the event.

“I don’t even know who [Anpo] is, but I mention his name because he definitely was trying to knock out Manny Pacquiao and that kinda pissed me off, so now I want to knock him out,” Garcia said. “I would love to fight Manny Pacquiao — in a real fight, though, 12 rounds. I wouldn’t do an exhibition at all. I would want to do a real fight, old lion versus young lion.”

RIZIN has now featured two boxing legends in exhibitions, with Floyd Mayweather also previously knocking out Japanese superstars Tenshin Nasukawa and Mikuru Asakura.

“Seeing this event has really inspired me to want to come here and knock somebody out in front of the Japanese fans,” Garcia said. “Mayweather did it, but I’d do it way better. I’m a young lion. I’m a guy in his prime, and there’s a difference.”

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Sphere Tickets
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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Mike Perry may have gotten smoked by Jake Paul (watch highlights), but “Platinum” still has options.

Not only does he remain the face of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), but Perry started his own promotion just prior to squaring off with Paul. His Dirty Boxing promotion is a Karate Combat-esque mix of MMA-style striking with limited ground work. The promotion is planning a September debut, but its inception greatly angered Conor McGregor, who is a part-owner of BKFC.

Following Perry’s loss to Paul, McGregor exploded on Twitter and claimed to fire Perry. “Platinum” already refuted McGregor’s firing once and suggested McGregor try boxing Paul himself. Now, Perry has elaborated further on his podcast, and he seems to believe he’s more of a BKFC owner than McGregor.

“Well thanks bro,” Perry said in response to McGregor’s firing tweet. “I don’t really want to fight right now. My rib hurts! I don’t really want to f—king fight, so thanks for the time off. I’ll tell you what, when people want to watch BKFC again, they’ll be calling me. They’re already calling me, but I’m not taking calls at this time … He’s my employee!”

Most likely, Perry will return to the BKFC squared circle following his Paul defeat. However, he did also discuss facing Paul in the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) smart cage, which would certainly be interesting as well. Meanwhile, McGregor is still expected to face Michael Chandler sometime this year, though his return has already been delayed at least once.

Insomnia

Aside from his improved hand speed, Belal Muhammad’s ability to consistently get his hands locked when shooting was the most impressive part of his championship performance.

I definitely thought this fight had already happened at some point in the last five years.

Wrestlers are some of the best athletes on the planet provided you don’t force them into ball sports.

Nate Maness’ release has generated some major attention. Perhaps it’ll result in a UFC return or at least better offer from a different promotion?

If you’re wondering what UFC Bantamweight Casey Kenney has been up to in his three years away from the Octagon, it doesn’t appear to be anything good.

Cory Sandhagen offers his thoughts on his main event opponent, Umar Nurmagomedov.

Five years is a lifetime in MMA.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Ducking into a knee is a bad way to go.

A quick clip highlighting the Soviet style boxing of Dmitry Bivol.

A perfect right high kick.

Random Land

A really cool story from Paris 2024.

Midnight Music: Blues, 1955

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Alexa Grasso’s facial expression says it all.

In a new video posted to the UFC’s social media on Tuesday, bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and top-ranked contender Merab Dvalishvili got into a heated war of words as the fighters gathered together to begin promoting the upcoming UFC 306 card on Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

From the look of things, O’Malley and Dvalishvili were part of a promotional shoot for the upcoming fight, which is part of a celebration for Mexican Independence Day.

The video shows Dvalishvili approaching O’Malley and expressing that he was “so pissed” after he got into it with his upcoming opponent’s head coach Tim Welch. The exchange took place back in May, which also involved former champion and Dvalishvili’s close friend Aljamain Sterling, after Sterling accused Welch of talking trash to him from the corner when he fought O’Malley in August 2023.

Dvalishvili eventually injected himself into the conversation saying “I will smash O’Malley inside the cage and then smash his coach outside of the cage.” Seeing O’Malley during the photoshoot must have reminded Dvalishvili of that interaction, because he approached the UFC champion with security keeping a close eye on things.

Dvalishvili can be heard saying he wanted to “smack his face,” which earned a fiery retort from O’Malley.

“If you have a problem with him, you can take it up with him,” O’Malley said. “He’ll fight you. If that’s what you want. After the fight you should definitely try to smack his face. You should definitely try that. That would be funny. You should try that.”

Dvalishvili then stated that he wasn’t trying to compete against Welch in the UFC but rather “I’m talking about a street fight.”

O’Malley quickly fired back and invited him to try.

“You could street fight him. I’d love to see that,” O’Malley said. “You want to die? Is that what you’re saying? He’ll kill you.”

As the future opponents continued arguing, Grasso — who fights Valentina Shevchenko on the same card — could only offer a wide-eyed reaction as she watched O’Malley and Dvalishvili continue to argue.

Judging by this interaction, O’Malley and Dvalishvili should have some interesting times ahead, especially during fight week with press conferences and weigh-ins bringing them face to face again.

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Dropping his undisputed welterweight championship at UFC 304 over the course of last weekend, Leon Edwards’ head coach, Dave Lovell has revealed his student was dealing with “niggling” injuries including an issue with his back, leading him to struggle with the wrestling offense of Belal Muhammad.

Edwards, who headlined last weekend’s pay-per-view return to Manchester at UFC 304, dropped his undisputed welterweight crown in a one-sided unanimous decision loss to two-time foe, Belal Muhammad – over the course of five rounds.

