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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Daniel Cormier wants to raise the stakes for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.

After more than a year of false starts, McGregor’s octagon return against Chandler is finally on the books for June 29 at UFC 303. The fight will be McGregor’s first in more than two years — the former two-division UFC champion has not competed since breaking his leg in a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier — and Cormier believes such a long-awaited moment warrants the introduction of a long-debated new UFC title.

“Here’s my thought process, right? When it comes down to championship opportunities, I have said this time and time again — a lot of times it comes down to being at the right place, at the right time,” Cormier said Monday on Good Guy / Bad Guy.

“Even going back to me, they had no intent of giving me my first championship opportunity [in 2015]. But then Alexander Gustafsson got hurt, they called me in, I stepped in. I never left the title picture after because I was reliable. They could always call me and say, ‘Hey, do you want to fight this guy for the belt?’ It was also the same way with Dustin Poirier right now, we see it happening [at UFC 302], where, if you’re in the right place at the right time under the right circumstances, sometimes it happens faster.

“I believe that if they’re going to do a 165-pound division, it should have a name attached to the weight class that is so big that it draws people’s attention,” Cormier continued. “Conor McGregor being that name. Michael Chandler, on the other hand, will benefit from being in the right place at the right time, where these guys would then fight for the super lightweight championship of the world, because that’s what I believe it is. Because it’s only 10 pounds heavier than 155, so let’s call it the super lightweight division. Move 170 to 175, move 185 to 195, keep 205, [keep] heavyweight.”

McGregor and Chandler coached opposite one another on The Ultimate Fighter 31 in early 2023. Both fighters have lost three of their past four UFC appearances.

Cormier’s proposal is nothing new. Many UFC athletes have long pushed for the promotion to introduce a 165-pound weight class, arguing that the 15-pound jump between lightweight and welterweight leaves too many fighters stuck in the middle without an ideal division. Proponents of the move have also pointed to the abundance of talent between the 155-pound and 170-pound divisions as reason for the UFC to open up a ninth men’s weight class — and along with it, a ninth belt that could potentially headline pay-per-views.

The biggest hurdle in the debate has always been one name: Dana White. The UFC CEO has long stood in ardent opposition to introducing a 165-pound division.

And in that respect, White has a supporter in Cormier’s co-host Chael Sonnen.

“There is no need for a 165-pound title, for one,” Sonnen said.

“Part two, the commission does not sanction 165-pound fights. Part three, the UFC does not contest a 165-pound division. Part four, these guys [McGregor and Chandler] combined are coming off of more losses than I have had in my entire career.

“So if anybody’s coming back to fight for a mythical belt, it will be yours truly.”

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Receiving a call out for an October showdown in the Middle East by surging light heavyweight contender, Magomed Ankalaev, division champion, Alex Pereria appears less than interested in remaining sidelined until UFC 308 – favoring a quicker return to action.

Pereira, the current undisputed light heavyweight champion, headlined UFC 300 last weekend, successfully defending his division crown for the first time in a one-sided opening round knockout win over former champion, Jamahal Hill.

And as for Ankalaev, the Russian finisher returned at the UFC Apex facility back in January, rematching Pereira’s compatriot, Johnny Walker, where he scored a second round knockout win of his own.

Reacting to Pereira’s devastating first round stoppage against Hill earlier this month, Ankalaev vowed to turn his own knockout win against the Sao Paulo finisher, offering him a clash at FUC 308 in October. 

Alex Pereira opts out of UFC 308 return

However, as far as Pereira is concerned, if Ankalaev cannot offer him a return sooner than October, he’ll likely skirt the bout in favor of a quicker comeback fight.

“I don’t want to fight at the end of the year,” Alex Pereira told MMA Fighting. “I want to fight sooner, so maybe that shows he (Magomed Ankalaev) won’t be ready. I don’t know why he said that.”

“This guy is complicated,” Alex Pereira explained. “Honestly, I have to see what’s best. I’m here to fight, but I don’t understand best about other things like where is best [to fight] and where isn’t. If I have to fight there, I will, but if it’s not a date I want, then it’s not best for me. I can say no.”

Winning light heavyweight gold last November, Pereira dispatched fellow UFC 300 feature, Jiri Prochazka in the pair’s vacant title clash at Madison Square Garden.

Would you like to see Alex Pereira fight Magomed Ankalaev next?

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Triller, the social media platform that owns BKFC, has been acquired in a merger with AGBA, a Hong Kong based finance company.

The two combined companies will trade publicly under AGBA Group Holding, with the stock listed on the NASDAQ. Stock prices jumped dramatically since the merger with Triller, with shares trading at $ 2.35, which is up over 88 percent from prior pricing.

AGBA is a “financial service company serving over 400,000 customers” that first went public in November 2022.

The board of directors at Triller and AGBA agreed to value the combined company at $ 4 billion. Under the new agreement, Triller shareholders will own 80 percent of the company, with existing AGBA stockholders owning the other 20 percent.

The deal is expected to close in late May, with both companies already approving the merger. The new combined company allows Triller to finally go public, which the organization has been exploring for quite some time.

Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated back as far as 2022 show that Triller has been seeking to go public, but this merger makes an immediate impact since AGBA was already a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ. The new company has a Delaware address listed for headquarters, although Triller will still be based out of Los Angeles, with AGBA in Hong Kong.

