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Some of the strongest men in the world, including Brian Shaw, Eddie Hall, Martyn Ford, and Mitchell Hooper, were scheduled to compete in a four-man mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament back on Feb. 17 at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

The event fell apart a few weeks before fight night, robbing all four combatants of “life-changing money.”

“I just wasted six months of my life for nothing,” Hall said on the Shaw Strength Podcast. “You know, turned down hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of work. It’s affected your business, it’s affected your YouTube. It’s just had this massive knock on effect. It probably lost me… we’re talking six figures, easy. Well, well in the six figures. Probably closer to seven [figures].”

Hall also reveals he got stiffed by promoters for his Thor Bjornsson boxing match.

“We were given contracts and there was no reason to think this was a hoax or a scam or anything,” Hall continued. “It seemed really legit. So, me and you dedicated six months of our lives to that purpose, and that came to a head in the end of January. I’ve carried on with fight training because I really enjoy it and I’ve been talking to other promoters, so there might be some fights coming up soon.”

I hear the Iranian Hulk is still available.

Hall, 36, appears to have taken out his frustrations on a pair of hapless influencers during the World Freak Fight League 1 event earlier this month in Blackburn (highlights here). As for Shaw, now 42, it appears he’s out of the fight game for the foreseeable future.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Robert Whittaker is treating Ikram Aliskerov just like he would Khamzat Chimaev, or any of his opponents: as the toughest possible test he could be facing.

A late opponent change sees the former middleweight champion now taking on Aliskerov in Saturday’s UFC Saudi Arabia main event. Whittaker was originally to fight the undefeated Chimaev, but an illness forced Chimaev out of the contest, which led to the matchmakers pulling Aliskerov out of last weekend’s UFC Vegas 93 co-main event and inserting him into the Whittaker fight.

Much was made of what it could mean for Whittaker to be the first to beat Chimaev and whether he’d earn another shot at UFC gold, but Whittaker is focused solely on the lesser known Aliskerov.

“My biggest concern was making sure that the fight happened, was going through with the fight,” Whittaker said at UFC Saudi Arabia media day. “My biggest concern now is beating Ikram.”

“He’s very much a dangerous opponent,” he continued. “You can look at it on paper that he might be more dangerous [than Chimaev] because of how well-rounded he is, but honestly, every fight brings a level of threat and a level of danger that has to be addressed.”

Chimaev and Aliskerov actually fought one another in 2019, a year before Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene. That Brave Combat Federation encounter was brief, but competitive, with Chimaev eventually prevailing via knockout.

Since that time, Chimaev’s star has continued to rise, and he’d likely have earned a title shot by now at either welterweight or middleweight were it not for health problems that have repeatedly caused the fighter to withdraw from bouts. Whittaker isn’t disappointed that he’s the latest to miss out on a fight with Chimaev, and he feels there’s a lot his team did in camp that will apply to his replacement foe.

“I’m not really worried about it too much, who I’m fighting, I’m going to be honest,” Whittaker said. “I’m here to fight. I was fit, I was ready, and this is how I provide for my family. Everyone knew I wanted to fight. I’m here, so I’m going to fight.”

“By this stage in the camp, all the work’s been done,” he continued. “I’m fit, I’m strong, I’m sharp, and all the skills that I worked for Chimaev, no skill is wasted, no skill is useless. A lot of it can be used in this fight, so all the work’s been done. I’m ready.”

A win over Chimaev would have firmly pushed Whittaker to the front of the middleweight contenders’ line, where he would await the winner of the UFC 305 headliner between champion Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. Both fighters hold wins over Whittaker, but the former champion has recently knocked off ranked opponents Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori.

Chimaev is out of the picture for the foreseeable future and there’s no guarantee a win over Aliskerov holds the same weight in the eyes of the fans nor the UFC. Regardless, Whittaker expects victory to bring the proper spoils, whether that’s a title shot or another chance to fight Chimaev.

“The only sure thing in the UFC is that winning opens doors,” Whittaker said. “My focus is solely on this Saturday night, getting my hand raised, and I’ll worry about the rest afterwards.”

