Author: Anton Tabuena

Rose Namajunas’ neck problems got cured?

Rose Namajunas got brutally knocked out in her first match up against Jessica Andrade, as she got slammed on her head and finished during their 2019 title bout. It was a tough scene to watch for some, but despite the concussive hit to the brain, apparently it did bring Namajunas some good.

Namajunas claims her lingering neck injuries might have gotten healed after the slam, with the UFC champion calling it a “miracle.”

“With Joanna, I would say even though I had been in a five-round fight before that, the rematch with her was the real first war that I had. I had to weather a little bit of damage. With Andrade, that was a complete total stripping away of any innocence,” Namajunas told “Morning Kombat” (transcript via Shak Mahjouri). “I got slammed on my neck [in the first fight] and then I got my nose broken in the second fight.

“The first fight was so different from the second fight as far as I didn’t really sustain any damage even though I got KO’ed. Actually, the neck problems that I had went away after getting slammed on my neck, which is kind of weird and sort of a miracle for me.”

Namajunas faces Carla Esparza at UFC 274 this weekend as her second defense of her strawweight title.

Masvidal’s lawyer has addressed Covington’s claims about the alleged attack.

After Jorge Masvidal’s alleged attack, Colby Covington filed charges and claimed he sustained a fractured tooth, an abrasion on his left wrist, and $15,000 worth of damages to his $90,000 Rolex watch. More recently, he also claimed to have sustained a brain injury from the incident.

Photos has since been released of Covington following the alleged assault, showing a chipped tooth, some redness on his face, and his gold watch.

MMA Junkie

Masvidal’s lawyer, Bradford Cohen, also responded to Covington’s claims.

“Interestingly, the images do not demonstrate an injury aside from a small chip in C.C.’s fake tooth,” Cohen wrote. “The evidence collected thus far clearly contradicts C.C.’s allegations. C.C. claims that Defendant hit him from behind. Exclusive footage shows that during the incident, C.C. was facing the individual he identified as Defendant. In fact, C.C. was looking at Defendant head-on prior to taking the hit then appears to run from Defendant in fear.”

Cohen called Covington’s watch a “Folex” and put in question the authenticity of the parts and value of the watch.

“This nickname indicates that a watch is composed of aftermarket parts including fake or knock-off Rolex parts and possibly real Rolex components — certainly negating the testimony that the watch is worth $95,000.00,” he wrote. “To calculate repair costs and extent of damage to C.C.’s FOLEX, the watch needs to be examined more closely to determine the true value of the watch.”

As for the brain injury claims, Masvidal’s lawyer cited how Covington is a professional fighter “prone to repeated physical injury.” He requested for prior medical records “specifically, to ascertain how a single punch to C.C.’s jaw induced the brain damage when C.C.’s profession as a fighter exposes him to such injury periodically.”

He also noted how if there is indeed a brain injury, Covington may need to be examined if he is really equipped to move forward with the case.

“A mental examination may also be required to address if C.C. is competent to proceed in this matter or if he is rendered incompetent due to the nature of his ‘brain injury.’”

The brain injury claim is interesting, as it seemingly could not only be hard for Covington to prove because of his profession, it could also potentially cause issues for the Athletic Commissions and his fighting career moving forward. It seems like a bit of a gamble, but I guess we’ll all see how this plays out eventually.

Apart from not being allowed 25 feet away from Covington, Masvidal is facing aggravated battery and criminal mischief, and has plead “not guilty” to both felony charges. In a March hearing with NSAC over licensing, that he claimed he was simply engaged in “a mutual combatance with another athlete.”

Jake Paul’s next boxing match is apparently set.

Just a couple of days after co-promoting the biggest women’s boxing fight ever, Jake Paul has removed his promoter hat and will be going back to competing again. The social media influencer turned boxer took to twitter to announce the date for his next fight.

“I’m back,” Paul wrote. “August 13th.”

Paul’s teaser didn’t include an opponent, but it’ll be interesting to see who his camp chooses next. He has impressed in his five wins, but one of the talking points against him is how he hasn’t faced “a real boxer” just yet.

It’s really common for boxers starting out in their careers to face subpar competition — with terrible records — as they try to progress in the pro ranks. So although it’s not entirely fair, Paul has been heavily criticized for beating a YouTuber, an NBA player, and two wrestling-based MMA veterans in Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.

That narrative is also shown in the replies to his announcement, including this one from UFC prospect Terrance McKinney:

Paul previously had a bout with Tommy Fury set, but was scrapped at the last minute with Woodley stepping in on short notice. He also had a public back-and-forth with former UFC champion Michael Bisping about a possible fight — which would need to bypass any serious sanctioning body to even make it happen.

