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Alex Pereira really can do it all.

Since joining the UFC in 2021, Pereira has been speed-running a Hall of Fame career. After winning the UFC middleweight title in only his fourth fight in the promotion, Pereira then became fastest fighter to win belts in two divisions when he claimed the light heavyweight title in only his seventh UFC fight. Most recently, Pereira added another accomplishment to the résumé when he successfully defended his belt by knocking out former champion Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC 300. (He also earned his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt that evening.) And now we can add one more thing to the résumé: Acting chops.

On Monday, Topps, the collectible company responsible for UFC cards among other things, released a commercial for the UFC Chrome product, with Pereira as the centerpiece. In the commercial, “Poatan” interacts with fans looking to trade in his cards at a card shop, showing his trademark pre-fight menace — and given the fact that he’s not acting in his first language, the UFC light heavyweight champion doesn’t do half bad.

Check out Pereira’s commercial below.

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The MMA journalist who asked UFC CEO Dana White to hook her up with Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone for a branding session is snapping back at critics — namely MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani.

Following Saturday’s UFC St. Louis card, White addressed members of the media and was asked by one particular journalist about his competition bull, Twisted Steel. However, the conversation took a sharp turn off the rails when the woman, later identified as Abbey Wagoner of Mola Sport, asked if he could arrange a meeting with the UFC Hall of Famer so that he could brand her.

“Clout, for fun. I’ll be the girl BMF,” Wagoner responded when White asked why should would want to be branded by Cerrone.

Helwani, considered by many to be the gold standard of MMA journalism, chimed in on the incident, calling it an “embarrassing” moment for combat sports media.

“This is what the UFC wants at their ‘press conferences,’ Helwani wrote on social media. “Make no mistake about it. The sport has come so far. It has evolved so much. The UFC is on fire. The athletes are more talented than ever. The ‘media,’ however, has gone backwards. Embarrassing.”

Less than 24 hours later, Wagoner snapped back at Helwani online, explaining why she posed the unusual question. She also reminded Helwani that, despite his undeniable position as a pioneer in his field, he is not the “be-all-end-all” in combat sports journalism.

“What’s up fight fans? I just wanted to jump on here and address something real quick,” Wagoner said in a video on X. “You can hear it in my voice. I was at UFC Fight Night, Derrick Lewis vs. Nascimento. It was a good night. Some of you guys might recognize my voice from the post-fight press conference. I was the female reporter that asked Dana White about Twisted Steel and specifically about getting branded at the world finals.

“Ariel Helwani, I’ve got a lot of respect for you as a reporter and as a trailblazer in combat sports media because without you, I wouldn’t have the job that I have and a lot of people wouldn’t have the jobs that they have. But you need to recognize too that, yeah, you’re a journalist. You have a podcast. You talk to fighters. You and are in very different lanes and on top of that, you made it out to seem like I was asking an irrelevant question.

“Dana White has a very competitive PBR bucking bull that I’ve been following since November of last year. I’ve been chasing the ‘Cowboy’ story. The bull ride. The eight seconds for glory since they announced it. I was one of the first MMA reporters to actually give a sh*t about that story and I’m one of the only combat sports personalities that shows up at the PBR. Other than the Monster crew, I was the only one in Jacksonville covering Twisted Steel and I went out specifically to Albuquerque. So, maybe don’t question my relevancy or my right to be in that room without understanding everything that goes in.

“And maybe don’t clip the one part of the conversation that Dana took a little bit too far and that I rolled with. It’s news media. I am new, and you are not the be-all-end-all, Ariel.”

Wagoner Continues to Double Down on Usual Dana White Inquiry

With only 774 followers on X, Wagoner has no issues responding to practically everyone commenting on her video, doubling down on her antics at the post-fight press event and her message to Helwani.

LowKickMMA.com

Tyson Fury meets Oleksandr Usyk this weekend in what is being considered one of the most highly-anticipated boxing matches in recent history. Despite the fight being just days away, John Fury has managed to steal the headlines once again.

John Fury has a knack for stealing the spotlight, whether that’s with his witty comments or bizarre outbursts. He is no stranger to controversial moments but his recent escapade may land him in deep water.

