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Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz are getting an extra month of preparation for their boxing rematch.

The sequel to Masvidal and Diaz’s mixed martial arts (MMA) clash from UFC 244 was set to go down at the start of next month (Sat., June 1, 2024). Per Boxing Scene, Masvidal vs. Diaz 2 has been delayed one month and will go down on July 6, 2024. The Fanmio-promoted event will remain inside the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

Masvidal, 39, is still under UFC contract but has revealed he was allowed permission to compete in the match. However, the original fight date coincided with UFC 302, which will feature a Lightweight title tilt between the champion, Islam Makhachev, and Masvidal’s longtime American Top Team (ATT) teammate, Dustin Poirier. The date change was reportedly a reaction to avoiding any limitations in viewership from going head-to-head with UFC.

The match will be Masvidal’s second foray into the professional boxing world. His debut saw him earn a majority decision win against Joseph Benjamin in 2005 (35-17 in MMA). Since then, Diaz made his debut in the sport when he fought Jake Paul to a unanimous decision loss this past August 2023 (watch highlights).

Diaz, 39, is currently the last win on Masvidal’s MMA record. The pair’s first fight resulted in a Masvidal third round technical knockout via doctor’s stoppage when Diaz was badly cut in November 2019.

Unlike Masvidal, Diaz is no longer held down by UFC restrictions after he fought out his contract in the two fights that followed Masvidal. For Diaz, he went 1-1 to close out his UFC run when he dropped a unanimous decision to future champion, Leon Edwards, before submitting Tony Ferguson with a fourth round guillotine choke at UFC 279 in September 2022 (watch highlights).

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler’s upcoming main event clash continues to build its undercard.

The latest bout addition to UFC 303 sees undefeated Payton Talbott (8-0) take on Yanis Ghemmouri (12-2) in a bantamweight bout.

See the official announcement for the bout below.

Talbott, 25, has impressed in his brief MMA career since making his pro debut in 2021. After earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Talbott was victorious in his first UFC fight, submitting Nick Aguirre in the third round of their November 2023 contest. He followed that up with a second-round knockout of Cameron Saaiman to keep his perfect record intact.

Still just 29 years old, France’s Ghemmouri has been competing for almost a decade. “The Desert Warrior” was a standout for Brave Combat Federation, but seeks his first UFC win after losing to William Gomis in his UFC debut.

UFC 303 is headlined by a grudge match between former two-division champion Conor McGregor and his The Ultimate Fighter 31 coaching rival Michael Chandler. Their headlining bout takes place at 170 pounds.

Former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill is scheduled to fight Khalil Rountree Jr. in the co-main event. UFC 303 takes place June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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The longstanding rivalry between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington has delivered yet another unexpected twist.

Though they only met once inside the Octagon, Masvidal’s feud with his former friend turned bitter enemy is among the most notable in UFC history, and it appears to be far from over.

During a recent interview with Vlad TV, ‘Gamebred’ was asked about accusations that Covington had levied against him, suggesting that his retirement at UFC 287 was nothing more than a ploy to avoid PED testing.

“It’s a fake retirement,” Covington said in an interview with Inside Fighting. “We all know people in the UFC that don’t retire, they’ll get out of the USADA pool, probably go do some steroids, and come back because he doesn’t know how to make money in any other way than fighting.”

Snapping back, Masvidal suggested that Covington would say anything to try and keep himself relevant — by no means an unreasonable statement for anyone familiar with the three-time UFC title challenger’s work. However, it was what came out of Masvidal’s mouth next that had everyone scratching their heads.

“That guy will say anything,” Masvidal said. “That guy wears skirts and he doesn’t tell the whole world and he goes to sleep wearing thongs. Maybe he should be more open about himself. There actually is no more PED testing because USADA’s been disbanded, so there goes your other f*cking theory.

“Colby will just say anything to get people talking about his silly-ass name, but ever since I ‘allegedly’ took his soul outside of Papi’s Steakhouse, he doesn’t post, he doesn’t talk about me. He doesn’t say sh*t about me.”

Is Colby Covington a Crossdresser?

For the record, the UFC still conducts no-notice testing for banned substances, but instead of it going through the United States Anti-Doping Agency, the testing is now done through Drug Free Sport International.

Just ask Jon Jones.

