At these odds, if you placed a $100 bet on Woodley, and he beats the YouTuber turned 3-0 boxer, you stand to win $120. A $100 bet on Paul would win $66.67. If you are tempted to gamble on this fight, please only bet an amount that you are willing to lose.
These opening odds are somewhat surprising. Though Paul has easily handled all three of his opponents in the ring, finishing them with first round stoppages, none of those men had boxing or striking skills of note. Paul’s first opponent was fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib. His second bout was against former NBA player Nate Robisnon. And his third fight was versus Ben Askren, an elite level wrestler and former MMA champion who was not known to throw (let alone land) many strikes on the feet.
Woodley is known more for his wrestling inside the cage, too. However he does have wins via strikes under his belt including KOs of Robbie Lawler, Josh Koscheck and Jay Hieron.
The former UFC welterweight champion has not looked the same since losing his title to Kamaru Usman in 2019. Since then he lost to Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington and Vicente Luque.
Woodley is currently a free agent having fought out his contract with the UFC.
When Paul fought Woodley’s friend and teammate Askren, he also opened as the betting favourite, with odds at -200. Askren’s opening odds hovered around +155. By the time the fight came around the odds narrowed slightly with Askren’s odds hanging at +147 and Paul’s at -162.
The oddsmakers who favoured Paul were proved right when combat sports’ biggest troll KO’d Askren in the first round. Now it appears the bookies think a similar fate is awaiting The Chosen One.
*Do you or someone you know have a gambling addiction? Get help by contacting The National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700.
Ali Abdelaziz says Jake Paul’s next opponent is Chael Sonnen and the winner of the upcoming fight will go on to face Mike Tyson next. Last night, reports emerged about a potential Showtime pay-per-view boxing bout between the YouTuber and former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley. As news of the fight began to spread, Abdelaziz […]
Ali Abdelaziz says Jake Paul’s next opponent is Chael Sonnen and the winner of the upcoming fight will go on to face Mike Tyson next.
Last night, reports emerged about a potential Showtime pay-per-view boxing bout between the YouTuber and former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley.
As news of the fight began to spread, Abdelaziz took to social media to claim it’s not true and it’s Sonnen who is actually next up for Paul.
“The rumors are not true in fact Jake Paul’s next fight is going to be against @ChaelSonnen and the winner is going to take on iron Mike Tyson,” Abdelaziz wrote. “Nobody has better knowledge of these negotiations than me and I’m telling you everything.”
Sonnen responded to Abdelaziz’s claim by saying he is down to fight all three men.
“I’ll beat Iron Mike, Jake Paul and T wood all in the same night with any rules they want. I’m in Ali,” Sonnen wrote. “My only condition is they MUST guarantee Mike.”
I’ll beat Iron Mike, Jake Paul and T wood all in the same night with any rules they want. I’m in Ali. https://t.co/M01OQLBHnJ
Sonnen announced his retirement from fighting in the aftermath of his TKO loss to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222 in 2019. ‘The Bad Guy’ has stayed relevant with his various media gigs that include a deal with ESPN, a show with Ariel Helwani, and his own successful YouTube channel.
Do you believe Ali Abdelaziz? Is Chael Sonnen next up for Jake Paul?
It’s Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., and until a few years ago that always meant a reasonably big pay-per-view event for the UFC. From 2006 until 2015, fans could count on the Saturday before the holiday for a card usually worth traveling for. The 2006 event was at Staples Center in Los Angeles, but […]
It’s Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., and until a few years ago that always meant a reasonably big pay-per-view event for the UFC.
From 2006 until 2015, fans could count on the Saturday before the holiday for a card usually worth traveling for. The 2006 event was at Staples Center in Los Angeles, but the next nine went down at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas – and fans came out to take advantage of that extra holiday off day on the tail end in “Sin City.”
We have taken the time to review the best sports betting apps with PA online sports betting to provide you with all the information you need to get started wagering. While our website do not sponsor any of these PA betting apps but do recommend them if you are seeking real money betting action. The following app reviews are based on the New Jersey version.
The big pay-per-views centered around the holiday stopped in 2016, but we still got 10 years’ worth of highlights, and plenty of them.