A video has surfaced showing John Fury viciously headbutting an alleged member of Oleksandr Usyk’s team. The headbutt ultimately caused a cut to open up on Fury’s head.

John Fury has given his immediate views on the brawl. According to the man himself, his actions were strictly in support of his son.

“Well, you know, it’s the fight game. Emotions are running high,” Fury insisted following the altercation. “At the end of the day, I was sat there minding my own business and all I could hear was, ‘Usyk, Usyk, Usyk.’ And I’m going to stand up for my own son.”

“At the end of the day, he’s my son. He’s the best in the world and I want people to respect him and give him the credit he deserves as the champion.”

“He’s the best in the world and when people start saying this and saying that, because when I was in amongst them, all I could hear was badness.”

“At the end of the day, some little idiot came forward–I knew who he was–in my space. He got what he got and that’s the end of it. [It] happens every other week for me that.”

Related: John Fury trashes press conference

Continuing, John Fury then stated that only Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have the right to talk trash.

“Tyson and Usyk can say what they want to each other, they’re the ones that are going to fight. But I don’t think anybody else has got the authority to call anybody else.”

“If one of my team was to insult Usyk, they’d be sacked because they haven’t got the authority to do that… At the end of the day, I’ve done what I’ve done. I’ve [got] no complaints about anything. I am what I am. I’m going to defend my name with everything I’ve got.”

Watch what John Fury had to say about the bloody brawl below.

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Two of the top flyweights in the world are heading to Denver.

A women’s 125-pound matchup between Maycee Barber and Rose Namajunas is being targeted to headline the UFC Fight Night event on July 13 in Denver. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani first reported the booking Monday.

Barber (14-2) is MMA Fighting’s No. 6 ranked flyweight in the world. The 25-year-old Colorado native rides into her first UFC main event on a six-fight win streak that has propelled her to the brink of title contention. Barber’s run includes wins over Miranda Maverick, Jessica Eye, Andrea Lee, Amanda Ribas, and most recently Katlyn Cerminara.

Namajunas (12-6) is MMA Fighting’s No. 11 ranked flyweight in the world. She snapped a two-fight losing streak this past March with a five-round decision over Ribas.

A two-time former UFC strawweight champion, “Thug Rose” is one of the most decorated women to ever compete for the promotion, owning wins over Zhang Weili (x2), Joanna Jedrzejczyk (x2), and Jessica Andrade, among many others. Namajunas, 31, is 1-1 since moving up to the flyweight division, having lost her divisional debut against Manon Fiorot.

Other scheduled bouts for the July 13 card include Viviane Araujo vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius, Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa, and Mike Malott vs. Gilbert Urbina.

A venue for the event has yet to be announced.

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The PFL goes on the road with three cards in three different cities for the 2024 playoffs in August.

On Monday, the PFL announced the dates and locations for the upcoming playoffs across all the divisions. The action starts on Aug. 2 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., with heavyweights and the women’s flyweight division taking center stage.

From there, the PFL goes to the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. on Aug. 16 for the light heavyweights and lightweights.

The final playoff card happens on Aug. 23 from The Anthem in Washington D.C., with the welterweights and featherweights headlining the card.

The three cards ultimately determine the 12 finalists who move onto the championship card in late 2024, with the eventual winners earning a $ 1 million grand prize.

“PFL playoff action is second to none, with the best athletes in the sport vying for a chance to continue their million-dollar championship journeys,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a press release. “The PFL is excited to bring the 2024 PFL Global Season Playoffs to Nashville, Miami and D.C. as well as our fans from 160 countries around the globe. The PFL Global Season Playoffs win and advance format is the epitome of meritocracy.”

Unlike the season format where points are accumulated through wins and method of victory, PFL playoffs work like any other sport where it’s win and move on or lose and go home.

The second half of PFL’s ongoing 2024 season kicks off on Thursday, June 13, from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. It then moves to Salt Lake City on June 21 and wraps on June 28 in South Dakota.

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Ahead of their July 20 boxing match at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will appeared at a press conference on Monday at the Apollo Theater in New York City. 

The bout will air live and free on Netflix and will be a professional match consisting of eight two-minute rounds with 14-ounce gloves.  Following the press conference, Paul and Tyson faced off.  

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