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The news broke on Tuesday that Jake Paul will indeed fight on July 20.  “The Problem Child” was slated to faced former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on that date, but Tyson was forced out of the fight with a medical issue.  

With Tyson out, Paul decided to stay on the July 20 fight card that will take now place in Tampa, Fla.  Paul will clash with former UFC welterweight and undefeated bare-knuckle fighter Mike Perry.  Perry is a dangerous opponent, and former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes “Platinum” is going to beat Paul at Amalie Arena next month.

“Can Mike Perry do in boxing what he does in bare knuckle,” Cormier questioned on his YouTube channel.  “Does that translate to boxing?”

Paul is coming off a first-round knockout win over Ryan Bourland in March. He’s 9-1 in his professional boxing career. 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 BKFC win over Michael “Venom” Page.   

“Can Mike Perry stalk him in the way that he stalks guys in bare knuckle?  And does the damage make Jake Paul start to question himself like it did to Luke Rockhold, like it did to Thiago Alves?  He hurt Eddie Alvarez bad.  Bad.  These are tough guys,” Cormier said. 

Related: Sean O’Malley: ‘Conor McGregor’s time is running out’

“What we’ve learned about Jake is that he possesses enough skills to cause problems for many in the boxing ring.  He’s going to be bigger than Perry.  He’s going to have more boxing experience than Perry.  But does that equate?  If I’m being honest with you, I believe that Mike Perry wins this fight.  I think Mike Perry is going to make this fight just ugly enough to beat Jake,” Cormier continued.  

Perry is aggressive, hits hard, and isn’t easily broken.  He comes to fight ever single time and has become the face of BKFC.  Cormier admitted that he’ll be tuning in to watch.   

“I’m going to watch this one.  100 percent I am going to watch this one,” he said.  “I’m excited.  I like that one.  This is probably the most exciting fight I’ve had for Jake Paul, but I believe he gets beat.  Jake Paul gets beat July 20th.  

Paul is expected to face Tyson on Nov. 15 at the originally slated venue, AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.  It’s unclear what a potential loss to Perry would do to the November match with Tyson.     

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A crazy story
| BJPenn.com

YouTube boxer Jake Paul will slug it out with former UFC welterweight Mike Perry atop the DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) fight card scheduled for Sat., July 20, 2024 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, a boxing spectacle that also features unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano taking on Stevie Morgan in the co-main event.

Paul opened as the -240 betting favorite against +190 for Perry, according to BetOnline.ag. Probably because “The Problem Child” is 9-1 as a pro boxer with six knockouts, whereas “Platinum” was knocked out in his one and only boxing match back in 2015. Expect plenty of movement with that line as we get closer to fight night.

“This guy is a f*cking lunatic,” Paul said on YouTube. “He’s undefeated in bare knuckle, which is probably the craziest sport in the world. Not to mention, this fight has been brewing for years. I think this fight is going to have some amazing press conference moments and really entertaining stuff that comes from it, but it is a major risk. I’m literally potentially sacrificing the biggest moment of my career, the biggest payday of my career if I lose to Mike Perry. But for some reason, these are the positions that I like to put myself in.”

Paul, 27, was originally scheduled to box former WBC heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; however, the “Iron” pugilist was forced to postpone due to illness. Their Netflix showdown was eventually rebooked for November, though a loss against Perry could throw a wrench into Paul’s plans.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The Mixed Martial Arts Hour is back in your life! Below is a rundown of Wednesday’s show, which begins at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. UK time.

1 p.m. ET: We kick off the show with the latest news and notes from combat sports

1:35 p.m. ET: Tatsuro Taira discusses his win over Alex Perez at UFC Vegas 93 and what’s next for him

2 p.m. ET: Jake Paul and Mike Perry come face-to-face ahead of their boxing match

3 p.m. ET: Kade Ruotolo discusses his transition from grappling to MMA

3:30 p.m. ET: The Parlay Pals look ahead to UFC Saudi Arabia and the weekend in combat sports

3:45 p.m. ET: We answer all your questions in the latest edition of On the Nose

For the latest episodes of The MMA Hour, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.