Today, we’ll take a look back at the 10 Memorial Day weekend UFC pay-per-views with the best submissions (Friday), knockouts (Saturday) and fights (Sunday). Monday, we’ll rank the 10 cards and get your votes on which of them was the best overall.
So, let’s get started with the UFC’s best Memorial Day weekend submissions, presented chronologically.
Din Thomas vs. Jeremy Stephens
Event: UFC 71 Date: May 26, 2007 Result: Din Thomas def. Jeremy Stephens via technical submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:44
Notes: Thomas won a $40,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus. It was his second straight bonus win after a “Fight of the Night” decision over Clay Guida earlier in the year. Those were the only two bonuses of Thomas’ nine-fight UFC tenure. Thomas, a Ricardo Liborio-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, had 14 of his 26 career MMA wins by submission. His stoppage of Stephens was one of seven finishes in nine fights at UFC 71.
Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry
Event: UFC 84 Date: May 24, 2008 Result: Rousimar Palhares def. Ivan Salaverry via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:36
Notes: Palhares won a $75,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus. It was his sixth straight submission win and came in his UFC debut. The fight was the start of an often controversial five-plus year run with the UFC that included a suspension not releasing a submission against Tomasz Drwal, a suspension for elevated testosterone levels, and ultimately a UFC release when he again held a submission too long after the referee stopped the fight against Mike Pierce.
Brock Larson vs. Mike Pyle
Event: UFC 98 Date: May 23, 2009 Result: Brock Larson def. Mike Pyle via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:06
Notes: Larson won a $60,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus. That wound up as the lone UFC bonus win of his career, though he had a “Knockout of the Night” finish of Carlo Prater in 2008 in the WEC prior to that promotion’s merger with the UFC. Per gooner news, Larson ended his career in 2016 with 27 submissions among his 42 wins.
Ryan Jensen vs. Jesse Forbes
Event: UFC 114 Date: May 29, 2010 Result: Ryan Jensen def. Jesse Forbes via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:06
Notes: Jensen won a $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus – which was more than four times his base salary for the fight. He made $16,000 with $8,000 to show and $8,000 as a win bonus. Forbes had a 2-6 record over two separate UFC stints, but both his wins in the promotion came by submission. Jensen finished his 29-fight pro career with a 100 percent finishing rate. He had 13 submissions and eight knockouts in his 21 wins.
Notes: Tibau won a $70,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus. The win was one of just three stoppages in 10 fights on the card. Tibau’s first bonus came in his 14th UFC fight. He went more than three years and eight more fights in the promotion before he picked up a “Fight of the Night” bonus for his split decision win over Piotr Hallman in Brazil. Those were his only bonus wins in 28 career UFC fights.
Stefan Struve vs. Lavar Johnson
Event: UFC 146 Date: May 26, 2012 Result: Stefan Struve def. Lavar Johnson via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:05
Notes: Struve won a $70,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus. His fight with Johnson opened up the main card, which featured all five fights at heavyweight. UFC 146 had nine stoppages in 12 total fights, including finishes in all five fights on the main card. The bonus was Struve’s fourth in the UFC. He went on to win four more before he retired, giving him eight in his 24 total UFC fights. The 7-foot Dutchman ended his career with 18 submissions in 29 wins.
Glover Teixeira vs. James Te Huna
Event: UFC 160 Date: May 25, 2013 Result: Glover Teixeira def. James Te Huna via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:38
Notes: Teixeira won a $50,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus – which was more than his $48,000 total salary for the win. The bonus was Teixeira’s first in the UFC and came in his fourth fight in the promotion. After his win over Te Huna, he knocked out Ryan Bader to earn a title shot against then-light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Teixeira currently has seven total UFC bonuses and is expected to challenge Jan Blachowicz for the 205-pound title in September.
Mitch Clarke vs. Al Iaquinta
Event: UFC 173 Date: May 24, 2014 Result: Mitch Clarke def. Al Iaquinta via technical submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 0:57
Notes: Clarke won a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus. He put Iaquinta to sleep with his D’Arce choke. Later in the card, Daniel Cormier put Dan Henderson to sleep with a rear-naked choke. Clarke’s bonus was the only one he won in a 2-5 UFC tenure. The finish was his only stoppage win in the promotion, but the Canadian ended his 16-fight career in 2017 with seven submissions in his 11 total wins.
Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson
Event: UFC 173 Date: May 24, 2014 Result: Daniel Cormier def. Dan Henderson via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:53
Notes: Cormier’s finish of Henderson is the only submission on this list that was not a post-fight bonus winner. T.J. Dillashaw’s TKO of Renan Barao to win the bantamweight title in the main event took one of the “Performance of the Night” prizes at UFC 173. Mitch Clarke’s technical submission of Al Iaquinta earlier in the card (also on this list) was the other. Henderson went more than six years without being submitted before Cormier put him to sleep.
Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson
Event: UFC 187 Date: May 23, 2015 Result: Daniel Cormier def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:39
Notes: Cormier won a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus – and also won the vacant light heavyweight title. It was his second of three straight bonuses. Prior to UFC 187, he had a “Fight of the Night” loss to Jon Jones in a failed title bid. After his win over Johnson, he defended the title with a split call over Alexander Gustafsson that also was a “Fight of the Night” winner.
Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight! Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Love him or (more likely) hate him, Jake Paul seems rather committed…
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Triller
Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Love him or (more likely) hate him, Jake Paul seems rather committed to this whole boxing thing. Like any good pugilistic prospect, he’s taking his time training with a quality team and advancing up the ranks slowly, elevating his level of competition from fellow YouTuber to former NBA player to retired wrestler.
Having dispatched all three of his previous foes via knockout, Paul must have decided that now is the time for a step up in competition, as the younger Paul brother has now signed on to fight former UFC Welterweight kingpin Tyron Woodley. Woodley is a long time team mate of Ben Askren, which is how bad blood developed following Paul’s brutal stoppage win over “Funky.”
Woodley may be a wrestler on a losing streak like his team mate, but “T-Wood” throws serious heat! His right hand earned him the UFC title, as well as six other knockout victories. In short, Woodley is bringing considerable firepower into the fight, but the oddsmakers still favor Paul. Sportsbetting.ag initially set Paul as a -130 favorite, though he’s since swelled to (at the time of writing) -155. Woodley, meanwhile, began at -110 before moving into positive numbers at +130.
To summarize, Paul’s youth and boxing experience are mildly favored by oddsmakers over Woodley’s one-punch power and former mixed martial arts title reign. Are they on the money on this match up or blinded by Paul brother hype?
Midnight Music: I really dug this Jim Ford track from 1969, cool mix of country with maybe some soul elements? At any rate, I’m going to check out the full album Harlan County soon.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., June 5, 2021) when UFC Vegas 28: “Rozenstruik vs. Sakai” returns to UFC APEX i…
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., June 5, 2021) when UFC Vegas 28: “Rozenstruik vs. Sakai” returns to UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg kicks off the UFC Vegas 28 “Prelims” party with the first installment of a two-part undercard preview series below.
The big lads take center stage once again this Saturday (June 5, 2021) when heavy hitters Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai collide inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Earlier in the evening, Walt Harris squares off with Marcin Tybura, Roman Dolidze locks horns with Laureano Staropoli in a Middleweight slugfest, and Santiago Ponzinibbio looks to get back on track against unbeaten puncher Miguel Baeza.
Eight “Prelims” undercard bouts set the stage for UFC Vegas 28 on ESPN+, so let’s have a look at the first four below:
125 lbs.: Manon Fiorot vs. Maryna Moroz
The unsuccessful professional debut for Manon Fiorot (6-1) gave way to title runs in both EFC and UAE Warriors, which ultimately set up a late-notice UFC debut in Jan. 2021. There, “The Beast” beat down “Contender Series” graduate Victoria Leonardo for her fourth consecutive stoppage win.
She has finished six professional opponents inside the distance (all via strikes).
A 3-1 Octagon start — anchored by a massive upset of Joanne Calderwood in her debut — put Ukraine’s Maryna Moroz (10-3) in Strawweight contention, where she fell short against division stalwarts Carla Esparza and Angela Hill. Her subsequent move to Flyweight paid dividends, resulting in decision victories over Sabina Mazo and Mayra Bueno Silva.