“If [Chimaev is] around at the top of the game and I’m around at the top of the game, our paths will cross,” he continued. “I don’t have any particular opponents that I look to fight. It’s just they give me a name and I say yes and then we’re here.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Once more headlining another high-profile card during is brief Octagon tenure – incumbent light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira has been backed as the potential new “face” of the UFC by Hall of Fame star, Daniel Cormier – ahead of next weekend’s return.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion and the current light heavyweight titleholder, returns on just two weeks notice at UFC 303 next weekend in Las Vegas, headlining the International Fight Week card in a rematch against former champion, Jiri Prochazka.

Replacing promotional megastar, Conor McGregor who has been sidelined through an undisclosed injury, Pereira took main event status at the monumental UFC 300 event back in April – lodging a stunning opening round knockout win over Jamahal Hill in the process.

Alex Pereira en route to further stardom with UFC 303 return

And receiving major props from the mixed martial arts community for stepping into the McGregor-shaped void at UFC 303 next weekend, Pereira is well on his way to becoming the new face of the organization – according to Cormier.

“Could you imagine the money he’s (Alex Pereira) making now,” Daniel Cormier said during an episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy. “He says yes to everything – [he] headlined Madison Square Garden twice, headlined UFC 300 which was a monster, he steps in again on short notice for UFC 303.”

“Now, it will always be hard to top Conor McGregor in regards to star power,” Cormier explained. “You still got Israel Adesanya, you still got Jon Jones, but when I think about the face of the company, because of his durability, his activity, his willingness to fight, two-division champion.” 

First taking on Prochazka last November in the pair’s vacant title fight in New York, Pereira became a two-division champion with a blistering second round knockout in the pair’s headliner at Madison Square Garden.

Do you think Alex Pereira can become the biggest star the UFC has to offer?

LowKickMMA.com

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Kelvin Gastelum’s weight-cutting issues continue to be an issue, according to the one-time interim title challenger.

Gastelum is slated to meet Daniel Rodriguez in a featured welterweight bout at Saturday’s UFC Saudi Arabia event. During Thursday’s media day, Gastelum was asked about his second fight camp since returning to the 170-pound division following a 12-fight run at middleweight, and the 32-year-old opened up about a tough road to the fight — and to the scale later this week.

“To be honest, this has been a pretty hard training camp,” Gastelum said at media day. “There’s a lot of things that went on behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t know, don’t get to see, but it’s been pretty hard to get my weight down this time around. [It’s been] harder than last time.

“I am pretty worried this week [about making the weight], but we’re going to talk with the manager and come up with the best game plan. But I think we’re in for a rough weight cut.”

Gastelum made weight for his welterweight return against Sean Brady at UFC Austin this past December, and suffered a lopsided submission loss. Gastelum missed weight on several occasions before moving up, which included a scratched fight with Donald Cerrone for the at UFC 205, the UFC’s debut at Madison Square Garden in November 2016.

Rodriguez then took the podium and was asked about Gastelum’s comments before informing the media members in attendance that the UFC has reached out to him, and that he has agreed to the bout being moved to a middleweight contest.

“Actually, the matchmakers reached out and I tried to get it to a catchweight, but he must be having such a bad fight camp that he can’t even make 180,” Rodriguez said. “I’m currently 179 pounds, so I have to put weight back on. It’s been 13 weeks since I found out about this fight. I’m sure he has, too, so the fact that he’s saying he’s having a bad fight camp, it makes no sense. I feel like it’s lack of discipline. I don’t know if he’s having a bad fight camp, or he’s just being lazy and doesn’t want to make the weight.

“I already agreed to a [fight at] 185. I’m so invested in this fight that they put me in a really tough spot. I need this fight to happen. It’s been such a long fight camp, and I did agree to take a percentage of his purse, which is only fair. I just felt like 180 would’ve been a good weight, but it’s not my first time coming through for the company, and I want the UFC to know that I’m that guy that’s going to make the sacrifices — even if it’s not in my favor.”

The UFC has yet to officially announce the change, though the Saudi Arabia event page currently lists Gastelum vs. Rodriguez as a middleweight bout. A person with knowledge of the promotion’s plans told MMA Fighting earlier that discussions were ongoing, and that an update was to be expected to soon.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Kade Ruotolo, this jiu-jitsu wizard who just competed in his first mixed martial arts bout, is taking his grappling talents to the Craig Jones Invitational.

