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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

And people say Alex Pereira can’t wrestle.

Though the UFC light heavyweight champion and former middleweight champion is best known for his skills as a striker, that doesn’t mean Pereira isn’t a well-rounded mixed martial artist. The former GLORY kickboxing champion is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and as we learned on Tuesday, a better wrestler than one might think.

UFC 301 takes place this Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, and though Pereira isn’t competing, he’s still in attendance in Brazil for the card. On Tuesday, he ran into UFC commentator and two-time Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier during an event before the pay-per-view, leading to a fun wrestling exchange between the two where “Poatan” actually did quite well.

Pereira and Cormier wrestle around a bit with Cormier jokingly calling for security before Pereira eventually secures a takedown, at which point a UFC official ends the fun. Not bad for a kickboxer with a couple of broken toes.

But while everything was all in good fun, Cormier promised that this aggression from Pereira would not stand, warning him of upcoming retaliation.

“I’m an old guy now. I find ways to win,” Cormier said. “One eye poke, kick balls. I’m going to get your ass now. You better look [with eyes in the back of your head].”

UFC 301 takes place this Saturday and is headlined by a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg.

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The final press conference for the Alvarez vs. Munguia took place on Wednesday in Las Vegas.  Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, put his four world championships on the line against Jaime Munguia at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.  

During the press conference, Alvarez and his old promoter Oscar De La Hoya had a heated exchange after De La Hoya said Golden Boy Promotions made Alvarez, among other things.    

Security was brought in as a precaution but the exchange stayed only verbal.  

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez used to be partners, and now they’re being separated at press conference.

Alvarez will face Jamie Manguia this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the undisputed super middleweight title. At Wednesday’s press conference, De La Hoya, Alvarez’s former promoter, responded to some shots Alvarez fired his way to the build of the fight, which then led to Alvarez shouting back in Spanish before the two needed to be separated.

Watch the video of De La Hoya’s response to Alvarez, and the moment they were pulled apart in the videos below.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t respond to the man I used to promote,” De La Hoya said. “He seems to have trouble remembering who helped him become a true global star. To be clear, I have nothing but respect for Canelo Alvarez as a fighter. His record and abilities speak for themselves, but he has spent much of the last two months insulting me, rather than promoting this fight.

“So I’ll make it a little bit easier for him: Yes, I have faced a lot of challenges in my life. Yes, I’ve been to rehab several times. Yes, there were some really low points in my life, and yes, there were times that work was not my priority based on my mental health, which I had neglected for so long. But that doesn’t change the fact that Golden Boy built Canelo Alvarez, period. The company you fought under for decades has always had one name, and it’s mine. So put some f*cking respect on it.”

Alvarez was released from his contract with Golden Boy in November 2020 after the fighter filed a breach of contract lawsuit earlier that year.

Later in the press conference, Alvarez was at the microphone and spoke to De La Hoya in Spanish. The translator in attendance attempted to translate Alvarez’s words, but as he was going through them — seemingly more respectful than Alvarez’s actual words — but then Alvarez cut things off and translated his own words in English.

“He tried to steal money, and he’s a f*cking asshole,” Alvarez said. “That’s what I said. He’s a f*cking asshole. He tried to [bring] attention to him, not for Munguia. He’s a f*cking asshole. He steals from his fighter. That what he [does].

“F*cking p*ssy. Motherf*cker.”

The fight between Alvarez and Munguia will air on DAZN PPV and PPV.com for $ 89.99.

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Nope
| BJPenn.com

Jose Aldo is not just here to collect a paycheck.

The former UFC featherweight champion is FIRED UP for his UFC 301 return, where “Junior” will throw down against rising bantamweight sensation Jonathan Martinez in the pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, scheduled for this Sat. night (May 4, 2024) at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Watch them come face-to-face in the embedded video above.

“I think that’s every fighter’s goal, to fight for that championship,” Aldo told CBS Sports. “I needed my time off and had my time off. I recovered and now I’m back. Fighting for the belt and becoming the champion, becoming the best, that’s of course what my goal will be. This is the last fight on my contract. When I started talking to Sean [Shelby] and Dana [White] in January, we talked about signing a new deal. But I decided against it because I want to go in there and I need to show them, myself and everyone where I’m at, what I can still do and how I can still perform.”

Aldo (31-8) turns 38 in September.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive events archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 301 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

RIO DE JANEIRO — The fighters in the UFC 301 main and co-main events got a closer look at one another ahead of Saturday’s fights, with Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg squared off a few days before their flyweight championship contest. Jose Aldo and Jonathan Martinez brought a much different energy as they went forehead-to-forehead until they were separated by security and UFC staff.

Watch Wednesday’s media day faceoffs above.

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Manel Kape believes he could take Israel Adesanya in a street fight.

During a recent appearance on the JAXXON podcast with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, ‘Starboy’ claimed that he could take ‘The Last Stylebender’ in a scrap, regardless of the size disparity between the two.

“I’m undefeated in the streets. I don’t give a f*ck. I beat already many, many, many guys of his size. I don’t give a f*ck [about his size],” Kape said. “Put him in front of me in the streets, and we’re gonna see. It’s everything in the street… I’m pretty good too, brother” (h/t MiddleEasy).

It’s a pretty bold statement coming from Kape who stands at 5’6″ and regularly fights at 125 pounds — when he actually makes weight. By comparison Adesanya is 6’4″ tall and fights at middleweight, a weight class 60 pounds heavier than the one Kape calls home.

It’s certainly not the first time Kape has had something negative to say about fighters out of City Kickboxing in New Zealand. Last year, ‘Starboy’ went in on Adesanya’s teammate, Kai Kara-France, calling him and the entire gym a “bunch of f****ts” during a post-fight interview.

Manel Kape continues fighting for his first uFC title opportunity while Adesanya prepares for his 12th career championship scrap

Manel Kape has won his last four fights inside the Octagon. Unfortunately, the streak has done little in the way of earning him a title opportunity amid a slew of canceled clashes. ‘Starboy’ was forced to withdraw from a fight with Matheus Nicolau on two separate occasions, one of which was because he failed to make the flyweight limit.

However, it should be noted that multiple fights, including bouts with Kai Kara-France, Deiveson Figueiredo, Alex Perez, Rogério Bontorin, and Alexandre Pantoja were all scrapped for a variety of issues, none of which were Kape’s fault.

As for Adesanya, the ‘Stylebender’ is primed for a big return in 2024 after losing his middleweight crown for the second time in a year. The former two-time titleholder is expected to square off with reigning 185-pound king Dricus Du Plessis when he steps back inside the Octagon, though no official announcements have been made.

Watch the full JAXXON podcast episode below:

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