Elle Brooke and Paige VanZant will clash in the Misfits Boxing 15 main event Saturday. | Misfits Boxing
MMA Fighting has Misfits Boxing 15 results for the Brooke vs. VanZant fight card, a live blog of the main event, and more from the NRG Arena in Houston on Saturday night.
In the main event, Elle Brooke defends her Misfits Boxing middleweight title against UFC and BKFC veteran Paige VanZant. VanZant makes her professional boxing debut after posting an 0-2 record during her BKFC tenure.
Former Steelers star Le’Veon Bell, who is 1-1 in his pro boxing career, squares off against Tristan Hamm in the co-main event as part of the cruiserweight tournament title quarterfinals.
Check out Misfits Boxing 15 results below.
Main Card (DAZN live now)
Elle Brooke vs. Paige VanZant
Le’Veon Bell vs. Tristan Hamm
OJ Rose vs. Brendan Kelly
Lil CraCra vs. YuddyGangTV
Jeremy Park vs. Anthony Vargas
Killer Bee vs. Silvia Fernandez
Alaena Vampira vs. Loza
Alysia Magen def. Fangs via unanimous decision (40-35 x3)
Leandro Higo was promised the next shot at Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix in the aftermath of Bellator Paris on May 17, he told MMA Fighting on Thursday.
Higo flew to Paris to be the backup fighter for Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov and was cageside watching the five-round contest at Accor Arena. Mix voiced interest in facing Higo during his in-cage post-fight interview, and the Brazilian said executive Mike Kogan told him backstage that he was next in line.
“[Mix] called me out and Mike Kogan said I was the next challenger,” Higo said. “We don’t have a contract yet but he said that, and I hope it happens. It definitely will happen. When Mike Kogan says something, it happens. His word is enough.”
Higo tapped Nikita Mikhailov with a guillotine choke in 2023 and recently moved up to 145 pounds to face James Gallagher in Ireland, winning a unanimous decision in enemy territory. Should Higo once again challenge for the Bellator title, it will be more than six years since his first chance, when he lost to Darrion Caldwell.
Higo said he offered to be the backup for the Bellator Paris main event because he thought Magomedov might pull out last-minute after doing a training camp during Ramadan. He hoped Mix would come out victorious to avoid a trilogy bout between the headliners, or an eventual Magomedov vs. Raufeon Stots rematch.
“It was a close fight to score,” Higo said of the Bellator Paris main event. “Patchy Mix won the first two, and the fifth was back and forth, and I think he ended up winning because [holding] the belt carries a weight. I think it was close. I’m not gonna lie, I was rooting for Patchy Mix to win. I will never root for Russians. [Laughs.]”
The bantamweight veteran said he has yet to be informed of a possible date for the championship collision, but eyes one of the shows in September or October. Bellator hosts a Sept. 7 card in San Diego and a London show the following week, before returning to Chicago on Oct. 12.
“I hope it’s in London,” Higo said. “I wanted neutral territory. There’s also a card in San Diego, and that would be enemy territory. But this opportunity will come at the best moment of my career. I’m in my prime. I already see myself as champion. The belt will come this time.”
Mix holds a Bellator record of 9-1 and has beaten his last seven opponents, including finishes of Magomedov, Stots, and Sergio Pettis, plus a decision over Kyoji Horiguchi.
“Patchy Mix is, to me, the greatest bantamweight in Bellator history for what he’s done and who he’s beat,” Higo said. “He’s fought the best fighters in Bellator and beat them convincingly. And it will be great to fight and dethrone him in his prime.”
Paige VanZant claims she’s returning to fighting to show off her improved boxing skills, but opponent Elle Brooke believes “12 Gauge” is coming back to gain some clout.
The two women will lock horns later this evening (Sat., May 25, 2024) at Misfits Boxing 15 live on DAZN PPV from Houston, Tex., as VanZant makes her professional boxing debut for a shot at Brooke’s MFB middleweight title. It will be the first time VanZant is competing in combat sports since a short stint in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) back in 2021.
VanZant, who has made a ton of money over the past three years through social media and OnlyFans, still has a little bit to prove at this point in her career. She hasn’t fought in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) since 2020, went 0-2 as a bareknuckle boxer, and hasn’t won a fight of any kind since 2019. “12 Gauge” is hoping regain the respect of combat fans with a solid showing this weekend.
