Artem Vakhitov fights for the opportunity to earn a UFC contract when he faces Islem Masraf at Dana White’s Contender Series on Oct. 8 in Las Vegas, multiple people with knowledge of the booking told MMA Fighting following a report from MMA Propagande.
Vakhitov, known for being the last man to beat UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in kickboxing, inked the deal days after an virtual back and forth with “Poatan”.
Vakhitov recently told MMA Fighting the Brazilian “has no defense”, to which Pereira responded by saying he seemed to be “a bit lost”. They went on to argue over their two bouts in GLORY, where each won a decision.
Vakhitov was the GLORY light heavyweight champion until the kickboxing company parted ways with all Russians athletes under contract immediately after the Russia-Ukraine conflict began. Vakhitov eventually transitioned to MMA, winning twice this year to bring his record to 2-1.
Masraf went 2-0 as an amateur MMA fighter and has since gone 3-0 as a professional, capped off by a viral 10-second knockout over Mickael Groguhe at PFL Europe in March.
What was he doing?
Islem Masraf knocked out Mickael Groguhe in a bizarre moment at #PFLParis
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Ryan Garcia has been charged with one count of misdemeanor vandalism after he was arrested at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Beverly Hills on June 8.
The charges were filed against the boxer on Thursday along with a statement from Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón addressing Garcia’s behavior.
“While we are grateful no injuries were reported in this incident, reckless behavior that damages property shows a blatant and unacceptable disregard for the safety and peace of our community,” Gascón said. “Our office will work to ensure the responsible individual is held accountable.”
The charge against Garcia is a misdemeanor for “vandalism $ 400 or more in damage or destruction of property” and “it is further alleged that the amount of defacement, damage and destruction was $ 400 or more.”
If convicted, Garcia could potentially face up to one year in jail along with fines.
His next appearance in court is scheduled for an arraignment on Aug. 7 at the airport courthouse in Los Angeles.
Following his initial arrest, the Beverly Hills Police Department released a statement regarding the call received from the hotel that led to Garcia being detained.
“On June 8, 2024, at approximately 5:15 P.M., the Beverly Hills Police Department responded to 9850 Wilshire Blvd. (Waldorf Astoria) for an ‘intoxicated person’ call for service,” Beverly Hills police said in June. “During the investigation, the intoxicated person was identified as Ryan Garcia. Upon obtaining statements from the hotel management, it was determined that Mr. Garcia was a registered guest of the hotel and had caused damage to a guest room and the hallway of the hotel. Hotel management requested the arrest of Mr. Garcia for property damage.
“Ryan Garcia, a 25-year-old from Porter Ranch, California, was arrested for PC 594(b)(1) – Felony vandalism and transported by the Beverly Hills Fire Department to a local hospital for medical care.”
Ultimately, Garcia was charged with misdemeanor vandalism rather than a felony after he allegedly caused an estimated $ 15,000 in damage to the hotel
Just after the charge against him was announced, Garcia took to Twitter to declare “no way I’m going to jail.”
No way I’m going to jail
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) July 18, 2024
Garcia has endured a rocky few months after arguably the biggest win of his career — a unanimous decision victory over Devin Haney — was overturned to a no contest after he tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine, which led to a one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission.
Garcia was also expelled by the WBC after using racial slurs in a social media rant gone wrong.
Daniel Cormier has somewhat surprisingly ran to Jon Jones’ side in the midst of his two misdemeanor charges.
Jones and Cormier have a heated past and both men have openly made it clear of their disdain for one another. Over the years, that feud has started to fade and the Olympic wrestler is now siding with his old rival.
After news surfaced of Jon Jones being handed two misdemeanor charges — and his subsequent not guilty plea — many questioned his reliability outisde of the cage. While the verdict of the case remains unresolved, Daniel Cormier has shared his thoughts on the situation.
Instead of belittling his long-term rival, DC opted to side with ‘Bones’.
“My boy Jon Jones,” Cormier stated on his YouTube channel. “Guys, he got served two misdemeanors for the incident with the drug-testing lady.”
“If I’m being completely honest, though, the whole time I kind of thought that whole deal was BS.”
“I feel like he was approached very early, right? Or, if I recall correctly, it was either really early in the morning or late in the evening where he could have been at home, having some drinks.”