As far as his comments about Colby Covington, is ‘Gamebred’ taking a page out of his former friend’s playbook and just saying some outlandish sh*t to snag a few headlines? Or is ‘Chaos’ regularly packing a G-string under his fight trunks?

We may never know. And to be honest, we probably don’t want to.

But if there’s one woman who knows the truth…

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Dan Hardy warns fans not to bet against a Conor McGregor comeback.

McGregor makes his return to action at UFC 303 in what will be his first fight following a 35-month injury layoff. He fights Michael Chandler in the June 29 main event and seeks just his second win in nearly eight years.

Hardy, a veteran analyst who currently provides commentary for PFL, is going with “The Notorious” to beat Chandler, based on how well McGregor has typically performed in big fights.

“I can’t underestimate McGregor’s ability,” Hardy said on The MMA Hour. “He’s done very special things in very tense, and high-pressure moments in his career. Headlining in Dublin with [Diego] Brandao, he just commanded that space so well. What he did to [Jose] Aldo was an absolute masterpiece. I mean, it hurt as an Aldo fan to watch it go down so quickly because I wanted to see some more of the fight, but he has an ability to control and manage and create illusions with range.

“I broke it down on Inside the Octagon a few years ago where you look at him when he was fighting Eddie Alvarez and he throws a jab and hangs his hips back to make it appear from Eddie Alvarez’s perspective like he’s at the length of his reach. So Alvarez then, ‘Oh, I’m OK. I’m safe here.’ And then [McGregor] steps through that reach and knocks him down. That’s a very, very high-level operating system and that’s not something that you lose by hanging out on a yacht and enjoying your life. I still feel like he’s got that refinement in his game.”

McGregor will be just shy of his 36th birthday when he steps into the cage with Chandler, but his history of memorable victories precedes him. He has won three UFC title fights, including an interim clash with Chad Mendes, and famously out-dueled Nate Diaz in their rematch at UFC 202. He has lost three of his past four fights though, including his UFC 264 encounter with rival Dustin Poirier that ended when McGregor broke his leg in the first round.

Chandler is no stranger to stepping up to the challenge though, having held the Bellator lightweight title three times and put on two Fight of the Nights in just five UFC appearances. His newfound all-offense style has further boosted his popularity, but Hardy is concerned that it could also lead to his downfall.

“Michael Chandler’s not the guy who he was in Bellator when he was cautious and picking his shots,” Hardy said. “If he plays the game that he did against, say, Sidney Outlaw, where he was poised and ready and waiting to land that clean shot, then that Chandler can beat anybody with that speed off the mark and that power. But he’s become a lot more reckless recently and that just plays into McGregor’s game.

“McGregor made Aldo reckless and then punished him for it. Chandler comes in reckless. He’s coming in for a payday and a show. He’s not thinking, ‘Right, I’m going to beat Conor McGregor and I’m going to do it in this particular way.’ He’s coming to fight.”

There is also the matter of McGregor’s injury to consider, as his recovery from a broken leg is one of the reasons that he hasn’t competed since July 2021. While that injury could hinder him on fight night, Hardy trusts that not only will McGregor figure out how to work through it, he might even use it to gain a psychological edge.

“I think it maybe potentially changes his approach,” Hardy said. “It might change his stance slightly. But I also think that he’s going to be aware of that vulnerability and his fight IQ is going to allow him to turn that into a positive. You might even see him leaving that leg out there as a target so he can punish Chandler for attacking it. Use it as bait.”

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Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended his title at UFC 301 this past Saturday, defeating Steve Erceg by unanimous decision.  In defeat, the ninth-ranked Erceg had a good showing in just his fourth octagon appearance.   

Pantoja’s ability to take the fight to the ground and maintain top control was likely the deciding factor in some close rounds.  Former middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker believes it was Pantoja’s experience is ultimately what led to the win.  

“We’re Australian, so we were going for Steve.  I wanted to see Steve get that title and bring it back,” Whittaker said on the MMArcade Podcast.  “I thought Pantoja did enough to win.  Now whether or not it’s a fan favorite him getting takedowns and utilizing control time instead of damage time, or working like that.  It’s still winning fights.”

“Personally, I had Pantoja winning the first three (rounds).  Four went to Erceg, and I think five, it could have been either way, but I thought the way Steve finished was kind of bad.  You never want to finish on your back.  I think finishing on your back doesn’t look favorably to the South American judges.” 

Despite the loss, Whittaker thought Erceg had a good performance.  He also believes that if the two ever with again that Erceg will win.    

