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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Top-ranked heavyweights Jailton Almeida and Alexander Volkov are set to collide in a three-round bout at UFC 302 on June 1, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting. Super Lutas first reported the news.

The pay-per-view card is targeted for Newark, N.J., but the company has yet to announce the location and headlining attraction.

Almeida (20-3) suffered his first MMA loss in over six years when he fought Curtis Blaydes this past March in Miami. “Malhadinho”, who managed to take Blaydes down at will in round one, was knocked out in the second.

Almeida was victorious in his previous six UFC bouts, including wins over Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Abdurakhimov.

Volkov (37-10) is on a roll since 2022, stopping Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexandr Romanov with strikes in less than five minutes combined before choking out Tai Tuivasa with an Ezekiel choke in September 2023.

“Drago”, a former Bellator heavyweight champion, won 11 of 15 under the UFC banner, including finishes over Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem and Stefan Struve.

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Amid links to a stunning June title fight with former interim champion, Dustin Poirier in a return to the Octagon – undisputed divisional champion, Islam Makhachev remains a distinct betting favorite to hold the crown on December 31. this year – in an important annum for the Russian.

Makhachev, the current pound-for-pound number one fighter on the promotion’s books, most recently secured his second successful defense of the undisputed title back in October, definitively ending his rivalry with Alexander Volkanovski with a stunning high-kick knockout win.

And as for Lafayette native, Poirier, the number three ranked contender has staked his claim for a shot at Islam Makhachev next, fresh off the back of a second round KO win over Nimes native, Benoit Saint Denis earlier this month.

Islam Makhachev betting favorite to hold gold come December 31.

With the chasing pack hot on the heels of American Kickboxing Academy, fans can find the best bet news at the link provided – with Makhachev currently a -300 betting favorite to hold the lightweight title at the end of the year. 

Sitting just behind Islam Makhachev in the pecking order to hold gold come the end of the year, a former foe of the Russian, incoming UFC 300 main card feature, Arman Tsarukyan is closing lines as a +250 compared to the current champion.

And as for Poirier, likely attempting to snatch undisputed gold for the final time in his Octagon tenure, the former interim champion is a +350 betting underdog – sat level with former champion – another UFC 300 feature, Charles Oliveira. 

Interestingly, despite his stunning knockout loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 last July in the pair’s symbolic BMF championship rematch, Poirier is still shorter in odds to hold lightweight gold at the end of the year, compared to the Arizona native who is a +500 underdog. 

Himself also expected to return in June – this time at the end of the month, Conor McGregor – a former undisputed lightweight champion back in 2016, is a massive +3,500 betting underdog to hold gold at the end of the year. 

Expected to draw former title chaser, Michael Chandler, former two-division champion, McGregor is without a win since a 2020 knockout of Donald Cerrone, and is forced to snap a two-fight losing skid for the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career. 

The joint unlikeliest champion come the end of the year according to the latest odds comes in the form of a former interim titleholder, Tony Ferguson – who is riding a +100,000 betting underdog line, alongside Claudio Puelles, amid his record-setting seven-fight losing run. 

Revealing he turned down a massive UFC 300 title fight with Leon Edwards at the welterweight limit first, the above-mentioned, Makhachev is currently a +500 betting underdog to hold gold a division higher come the end of December this year – if fans are interested in punting on the Russian once more. 

The above-mentioned, Volkanovski may have just lost his featherweight title to Ilia Topuria last month in California, however, maintains his run at lightweight is far from over. And fans looking to wager on the Australian finally minting himself as the 155 pound gold holder, can find him at odds of a +10,000 betting underdog. 

With his odds so short at the welterweight limit, Islam Makhachev lands above the likes of Ian Machado Garry, Sean Brady, Kamaru Usman, Khamzat Chimaev, and new star, Michael ‘Venom’ Page to name a few – leaving him behind just Belal Muhammad, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and the aforenoted, Edwards in the pile. 

Weighing up his chances of fighting Russian star, Islam Makhachev in the future in a potential lightweight leap, newly-minted featherweight best, Topuria has yet to earn odds at 155 pounds to hold gold come the end of the year, however, can be wager on as a -160 betting favorite to retain spoils at the featherweight limit currently.

Of note, outside the duo of Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight, and incoming Octagon debutante, Kayla Harrison at the bantamweight limit, Islam Makhachev joins his fellow championship earning peers as the current respective betting favorites hold UFC gold in their current divisions come the end of the annum. 

And expected to take on Louisianan striker, Poirier this summer in a return to the Octagon, Islam Makhachev boldly claimed that if the former was ever going to land spoils, he would have already done so before his reign – leading to a strict response from the former interim gold holder. 

“If I could pick a fight, the title fight is my choice, that’s what I want,” Dustin Poirier saif. “I mean, that’s on him (Islam Makhachev) – I’ve done more in the sport of mixed martial arts than he has. I’ve been around a long time, I’ve been doing this before it was cool. And, you know, I’m still here – I’m still here doing it at the highest level. I can beat anybody in the world, and I hope he’s next.”

LowKickMMA.com

Charles Oliveira won the lightweight championship by stopping Michael Chandler early in the second round of their UFC 262 bout in 2021.  