“Iron Lady” will have two inches of reach on Fiorot.
Moroz’s high-volume boxing may be a delight to watch, but she’s unquestionably up against it here. Fiorot has considerable edges in power and defense that Moroz will struggle to overcome, especially since Fiorot’s range management and kicking attack serve as serious foils for the “Iron Lady’s” preferred long-range attack.
Even if Moroz does manage to build a head of steam, Fiorot has a strong clinch and a decent ground game to fall back on, sorely limiting Moroz’s avenues of victory. Moroz is durable enough to end Fiorot’s knockout streak, but that just means she’ll suffer a full 15 minutes of mauling.
Prediction: Fiorot via unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Montana De La Rosa vs. Ariane Lipski
Though her The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 26 run ended early at the hands of eventual winner Nicco Montano, Montana De La Rosa (11-6-1) fought her way into UFC contention with three consecutive victories. She’s 1-2-1 since, most recently gritting her way through a brutal draw with Mayra Bueno Silva in Feb. 2021.
Nine of her professional victories have come by submission.
Though she started her UFC career 0-2, Ariane Lipski (13-6) managed to even up her Octagon record with a decision over Isabela de Padua and gruesome kneebar finish of Luana Carolina. She couldn’t keep the momentum up, however, suffering her fist stoppage loss since 2014 at the hands of Antonina Shevchenko in Nov. 2020.
“The Violence Queen” gives up one inch of height and reach to De La Rosa.
I’ve long yammered about how De La Rosa’s underwhelming wrestling makes her top-notch ground game a non-factor against strong opposition, but you don’t need to be a Division 1 All-American to take Lipski to the mat. The Brazilian’s takedown defense has been more or less nonexistent throughout her tenure in the Octagon, and considering the sort of damage and adversity De La Rosa fought through in recent efforts, Lipski can’t rely on bludgeoning her into submission before De La Rosa can get her grappling going.
As a long-time fan of Lipski’s brutal striking, I’d love nothing more than to see her finally get her act together and develop a proper sprawl. Alas, I’ve been burned too many times by this point. In the end, De La Rosa spams takedowns and dominates on the mat.
Prediction: De La Rosa via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Sean Woodson vs. Youssef Zalal
Despite entering his “Contender Series” bout with Terrance McKinney as more than a +200 underdog, Sean Woodson (7-1) punched his ticket to UFC with a second-round flying knee. After cruising past Kyle Bochniak in his promotional debt, “The Sniper” took on Julian Erosa, who survived early adversity to catch Woodson in a d’arce choke midway through the third.
He stands four inches taller than “The Moroccan Devil” and will enjoy a four-inch reach advantage.
Youssef Zalal (10-4) emerged as one of 2020’s unexpected highlights by dispatching three opponents in the span of six months. Top prospect Ilia Topuria kept him from going 4-0, and Seung Woo Choi subsequently handed Zalal a unanimous decision loss to start his 2021 campaign.
He’s scored five submission finishes as a professional.
While there’s no shame in losing to a monster like Topuria, Zalal seriously underwhelmed against Choi, struggling to get his wrestling going and failing to really commit to his striking when the takedowns proved elusive. That’s not a good sign against the boxing-savvy Woodson, who’s proven remarkably difficult to take and hold down despite his lanky frame. Combine that with Woodson’s significant edge in volume and you’ve got a recipe for another frustrating defeat.
That said, Erosa did manage to wear down Woodson through sheer persistence and ultimately bring his ground game to bear, but Zalal’s usually happy to let opponents take the lead instead of pressing the issue. Expect that to come back to bite him once again as Woodson racks up the combinations for a comfortable win.
Prediction: Woodson via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Claudio Puelles vs. Jordan Leavitt
Peru’s Claudio Puelles (9-2) looked doomed to a winless (0-2) Octagon start after two brutal rounds against Felipe Silva, only for him to turn the tables with a bonus-winning kneebar midway through the third. Then came a 16-month layoff, which he ended in Sept. 2019 with a decision over Marcos Mariano.
He fights for the first time in more than 20 months.