“We all rush to judge Jones because of his past issues, but the reality is, if a man is at his house and he’s having some drinks in the confines of his own home, so what? It’s his right to do that.”
“If the drug-testers come and he might be a little bit tipsy or messed up, maybe the interactions aren’t as fun or as easy as they may have been in other occasions.”
Cormier continued, insisting that Jones has been an easy person to target due to his past.
“I kinda always thought it was BS. I don’t think much is going to come of it. Because he is who he is, it’s always a story, regardless of what happens to this guy. And honestly, that’s kind of like living in the spotlight.”
“I think because of everything he’s done in the past, the light shines a little brighter on him. Even in situations where it shouldn’t.”
Related: Jon Jones pleads not guilty to misdemeanor charges
“So, I don’t really think that this is that big of a deal. I think it was always going to be a misdemeanor, but some of the things that has happened in the past are much more serious…”
“I think this man was bombarded a little bit and I think that a misdemeanor is only the court’s way of taking some action.”
Cormier ended by saying that despite their relationship and history, he still believes the charges to be wrong.
“I’m not the judge, I’m not the jury, so it doesn’t really matter. I’m just a guy that doesn’t like a guy, that is actually standing up for that guy because I know that’s bullsh*t.”
Kamaru Usman has some names in mind for his return to action.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion has taken his time, resting and recovering throughout 2024. When he eventually gets back in the Octagon, he’ll look to snap a three-fight losing skid that began when he last held the title in his rematch against Leon Edwards at UFC 278 in August 2022.
Usman, 37, appears to be getting closer to his comeback. When he does so, he believes fights with any of Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry, Jack Della Maddalena, or Belal Muhammad are the right moves.
“There’s a huge chance it comes down to one of these guys,” Usman said on Pound 4 Pound. “These are the streaky guys right now. As I like to think of it, these are the new hot chicks in the division right now, and of course, we love hot chicks. These are the hot prospects in the division right now.
“Staying at Welterweight, I would have to choose out of one of these guys,” he continued. “It is what it is. I have no problem with either one. I think they’re all great fighters. Tough, young, strong fighters, making their way up. It’s up to me to go show them they’re not on my level yet, but I’ve been doing this. That I have been, always will be the boogeyman of that Welterweight division.”
Luckily for Usman, the first three names he has in mind are all without current match ups booked. However, Muhammad will be the next contender to challenge the champion, Edwards, when they rematch in UFC 304’s main event next weekend (Sat., July 27, 2024). Due to Usman’s recent consecutive losses to Edwards at Welterweight, he’ll likely need at least one win before being in title consideration.
Marcin Tybura and Serghei Spivac | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Marcin Tybura and Serghei Spivac are set to run things back, this time as a main event.
On Thursday, the UFC officially announced that Tybura and Spivac will rematch their 2020 heavyweight fight as the main event of UFC Vegas 95 on Aug. 10 at the UFC APEX. The news was first reported by Marcel Dorff.
Heavyweight rematch headlines #UFCVegas95 @MarcinTybura vs Serghei Spivac 2 is ON pic.twitter.com/Q8SyHN4uEF
— UFC (@ufc) July 18, 2024
Tybura and Spivac previously fought on the undercard of UFC Norfolk, with Tybura winning a unanimous decision. Both men have had substantial success since that first matchup, with Tybura amassing a 7-2 resume to rise to No. 8 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, while Spivac has gone 6-2, rising to No. 10 in the rankings.
Most recently, Tybura submitted Tai Tuivasa back in March in the main event of UFC Vegas 88, while Spivac lost his most recent bout by TKO when he faced Ciryl Gane at UFC Paris this past September.
UFC Vegas 95 also features a bantamweight bout between Javid Basharat and Chris Gutierrez and a women’s bantamweight bout between Pannie Kianzad and Karol Rosa, among eight other announced bouts.
You can view a full list of bouts below, though bout order yet to be determined.