Brooke, who has been extremely active inside of the ring over the past two years, doesn’t believe VanZant is returning to the mix for the love of the sport. Instead, Brooke believes VanZant is fighting at Misfits Boxing 15 this weekend to stay relevant and earn a hefty payday.
“I think she fights to keep relevant, whereas that’s not the reason why I fight,” Brooke told MMA Fighting. “My bread and butter is entertainment and entertaining people, but that’s not what she does. Yeah, she probably does love it, but it’s probably for the bag as well.”
While VanZant has a large advantage over Brooke when it comes to overall combat experience, Brooke believes her boxing skills are superior and will allow her to dictate tonight’s title fight.
“I know that she’s had a couple of bare-knuckle [fights] but it’s still a little bit more awkward in the stances, it’s not exactly the same sport,” Brooke said. “I think that I probably have the advantage in the boxing ring.
“I am confident that I will win, but she is the hardest opponent to date. She’s a mixed martial artist. She’s been fighting her whole life. So she’s definitely more experienced than me, but I definitely feel I have the edge when it comes to boxing.”
To order Misfits Boxing 15: “Brooke vs. VanZant” on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) CLICK HERE.
If Lerone Murphy is clear to compete in Manchester, England, at UFC 304, he would love to do it. No matter what, he believes he’s ready for some of the top names in the featherweight division — including Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett.
Murphy delivered a dominant performance in the main event of UFC Vegas 92 this past weekend, winning a unanimous decision over Edson Barboza. The 32-year-old did take some damage, but when asked if there were names on his mind for his next fight — especially if it took place in his home city of Manchester in July — he mentioned two of the more popular matchmaking suggestions.
“I feel like the Kattar fight and the Emmett fight would be amazing fights,” Murphy said on The MMA Hour. “They’d be good matchups for me to go out there and put another show on. I just want big fights now. My confidence is high. I just want big fights.
“Anybody in that top 10, I’m ready for now. I just want to keep fighting and keep the momentum going.”
“The Miracle” is unbeaten in his pro MMA career, including a 6-0-1 start to his UFC tenure, which includes victories over Joshua Culibao and Makwan Amirkhani.
Murphy suffered some facial swelling, bruising, and the fallout of taking leg kicks from a lethal striker like Barboza, but as long as a doctor clears him to compete in two months’ time, he says he’ll do all he can to fight at home at the UFC’s July 27 pay-per-view event.
“For me, if the nose isn’t broken, I’m fighting at [UFC 304],” Murphy said. “I’m looking to fight because I feel good. I know the bruising, all of the swelling will go down in a week, and they’re not going to put me in a main event, obviously. It will be a three-rounder, I’m already fit. Two weeks off [of] training, I’m not going to lose anything there, so I’ll be able to get right back into camp.
“But we’ll see. I’m not rushing anything. I’ll see how the body is, and if it’s a go, it’s a go.”
Former undisputed lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov claims a firm plan is in place for his countryman, Islam Makhachev to beat incoming common-foe, Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 this weekend – claiming a second or third round finish should be on the cards.
Nurmagomedov, a former undisputed lightweight champion and Hall of Fame inductee, called time on his unbeaten professional career back in 2020 following a successful title unification win over then-interim champion, Justin Gaethje.
And returning to the camp of Makhachev last week in Newark ahead of the current titleholder’s showdown with former interim best, Poirier in New Jersey in the main event of UFC 302 this weekend, it is currently unclear if the Dagestan native will feature as a cornerman at the Prudential Center.
Khabib Nurmagomedov shares prediction for UFC 302
Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam – USA TODAY Sports
However, sharing his immediate thoughts on the clash, Nurmagomedov claims Makhachev should have many openings in the second or third round to turn in a finish over Lafayette favorite, Poirier – who admitted he may likely call time on his own run in the sport.
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro – USA TODAY Sports
“Many people underestimate Dustin Poirier,” Khabib Nurmagomedov said on his YouTube channel. “I personally fought him, spent three and over 10 minutes with him, and I have a good sense of his strengths and weaknesses. We are working hard on these aspects.”
“Dustin Poirier is very experienced; he’s been in many battles already,” Khabib Nurmagomedov explained. “Yes, he has lost, but he also has many victories in the UFC, more than 22 or 23 wins. Using our slang, he is a seasoned warrior. You can’t take him lightly. We have great respect for Dustin, but on June 1. he is our opponent. We have a clearly developed plan for the fight, and I believe Islam (Makhachev) will follow it. I really hope that Islam will finish him off in the second or third round.”
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