Ruotolo confirmed the news on a recent edition of The MMA Hour that he, along with his brother Tye, will be competing at the new CJI tournament on Aug. 16 and 17 over the ADCC championships. This is a major move in the jiu-jitsu community, and it wasn’t a call that the Ruotolos made lightly.

“That was a super tough decision for my brother and I,” Ruotolo said. “We were getting pulled between ADCC and that new CJI. So we were really kind of torn in both directions and made our decision to go with CJI.

“There’s a couple of reasons [why we chose to go there], it didn’t narrow it down to one thing. My brother and I both made the decision together. There were a couple of things. First, not to state the obvious, $ 1 million is $ 1 million, [that’s] just so much money. ADCC has the accolades and prestige, but with this new CJI coming into play, a lot of the hefty competitors, a lot of the sick names have left already and gone into this next division.

“The other thing is my brother and I can compete in the same division, but on opposite sides. So I reckon my brother will be on one side of the bracket, I’ll be on the other … so if all goes well, we’ll meet in the finals and have an awesome war there.”

In his MMA debut at ONE 167 earlier this month, the youngest ADCC champion of all-time submitted Blake Cooper in the first round. Eventually, Ruotolo wants to go all-in on MMA and see how far it can take him.

Before that, and after winning at the ADCC tournament, Ruotolo hopes to put money in the bank — which he has the chance to get a heck of a lot more of with the CJI.

“ADCC is the most prestigious no-gi tournament since they started,” Ruotolo said. “I wouldn’t say that they’re in trouble, I would say they should probably try to listen to the athletes in a sense where you see a lot of these guys move to CJI. One of the main [and] obvious reasons is you got to ADCC, you get the gold medal, you go through all the wars, and it’s only $ 10,000 for the winner.

“I think it’s $ 10,001 for the CJI, and then obviously $ 1 million to win. If you’re coming from money, it’s not too big a deal, you want that prestige, you want that title, but the majority of us aren’t coming from money. We’re all trying to be first generation millionaires. … From a financial standpoint, it really makes sense to do this.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Jake Paul was scheduled to box former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20, but a health issue forced Tyson to postpone their match until Nov. 15.  Paul could have waited until November for the blockbuster showdown but opted to fight on the original July 20 date against former UFC welterweight and undefeated bare-knuckle fighter Mike Perry.  

Paul is coming off a first-round knockout win over Ryan Bourland in March. He’s 9-1 as a professional boxer. Perry rejuvenated his career after leaving the UFC in 2021. He was signed by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) and is undefeated in the fight promotion with wins over former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold. Perry last fought in April, stopping Thiago Alves in the first round. He also holds a BKFC win over Michael “Venom” Page.

Perry is a dangerous fighter, and Paul wanted to face him to gain experience before stepping in the ring with Tyson later this year.  While Paul says that he respects Perry as a fighter, he plans on using him as a stepping stone.  

“I’m on a tear.  I’m not slowing down for anybody, if people want to delay fights.  I’ve got to get my experience in the ring.  I love fighting.  I love going under the bright lights, and I love putting on shows for the fans.  I will become world champion, but to do that I need experience,” Paul said during an appearance on The MMA Hour.  

Related: Daniel Cormier: ‘Jake Paul gets beat on July 20’

“And Mike Tyson is an absolute killer, so I do want to face another absolute killer,” Paul continued.  “Don’t get it wrong.  I think Mike Perry is funny.  It’s entertaining and stuff, but he is a savage and I do respect him as a fighter.  I know how good he is and how tough he is, and I want to challenge myself in preparation for the Mike Tyson (fight).  I was scared going up against Mike Tyson.  I was unsure, but this can be almost a stepping stone in the right direction and get me more time and preparation.  Hopefully Mike Perry can last and give me some good eight rounds, but we’ll see what happens.

“I don’t think he has what it takes to last that long.  But that’s why I took this fight.  I need the experience.  I need tough guys, and I love putting on shows for the fans.”

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