Marcin Tybura (25-8) vs. Serghei Spivac (16-4)
Chris Gutierrez (20-5-2) vs. Javid Basharat (14-1)
Pannie Kianzad (16-8) vs. Karol Rosa (17-6)
Jarno Errens (14-5-1) vs. Youssef Zalal (14-5-1)
Yana Santos (14-8) vs. Chelsea Chandler (6-2)
Karl Williams (10-1) vs. Jhonata Diniz (7-0)
Allan Nascimento (20-6) vs. Jafel Filho (16-3)
Jonny Parsons (9-3) vs. Yusaka Kinoshita (6-3)
Stephanie Luciano (5-1-1) vs. Talita Alencar (5-0-1)
Expected to make his comeback to the Octagon at the end of the year in a blockbuster headliner at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Jon Jones has revealed he currently weighs 260lbs ahead of his clash with veteran ex-champion, Stipe Miocic.
Jones, a former two-time light heavyweight champion and a current heavyweight titleholder, has been out of action for over 500 days since his most recent return to the UFC – without a fight since March of last year.
Sidelined through injury setbacks, Rochester native, Jones most recently snatched the then-vacant heavyweight crown in a dominant opening round guillotine choke submission win over former interim champion, Ciryl Gane.
And currently awaiting bench trial after he was charged with two misdemeanors amid an alleged incident with a drug-testing agent at his residence back in March, Jones has since pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and also interfering with communications.
Mandatory Credit: Patrick T. Fallon – AFP
Jon Jones reveals massive weight ahead of UFC 309
Previewing his comeback fight against Miocic later this annum in a first outing in ‘The Big Apple’ for the New York native, Jones has revealed he is weighing a whopping 260lbs as he continues training for his return to combat sports.
“Tomorrow, I’ll be 37 years old!!” Jon Jones posted on his official X account. “I’m 260 pounds 16 weeks away from fighting the most decorated heavyweight in UFC history. I feel like I’m in a great spot right before training camp ramps up. My form is far from perfect in these videos, but I’m happy with it considering the surgeries I recently had. 16 more weeks to become the beast, that’s exactly what I will do. #Champion2024”
Tomorrow, I’ll be 37 years old !! I’m 260 pounds 16 weeks away from fighting the most decorated heavyweight in UFC history. I feel like I’m in a great spot right before training camp ramps up. My form is far from perfect in these videos, but I’m happy with it considering the… pic.twitter.com/kpns3gJOk4
— BONY (@JonnyBones) July 18, 2024
Issued a stark warning by fellow former two-weight champion, Randy Couture ahead of his fight with Miocic, Jones has been warned the veteran Ohio has likely the best chance amongst other competitors of beating the former at UFC 309.
Who do you think wins at UFC 309: Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic?
Conor McGregor was drawn to bare knuckle because of how intense and raw the sport is by taking away the gloves.
His decision to become a part owner in BKFC obviously comes from a business stand point where he knows he can add major value to this promotion on the rise.
At the same time, it’s clearly something that “The Notorious” is very passionate about because of the mindset of the fighters that step into such an unforgiving arena.
He believes that the sport of bare knuckle has one thing over any other combat sport and that’s the respect for the athletes.
Conor McGregor Says Competing In Bare Knuckle Comes With A Certain Amount Of Respect
Ask any boxer about whether they want to compete in MMA and you’re sure to get an answer along the lines of not wanting to spend time training their grappling skills.
However, ask most boxers or MMA fighters about competing in bare knuckle and the issue isn’t that it’s a new skillset for them to learn, it’s that it’s too damaging.
McGregor believes that this puts the athletes in BKFC on a pedestal in combat sports which makes them a small minority in an already very unique profession.
“The Notorious” spoke at his first press conference for the promotion where he used Mike Perry as a reference for how fighters can come and reinvent themselves in the promotion.
He believes that competing in this sport comes with a certain amount of respect in the combat sports world because frankly, most wouldn’t sign on the dotted line.
“Make a new name for yourself. Look at what has happened to Michael Perry, one of our big stars here, the ‘King of Violence’ he titles himself. He’s had such a rise in the sport, now he’s up against a little dweeb of a thing in a fight this weekend that we’re all rooting for him.
“This is the real deal. No one in this combat sports space can speak one bad word about a bare knuckle fighting world champion and that for me, is money in the bank.”
Read also: VIDEO: Jake Paul & Mike Perry Complete Open Workouts Ahead Of Boxing Match
Continue Reading Conor McGregor Feels A BKFC Fighter Commands Respect From All Other Combat Sports: ‘Not One Bad Word About A Bare-Knuckler…’ at MMA News.
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