Seeing his title run come to an abrupt stop following consecutive title defense wins over former champions, Kamaru Usman, and Colby Covington, Edwards confirmed plans to fight once more this year – amid links to a showdown with unbeaten Irish star, Ian Garry next.

Leon Edwards dealt with “niggling” back injury pre-UFC 304

Sharing his thoughts on his student’s performance against Muhammad in the pair’s re-run, the previously mentioned, Lovell revealed Edwards was struggling with a “niggle” in the form of a back injury ahead of UFC 304.

“I’m not making any kind of excuses for him (Leon Edwards), but we had a few niggles in camp,” Dave Lovell told Submission Radio. “His back was niggling him, so he couldn’t wrestle the way he really needed to offensively and defensively because of the niggle that recurred about maybe two, three times. Well, not taking nothing away from Belal’s (Muhammad) performance, you know. He did well, he done well. The best man won on the night, but Leon will be back.”

“Well, believe it not, we had a powwow about it, and I was very dubious because there niggles was going on for about maybe, five or so weeks on and off,” Lovell explained. “He had to go to a chiropractor, regular massages. But again, after one session it was back to Square 1.”

What do you think is next for Leon Edwards after UFC 304?

LowKickMMA.com

Jon Jones is expected to face Stipe Miocic before the end of 2024, with Dana White recently stating that the winner will step into the Octagon against Tom Aspinall to unify the UFC heavyweight championship.

Jones has been out of action since winning the heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in March 2023. Although Aspinall has won and defended the interim title, “Bones” is still the official champion and holds a solid #3 ranking in the pound-for-pound list.

“Bones” has repeatedly talked about considering retirement after the Miocic fight as well. One former UFC champ, however, thinks this move could be detrimental to his legacy…

Michael Bisping Claims Jon Jones Would Lose Fans If He Retires Without Fighting Tom Aspinall

Michael Bisping recently discussed the future of the UFC heavyweight division on his official YouTube channel. The winner of Jones vs. Miocic is expected to face Aspinall next, and early odds favor the interim champ.

“The Count” claimed that despite his GOAT status as a light heavyweight, Jones’ inactivity at heavyweight makes him an underdog against Aspinall. But the former UFC middleweight kingpin also highlighted that his opponent’s lack of fighting experience could benefit Jones, who boasts a record 15 UFC title wins.

“He hasn’t got the in-ring time, he hasn’t got the experience, the fight IQ of a Jon Jones.”

Bisping’s other concern is regarding Jones’ will to fight after the Miocic fight. The decision is largely dependent on his performance, and in the eyes of “The Count,” retiring without unifying the heavyweight title wouldn’t sit well with a lot of fans.

Jones vs. Aspinall has been a highly anticipated fight for over a year now. While the Brit has been respectfully waiting for the opportunity, many think that “Bones” is avoiding the Aspinall fight due to the higher risk of losing.

Bisping believes such narratives will only get stronger if the UFC heavyweight champion retires after his next scheduled fight.

“It would suck. Not only would it suck, but it would also be not the best move for Jon Jones in terms of fan appreciation. The narrative would always be that he was ducking Tom Aspinall.”

• Read More: Winner Of Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes At UFC 304 Touted To Be Long-Reigning Heavyweight Champion: ‘He Kind Of Cruises A Little Bit’

Continue Reading Former UFC Champion Explains How Retiring After Stipe Miocic Fight Would Affect Jon Jones’ Legacy: ‘Ducking Tom Aspinall!’ at MMA News.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

After her UFC Denver win over Fatima Kline, Jasmine Jasudavicius had a simple response to the fans who booed her performance.

“Suck it, man,” Jasudavicius declared.

The standout Canadian flyweight picked up her second straight victory at UFC Denver. The fiery post-fight promo certainly captured a lot of people’s attention, and perhaps, caught them off guard. Days later, Jasudavicius understood it got a reaction, but it doesn’t mean she wasn’t a little bit uneasy about it.

“I’m still embarrassed by it a little,” Jasudavicius said recently on The MMA Hour. “I get it, as long as my name is in people’s mouths, it’s good. But at the same time, I don’t want to be known as, ‘Hey, suck it, man,’ like that Hawk Tuah girl.”

Jasudavicius was originally slated to face top-10 fighter Viviane Araujo at the event before Araujo was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons. Jasudavicius admits she was a little annoyed that she had to face a promotional newcomer, but was happy to remain on the card with the attempt to add another win to her UFC résumé.

The leftover adrenaline from the pre-fight shift still needed to get out after the victory, and it certainly did on the microphone — although, she still had to mind her Ps and Qs.

“I still think I had the poison in me from the fight, it was still kind of [lingering] and hadn’t released yet,” Jasudavicius said. “I felt like I was in there, I worked so hard, I tried my hardest and I’m trying to talk. I had these nice things to say in my head, and [then all I hear is], ‘Boo, boo,’ and it just kind of caught me off guard.

“But I knew I couldn’t swear, and I couldn’t say, ‘F you.’ I know I can’t do that, so that was the first thing that came out.”

Whether she regrets the octagon interview or not, Jasudavicius knows she wants to set a better example for the younger fans who are getting into the massively popular UFC brand.

“I’m trying not to swear as much because I think I have a potty mouth, and I know that little girls are watching me and I don’t want them to have the mouth that I do,” Jasudavicius said.

“I want them to be better. So I’m trying to be better, to be a better representation.”

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