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Slated to return on short-notice at UFC 303 next weekend, former light heavyweight title challenger, Anthony Smith claims workings behind the scenes are pointing to the promotion’s wish to pair him with event headliner, Alex Pereira – as he prepares to clash with Carlos Ulberg. 

Smith, the current number ten ranked divisional challenger, snapped a losing run back in May at UFC 301 in Brazil, handing the highly-touted, Vitor Petrino a stunning opening round defeat in the form of a guillotine choke submission.

And replacing an injury-ridden former titleholder, Jamahal Hill at UFC 303 next weekend during International Fight Week, Nebraska native Smith will share a card with incumbent light heavyweight best, Pereira – with the duo sharing a distinct rivalry in recent months in particular. 

Anthony Smith envisions Alex Pereira title fight soon

Sharing his thoughts on his chances of facing the Sao Paulo knockout king in the future, Smith claimed workings behind the scenes point to the organization’s plans to put the two together in the Octagon – sooner than later.

“It’s not lost on me the promotional situation that we’re being put into,” Anthony Smith told Submission Radio. “There’s some stuff behind the scenes that are happening that I understand why they’re doing it. Every UFC event is set up for whatever the next matchups are for the next people, so I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“I anticipate that he’s (Alex Pereira) going to continue to do what he always does and take shots at me and poke at me, if you poke at me long enough you’re going to get what you want and it’s been fun for me because I like him, honestly.” 

Headlining the card, former middleweight champion, Pereira rematches another ex-champion, Jiri Prochazka in a short-notice title fight re-run at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Would you like to see Anthony Smith fight Alex Pereira in the future?

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UFC

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards are going to run it back in September for Bellator middleweight gold.

The promotion announced on Wednesday that Eblen is set to defend his 185-pound title against Edwards in a rematch to headline Bellator London, which takes place Sept. 14 at OVO Wembley.

In their first meeting at Bellator 299 this past September, Eblen stopped Edwards via third-round TKO in a competitive contest.

Eblen, 32, puts his championship on the line for the third time. “Pressure” captured the title with a dominant decision win over Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 282 in June 2022.

Since then, Eblen successfully defended his belt against Edwards and Anatoly Tokov. In his most recent outing, the No. 6 ranked middleweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings defeated 2023 PFL light heavyweight champ Impa Kasanganay at February’s PFL vs. Bellator card in Saudi Arabia and improved to 15-0 with a hard fought split decision win.

The 31-year-old Edwards, the brother of current UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, earned his way back to a title shot following a unanimous decision win against Aaron Jeffery at Bellator Belfast in March. Edwards is 4-1 in his past five outings, including wins over Mousasi, as well as former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

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The list of the biggest stars in UFC history is a short one.  Toping the list would be former two-division champion Conor McGregor, and by a large margin.  He holds eight spots in the top 10 most UFC pay-per-view buys.  McGregor’s stardom is what every fighter is after.

One of the fighters aiming for superstardom is bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley.  Already widely popular, O’Malley also has a thriving social media following that generates most of his income.  

“I made a lot of money fighting but I made triple that from social media. From Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, all these different social medias. I made triple the amount I made fighting,” O’Malley said in an interview with Bradley Martyn last month.  

“As long as Conor’s even in the f***ing possibility of fighting, he’s going to be the biggest thing.” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel.  “I don’t think I’ll ever be bigger than Conor while Conor is still around.  But Conor, his time is running out.  I haven’t even reached my prime yet.”

McGregor will be 36 next month.  He was scheduled to make his long-awaited return on June 29 in the UFC 303 main event against Michael Chandler but was forced out of the bout due to injury.  Matchmakers pulled Chandler from the fight card and replaced the main event with a middleweight title bout between champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jiri Prochazka.      

McGregor last fought at UFC 264 in July 2021.  A trilogy bout between the Irishman and Dustin Poirier headlined the event.  In the closing seconds of the opening round, McGregor suffered a broken leg.  It was the last time McGregor stepped foot inside the octagon.  

O’Malley, 29, won the 135-pound championship by stopping Aljamain Sterling in the first round at UFC 292 in August 2023.  He successfully defended the title in March, avenging a previous loss to Marlon Vera in a one-sided unanimous decision.  He’s expected to face top contender Merab Dvalishvili later this year.  

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