Less than three weeks after making a successful LFA debut, Jordan Leavitt (8-0) made short work of Luke Flores on “Contender Series” to earn himself a UFC contract. “The Monkey King” proved even more efficient in his UFC debut, where he slammed Matt Wiman unconscious in just 22 seconds.
That win marked his first (technical) knockout win and sixth finish overall.
Not to denigrate Puelles’ accomplishments, but Felipe Silva beat him half to death before an all-time choke and Marcos Mariano was, without exaggeration, one of the worst UFC Lightweights of the modern era. I’ll be very surprised if Leavitt — who boasts a notable wrestling advantage and more than enough jiu-jitsu chops to avoid Silva’s mistakes — doesn’t dominate from bell to bell.
Frankly, my biggest question is whether Puelles can last the distance, especially considering the long layoff. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he manages to just survive 15 minutes of one-sided grappling.
Prediction: Leavitt via unanimous decision
Four more UFC Vegas 28 “Prelims” undercard bouts remain to preview and predict, including a top Featherweight prospect’s Octagon debut and what could be a Welterweight banger between Francisco Trinaldo and Muslim Salikhov. Same time tomorrow, Maniacs.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 28 fight card tonight right here, starting with the ESPN+“Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ESPN+at 7 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 28: “Rozenstruik vs. Sakai” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
Deiveson Figueiredo is set to rematch Brandon Moreno at UFC 263. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Deiveson Figueiredo wants to make a statement in his rematch against Brandon Moreno at UFC 263. UFC flyweight champion De…
Deiveson Figueiredo is set to rematch Brandon Moreno at UFC 263. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Deiveson Figueiredo wants to make a statement in his rematch against Brandon Moreno at UFC 263.
UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is not interested in another five-round battle against Brandon Moreno.
After fighting the Mexican to a majority draw back in December 2020, ‘Deus da Guerra’ intends to have a short fight and finish the rematch quickly when they meet at UFC 263.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Deiveson explained he wants to finish the fight inside 10 minutes, and predicts a knockout win. Aggravated by Moreno’s trash talk about Figueiredo not having power, the Brazilian wants to prove the challenger wrong and silence his words in the Octagon.
“I’m training for a short fight,” Figueiredo said. “I’m going to knock this guy out in the first or second round. I wasn’t 100% in the first fight. He’s been saying I don’t have potential, that my hands aren’t heavy. I’ll show him he’s wrong about what he thinks of me. I’m the kind of guy who can have this wrath awakened inside of me when my opponent starts talking nonsense. I had a meeting with my team and we came up with something inevitable. I want to show I’m the real owner of that belt.”
In their first meeting, both men only had 20 days to prepare for the fight, since Deiveson and Brandon had fought at UFC 255, which happened on November 21. With the match taking place on December 12, Figueiredo says there was not enough time for him to become fully prepared for Moreno, However, after a three-month camp, Daico feels ready to show his opponent his real skills.
“I had three months to prepare for Moreno, which is something I didn’t have in the first fight,” Figueiredo said. “I only got 20 days. You can be sure that I’m going to be 100% and that this guy will last less than two rounds with me. I’m very confident, I trust my work and my team. I’m ready to fight him. His boxing is sharp, Mexicans like to box. I’m good at jiu-jitsu, I’m a blackbelt. But I’m also a striker. I’m more well-rounded than he is. No matter where the fight goes, you better believe it I’ll be ready for the rematch.”
Before the Moreno fight, Figueiredo (20-1-1) was on a five-fight winning streak, with wins over Alexandre Pantoja, Tim Elliott, Joseph Benavidez (twice) and Alex Perez, with all but one victory coming by finish. The 33-year-old’s last and sole loss happened in March 2019, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Jussier Formiga.
Now, Figueiredo is expected to rematch Moreno for the flyweight title at UFC 263’s co-main event, on June 12, in Glendale, Arizona. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a middleweight title fight between the champion, Israel Adesanya, and top contender Marvin Vettori.
Ali Abdelaziz says Jake Paul’s next opponent is Chael Sonnen and the winner of the upcoming fight will go on to face Mike Tyson next. Last night, reports emerged about a potential Showtime pay-per-view boxing bout between the YouTuber and former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley. As news of the fight began to spread, Abdelaziz […]