“We believe this is the most efficient route for Triller to access public capital markets and secure the liquidity needed for rapid growth,” Triller’s chief executive officer Bobby Sarnevesht said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.

Originally launched a social media platform to rival TikTok, Triller moved into the sports world by promoting several boxing events, including the card headlined by Jake Paul knocking out retired UFC fighter Ben Askren.

In 2022, Triller acquired a majority share in BKFC, the bare-knuckle fighting promotion that is set to stage another event on Saturday with KnuckleMania IV, which is headlined by Mike Perry taking on Thiago Alves in the main event. Triller also acquired FITE TV, the live streaming platform that serves as home for numerous fight and professional wrestling promotions.

The company was eventually rebranded as Triller TV, with a wide range of events airing on the platform.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Sean O’Malley isn’t crossing over into boxing. Yet.

The reigning UFC bantamweight champion recently drew interest from boxing star Ryan Garcia, who said he would “destroy” O’Malley in an MMA rules contest during an appearance on The MMA Hour. Garcia defeated WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney — the title was not up for grabs due to Garcia missing weight by 3.2 pounds — in a thriller this past Saturday, rocketing his fame to another level.

A crossover bout between O’Malley and Garcia would undoubtedly draw interest, and according to O’Malley, his UFC bosses have signed off on him boxing Garcia if the promotion gets a big enough piece of the pie.

“They told me you can do a boxing fight, 100 percent, if it makes us enough money,” O’Malley said on his TimboSugarShow podcast. “So the option’s there, it just has to be able to make enough money. But Ryan being a f****** freak like that, you need two A-sides to make a f****** Floyd-Conor fight.”

UFC famously allowed its biggest pay-per-view draw, Conor McGregor, to participate in a boxing match with the undefeated Floyd Mayweather in August 2017. It proved to be a prudent choice, as the event became one of the most successful in pay-per-view history, with all parties involved in the promotion of the event profiting greatly.

Those are the kinds of dollar signs O’Malley wants to see. The 29-year-old is coming off of the first defense of his UFC title, a unanimous decision win over rival Marlon Vera, and though he’s one of the most talked-about fighters on the roster, O’Malley still feels he needs to do more work to build his name.

“I’m not there yet,” O’Malley said. “I’ve still got to become bigger. Two more f****** sick performances and then we’re talking about being able to do whatever the f*** we want.”

O’Malley and Garcia both have a knack for generating headlines beyond just their impressive performances on fight night. This was particularly true for Garcia ahead of his fight with Haney, as he raised eyebrows and concerns over a series of bizarre social media tirades.

To O’Malley, those antics are just part of the game, but he’s curious to see where Garcia is headed now that the dust has settled on his win.

“I think he’s that crazy, he’s that good too,” O’Malley said. “He probably trained hard. Some people have different genes. I couldn’t do it. … He’s going to make his money. Let’s see where he goes in the next two weeks.

“Winning that big of a fight, making that much more money, having those s***** people around you, let’s see where he’s at mentally in two weeks.”

For Garcia’s part, he appears to be open to welcoming O’Malley to the squared circle.

The boxer posted the below responses to O’Malley on social media on Monday.

RAINBOW CACA BRAIN

WANTS TO BOX

BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW

MAN BUN

Slash Connor Clone

Wants a boxing match hmmm I wanted MMA but let’s do it

That’s my brothers name bitch @lilrushgee now I have to destroy you, LIL PONY CANNOT DEFEAT ME

MMA Fighting – All Posts

WWE event
| BJPenn.com

Former UFC welterweight bruisers Mike Perry and Thiago Alves will finally collide, taking off their gloves for the bareknuckle arena on Sat., April 27, 2024 at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, topping a stacked BKFC: “KnuckleMania 4” pay-per-view (PPV) fight card that also features former UFC heavyweight hurters Ben Rothwell and Todd Duffee!

Event: BKFC KnuckleMania 4: “Perry vs. Alves”
Date: Sat., April 27, 2024
Location: Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California
Broadcast: YouTube pay-per-view (PPV) for $ 29.99
Start time: 10 p.m. ET Main Card on PPV | 9 p.m. ET Free Prelims on YouTube

BKFC ‘KnuckleMania 4’ PPV Main Event:

185 lbs.: Mike Perry vs. Thiago Alves

BKFC ‘KnuckleMania 4’ PPV Main Card (10 p.m. ET):

265 lbs.: Lorenzo Hunt vs. Mick Terrill for BKFC Heavyweight Championship
265 lbs.: Todd Duffee vs. Ben Rothwell
175 lbs.: Alfredo Angulo vs. Jeremiah Riggs
135 lbs.: Crystal Pittman vs. Sydney Smith
175 lbs.: Evgeny Kurdanov vs. Julian Lane
135 lbs.: David Diaz vs. Shane Jordan
155 lbs.: Andrew Angelcor vs. Ruben Warr
135 lbs.: Frank Alvarez vs. Victor Rosas

BKFC ‘KnuckleMania 4’ YouTube ‘Prelims’ Card (9 p.m. ET):

185 lbs.: Fernando Gonzalez vs. Vincent Familari
155 lbs.: Tommy Aaron vs. Richard Brooks
205 lbs.: Keith Richardson vs. Cody Vidal

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

For more BKFC news and notes go here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts