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Tatsuro Taira | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC Louisville is in the books so it’s back to the APEX for UFC Vegas 93!
Headlined by a flyweight matchup between Alex Perez and Tatsuro Taira, UFC Vegas 93 features 13 fights, including FOUR men’s flyweight matchups, and No Bets Barred is back to break them all down.
Conner Burks is out this week so Jed Meshew takes the reigns and is joined by MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck to breakdown all the action for this magnificent APEX card. Will Tatsuro Taira have his big breakthrough moment on Saturday? What other flyweight prospects can stand out? Just how badly will Ikram Aliskerov beat Antonio Trocoli? Plus, even a little PFL 4 discussion.
All this and a lot more are discussed on this week’s episode.
Tune in for episode 91 of No Bets Barred.
New episodes of the No Bets Barred podcast drop every Wednesday and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts. The latest episode can be heard below.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Merab Dvalishvili is as good as it gets at Bantamweight.
The Georgian sensation has become more of a fan favorite after recent victories over Petr Yan, and more so Henry Cejudo, but that hasn’t come from his finishing ability. However, Dvalishvili claims there’s a reason for nine of the 10 wins in his current stretch of success to have gone to the judges’ scorecards.
Dvalishvili, 33, holds the record for longest winning streak in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight history but got off to a rough start in the promotion. “The Machine” lost his UFC debut via split decision against Frankie Saenz before a unique third round guillotine submission loss to Ricky Simon in his sophomore appearance. Dvalishvili appeared to have the fight won until the final minute, which led to his downfall.
“My second fight, I was [fighting a] very tough guy, Ricky Simon,” Dvalishvili said on Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk (h/t MMA Junkie) “He was good everywhere, and I was trying to finish him and then I was going, and going, and punching him, and then I even dropped him, [tried to] knock him out. I tried some submission. Nothing was working, but I was winning the fight. It was one minute left and I take him down, I make the decision that I’m going to take him down and finish on top. And when I lift and when I jump, I hit my head to the floor.
“I knocked myself out, and at that time, he grabbed my neck and tried to choke me out on top,” he continued. “I don’t tap. I don’t sleep. I was still fighting, but referee say, ‘Oh, he was in and out [of consciousness].’ They give him technical TKO or something. After that, I make decision, like, you know what? I’m going to take people down and I’m going to have fun with it. I’m not going to chase the finish, and I’m not going to risk. After that, I became more smart fighter. Before, I used to be wild. But now, I play with my opponents.”
As the No. 1 contender in the division, Dvalishvili now expects to challenge for gold in his next outing against the champion, Sean O’Malley. It’s just a matter of when.
SAO PAULO, Brazil — Old UFC rivals Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen faced off on Wednesday following the press conference for their exhibition boxing bout.
As it stands, Conor McGregor’s “greatest comeback in combat sports history” is up in the air as a new report from MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani suggests that the bout is “very much in limbo” a little more than two weeks out from fight night.
With the status of McGregor vs. Chandler up in the air, reigning bantamweight world champion Sean O’Malley is willing to step up and help save the card—so long as he gets to pick his opponent.
“I’ll fight @jakepaul to save UFC 303,” O’Malley wrote on X.
It didn’t take long for ‘The Problem Child’ to respond, accepting O’Malley’s challenge.
“MMA fight before Tyson,” Paul replied alongside a green checkmark. He also tagged the Professional Fighters League, the promotion expected to host Paul’s mixed martial arts debut sometime down the line.
It’s not the first time Paul has made mention of the drama surrounding the UFC’s pay-per-view event on June 29. Earlier this month, he claimed to have some insider information on the turmoil but refused to spill the tea.
“People keep asking me about Conor McGregor / UFC 303 Obviously, I know a lot about it, but I’m not going to talk about it publicly,” Paul posted. “For the first time probably ever in my life, I have no comment on something. That’s their world, and you know, they get pissed at me every time I talk about that stuff. Good for them and they’ll figure it out
Jake Paul already has a big money fight lined up for the fall
Of course, Paul has his own big-money match lined up. On November 15, he will step back inside the squared circle for a clash with former unified heavyweight boxing world champion ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson inside the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Originally the fight was scheduled to go down this summer on July 20, but after suffering a medical episode during a cross-country flight out of Miami, Tyson was forced to take a break from training. Fortunately, the incident was attributed to an ulcer flare-up and won’t affect the 58-year-old’s ability to compete later this year.
Paul is 9-1 in his pro boxing career with his lone loss coming against Tommy Fury, the younger brother of former WBO heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury. Paul has since bounced back with a couple of first-round knockouts against a pair of no-name opponents under his Most Valuable Promotion’s banner.
Tyson, on the other hand, holds a career record of 50-6 with 44 of his victories coming by way of knockout. His scrap with Paul will be his first professional bout since a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride.
Photo by Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen fight card for the Silva vs. Sonnen exhibition boxing match at Spaten Fight Night is official with four bouts.
Silva, a UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC middleweight champion, faces longtime MMA rival Sonnen in a five-round exhibition boxing match on June 15 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Silva and Sonnen famously faced off in two UFC bouts. “The Spider” defended his title with an iconic fifth-round submission at UFC 117 in 2010, then finished Sonnen again with a second-round knockout at UFC 148 in 2012. Silva vs. Sonnen 1 is set to be inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame during International Fight Week ahead of UFC 303.
Silva, 49, is 3-2 as a pro boxer, having beaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz since stepping away from MMA in 2021. He lost to Jake Paul via decision in his most recent bout.
Sonnen, 47, is making his boxing debut.
The other three bouts on Spaten Fight Night include a boxing match between Olympic medalists Esquiva Falcão and Hebert Conceição, jiu-jitsu champion Bia Mesquita making her long-awaited MMA debut against Jorgina Ramos, and Silva’s son Kalyl Silva facing Paulo Roberto in a boxing match.
Check out the official Silva vs. Sonnen fight card for Spaten Fight Night below.
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen — exhibition boxing
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