Oliveira entered the fight riding an eight-fight winning streak.  He’d of course go on to win the lightweight championship before losing it to current titleholder Islam Makhachev.  

It was Chandler’s second fight inside the octagon.  In his debut, he won a bonus for stopping Dan Hooker in the first round.  The performance was later deemed ‘Debut of the Year’ for 2021.  

Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler Fight Video

Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC) is ranked as the top contender in the 155-pound division.  He takes on fourth-ranked Arman Tsarukyan (21-3) at UFC 300 on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  

Chandler (23-8) is expected to face former two-division champion Conor McGregor this summer.  

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The referees and judges for the main and co-main event at UFC 300 have now been assigned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The assignments were handed down during a monthly meeting on Tuesday with Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Jeff Mullen making the recommendations for each fight.

In the main event, Alex Pereira will defend his light heavyweight title against ex-champion Jamahal Hill, who will be returning to action after suffering a torn Achilles tended that forced him to surrender his belt following a lopsided win over Glover Teixeira back in January 2023.

Referee Herb Dean will be the third man in the octagon overseeing the fight between Pereira and Hill.

The judges assigned to work the fight are Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato and Ron McCarthy.

The co-main event will feature Zhang Weili defending her strawweight title against Yan Xiaonan in the first ever championship bout between two Chinese fighters in the UFC.

The referee overseeing the fight will be Jason Herzog.

The judges scoring the fight will be Mike Bell, Ben Cartlidge and Chris Lee.

Those were the only two fights to get assignments during the Nevada Athletic Commission hearing with the referees and judges being assigned just prior to UFC 300 in April.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Dana White once threatened to resign to save Joe Rogan’s job.

Back in 2022, Rogan came under fire when a video surfaced compiling old episodes of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, where Rogan said the “N-word” several times. This, coupled with claims that Rogan promoted “dangerous misinformation” about COVID-19 on his podcast, put many companies in business with him, including the UFC, under pressure to part ways with Rogan. Ultimately, the whole incident blew over, but when there did seem to be a threat that Joe Rogan might lose his commentary job with the UFC, Dana White stepped in.

Speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast this week, Fridman recounted a story to White about how he was with Rogan when White called Rogan and told the comedian that he would resign if Rogan was ousted.

“Anybody who is with me, has been with me, knows: when you’re with me, you’re with me,” White said. “It’s a two-way street, it’s not a one-way street. I’m not one of these guys that is just going to roll over. It’s like going through COVID, I wasn’t laying any of these people [off] — some of these people have been with me for 20 years, we’re going to lay them off? This motherf***** will burn, burn before I do that to my people.

“It’s just never — none of that type of stuff is going to happen while I’m here. I can’t say what’s going to happen when I leave, but when I’m here, the people who are with me and have been with me, they know exactly what’s up. And Joe knows what’s up. And again it’s a two-way street. Joe Rogan has been very loyal to me, and I am very loyal to Joe Rogan.”

Rogan began working for the UFC in 1997, originally as a backstage and post-fight interviewer, but left the company shortly after. After White and the Fertitta brothers purchased the UFC in 2001, Rogan was eventually brought back, this time as color commentator, a role he continues in to this day. And part of the reason White is so loyal to Rogan is because, according to White, Rogan was instrumental in the success of the Zuffa-led UFC, and remains just as important today.

“Early on, nobody understood the ground game,” White said. “Joe Rogan would walk you through what was happening, literally before it would happen. He would tell you the set-up, what was going to come next, and everything. He absolutely articulated perfectly, brilliantly, and people at home started to understand. The impact that Joe Rogan has had, and continues to have on the sport is immeasurable. He’s the biggest podcaster in the world and he is on the UFC Pay-Per-Views 14 times a year, and he’s always talking about the sport. It’s immeasurable what this guy has done for the company and for the sport.”

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UFC 300 features four of the Top 5 light heavyweights in the world.  

In the main event, champion Alex Pereira takes on former titleholder to top contender Jamahal Hill.  In the featured preliminary card bout, former champion and second-ranked contender Jiri Prochazka takes on fifth-ranked Aleksandar Rakić.

The winner of the Prochazka versus Rakic bout will be watching the main event intently with the winner putting themselves in line for the next title shot.  Prochazka believes Hill has more weapons than Pereira.      

“More weapons in the fight I feel are on Jamahal Hill’s side,” Prochazka told Inside Fighting.  “Jamahal Hill has a better, I think he will will have the better chances on the start of the fight and when the fight will continue there are more chances for Pereira.”  

With a win over Rakic, Prochazka believes that he’ll be next in line to fight for the title he once held.  

“I believe in that and I will do everything for that because after the last fight, after that decision, I believe that I can be the champion and I will,” Prochazka said.

Prochazka lost to Pereira via TKO in his last fight at UFC 295 in November.  Hoping for a rematch, Prochaza believes he also matches up well with ‘super ordinary’ Hill if he were to win.  

“I think it (my style) will work because there is a lot of space to target the shots.  His style is, I think from all the fighters in the UFC, is super ordinary but very effective,” Prochazka said.  “That will be something that I’d like to fight.”     

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