Watch video from Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano.

In a landmark event for women’s boxing, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano headlined a massive and highly anticipated card in Madison Square Garden. In a clash of two of the best in the business, Taylor came in as the undefeated and undisputed lightweight champion, while the featherweight queen in Serrano looked to add those titles to her collection as a seven division world champion.

The contest had a big fight feel throughout the week. Despite all the hype and it being billed as the biggest women’s fight ever, the contest still exceeded expectations and delivered. Both women threw down, and the only thing missing was how these top level world champions still have to fight in two minute rounds.

Serrano took some of the early and middle rounds, even badly hurting Taylor in one round. But after 10 rounds of a lot of back-and-forth action and some wild exchanges, Taylor rallied at the end and earned a close split decision win.

Watch highlights from the contest, along with a snippet from our play-by-play of the bout below:

Round 9 – They’re trading in close again in the center of the ring. Good left hand by Taylor. Counter right by Taylor. Right hand by Serrano and a clinch from Taylor. Taylor stumbled but it might have been a balance thing. Right hand by Serrano. Right hand by Taylor! Serrano’s punches coming more slowly! Taylor looking fresher. Good left hook by Taylor. Nice combo by Taylor. Winging right by Taylor! Hard right by Taylor! And she’s got momentum! I think it’s 86-85 Taylor.

Round 10 – Final two minutes! They’re laying it all on the line. Crowd is going berserk. Short lefts by Serrano in close. Taylor clinching up. A left hook by Taylor. Big right hook by Serrano! Short uppercut by Serrano. Serrano is cut! Taylor firing away! Both women scoring big! 30 seconds to go! It’s too close to call. What a combo by Taylor! Serrano responds right back and they’re both firing away haymakers! Taylor’s knees buckle! But Serrano is getting tagged hard!!! THEY SLUG IT OUT! THIS IS AMAZING! WHAT A FIGHT! 96-94 Taylor but it could go in any direction.

Official result: Katie Taylor def. Amanda Serrano by split decision (96-94 Serrano, 97-93 Taylor, 96-93 Taylor) to remain the undisputed lightweight champion

A huge brawl has abruptly cancelled the Stevenson-Valdez press conference.

“I mean, what do you think?” Shakur Stevenson said when asked about deserving to be ranked among boxing’s top pound-for-pound after his dominant win over Oscar Valdez.

The 24-year-old was answering questions after unifying the WBC, WBO and Ring super featherweight titles, but unfortunately, that post-fight press conference didn’t last very long. A brawl suddenly broke out, and Stevenson cut things short as he immediately rushed out of his media session.

Details are scarce at the moment, but it reportedly involved his family and team.

The cancelled press conference and the ensuing chaos were captured on the YouTube video embedded above, but here’s a couple of clips also showing punches being thrown.

Prior to all the madness, Stevenson was having a pretty huge night. He took home new belts, improved to 18-0, and significantly raised his profile within the boxing community. To add to that, he also got engaged in the ring right after.

Ronda Rousey’ mother, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, will now be part of the California State Athletic Commission.

Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, a Judo world champion and mother to former UFC star Ronda Rousey, is set to become a Commissioner for the CSAC.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the news on Thursday, with De Mars being joined by Stephen Gruwell as the two new appointees to the California State Athletic Commission.

“The California State Athletic Commission welcomes its newest Commissioners and looks forward to working together in its mission dedicated to the health, safety and welfare of participants in regulated combat sports,” CSAC spokesperson Monica Vargas told MMA Fighting.

De Mars, 63, will be part of a six-member team that will vote on issues regarding combat sports rules and anti-doping policies. According to the announcement, she will have a $100 per diem as compensation for her new role.

Apart from being Rousey’s mother and first Judo coach, De Mars was also the first American to take gold at the World Judo Championships in 1984. She has a PhD in Educational Psychology, and has been CEO and developer of math and other education based video games.

During Rousey’s stint with the UFC, De Mars was very vocal about her daughter’s head trainer Edmond Tarverdyan, who she called a “terrible coach” and a bad person. She repeatedly urged her daughter to leave Tarverdyan and get better coaching, but it didn’t happen as she says Rousey is “loyal to a fault.”

Rousey was the UFC bantamweight champion from 2012 to 2015, and became one of the biggest mainstream stars in the sport at the time. She eventually suffered back-to-back knockout losses, before closing the book on mixed martial arts and making the switch to WWE.