“I thought that was an amazing showing for Steve,” Whittaker said.  “This is his fourth fight in the UFC and he’s gone from fight to fight to fight, higher up to higher up, higher in the rankings.  He speed ran his way through the division.”

“It thought he fought a terrific fight.  I thought he did really well.  I think he did get out wrestled and out scrambled on occasion in several key moments, and I feel like that came from Pantoja’s experience.  Pantoja had experience on him.  I fell that was the deciding factor,” Whittaker continued.  “I think if they were to meet a second time, Steve gets the W.”  

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Mike Perry is running out of options in BKFC.

After dispatching former BKFC champion and UFC veteran Thiago Alves in just 60 seconds at BKFC KnuckleMania 4, the undefeated bare-knuckle brawler called out Darren Till for a fight he’s been chasing for months. Perry claimed prior to his win that Till turned down a $ 2 million offer to face him, but they continued their war of words on social media just after his latest win.

Perry believes Till’s hesitation comes down to fighting bare-knuckle, but that won’t stop him from pursuing the matchup under different rules if that’s what it takes.

“With Darren, obviously, being that he said no to $ 2 million, he doesn’t want to do bare-knuckle,” Perry told MMA Fighting. “I’ve already said this guy doesn’t want to do bare-knuckle, but I want to chance to punch him in the face.

“Whether it be something where I got to put the pillows on my hands or even smaller pillows — Platinum Pit Fights, it’s coming. It’s around the corner and we’re looking to make a card and a show and it will be my promotion and we can offer and pay very well and we’ll have some gloves so you don’t have to be so scared. Just my opportunity to punch on this guy and settle differences. That’s what I’m looking for.”

With wins over Alves, Eddie Alvarez, Luke Rockhold and Michael “Venom” Page, Perry has already taken out several marquee names that BKFC was able to secure as opponents for him.

Perry doesn’t have a whole lot of interest in answering a challenge from reigning BKFC middleweight champion David Mundell because he already knocked him out in an MMA fight back in 2016. Mundell also has considerably less name value than Perry’s previous opponents.

That’s why the Till fight was so intriguing. Now, Perry is left without that ideal opponent for his next fight.

“I don’t see anyone left in bare-knuckle,” Perry said candidly. “I mean Thiago, we never saw anyone do what I just did to Thiago Alves. All through his UFC career, he has two bare-knuckle fights, which I was thinking Eddie [Alvarez] had one bare-knuckle fight. He got to piece me up a little bit, yeah? But he quit and he gave up and all these guys are giving up when I hit them with my bare knuckles.

“I was trying to make a fight [with Darren Till] and give these other guys time to come over here, get your feet in the door, get your knuckles wet, beat on someone else. If you do it in great fashion, then we’re talking. I’m the cash cow. I’m the money fight. I’ve been saying this. Bring it on, motherf*ckers.”

If Till isn’t interested, Perry remains open for business, especially if there’s a worthy enough challenge to catch his attention.

One potential option could be a crossover fight with a prominent boxer after Perry briefly dabbled in that sport. He also served as a backup for Logan Paul and Jake Paul at recent events.

Perry has heard there’s interest from at least one former champion and that definitely has his attention.

“Absolutely, there’s some incredible boxers out there,” Perry said. “Some of them are so good at throwing hands, they could come over and get the show. For example, I’ve heard the name Caleb Plant come across the desk and I was very interested in that. I think he’s an incredible fighter and I would love to have the recognition to face a guy like that.

“Just have some people put some respect on my name because I put a lot into this, I train really hard and I can fight.”

Plant, 31, has faced a long list of top fighters during his boxing career including recent bouts with both Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez. It remains to be seen if he’ll actually test the waters in bare-knuckle fighting or not but Perry is more than happy to welcome him to the sport.

Perry isn’t closing the door to other opportunities available to him whether that’s in BKFC, boxing or even a return to MMA because he says—unlike Till—he’s ready for any kind of fight.

“Whether it be gloves, no gloves, any style, mixed martial arts, bare-knuckle boxing, boxing itself, I can fight,” Perry said. “I have the opportunity to be the most successful combat sports athlete as far as transitioning in and out of different organizations, sports and just from coming out of MMA into boxing, bare-knuckle boxing and going boxing or going back to MMA, I believe I can have success. Let’s make it happen. Let’s go. I’m all here for it.”

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