Author: Dan Hiergesell

Julio Cesar Martinez retained his WBC flyweight title last night (Sat., May 6, 2023) live on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, when the 28-year old captured an 11th-round TKO win over Ronal Batista.

Martinez was the obvious favorite coming into this fight and many would have expected to see an earlier finish by the champion, but Batista proved his toughness over the course of this fight. He even survived a clean knockdown by Martinez midway through the co-main event.

However, Martinez still had enough left in the tank to unload a barrage of punches in the 11th round that put Batista in serious trouble along the ropes. Batista tried to move his head and defend, but Martinez was relentless. The referee eventually stepped in to wave the fight off and award “El Rey” his sixth-straight flyweight title defense.

Check out the full fight video highlights below:

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For complete ‘Canelo vs. Ryder’ results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Ikram Aliskerov made a memorable Octagon debut earlier tonight (Sat., May 6, 2023) at UFC 288 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., when the former Contender Series winner shut off Phil Hawes with an incredible first-round knockout (punch).

Aliskerov ate some hard shots in the early going as Hawes showed off his new and improved standup. It looked like Hawes was going to maintain momentum throughout the first round, but Aliskerov hit a different gear out of nowhere and started to mix things up. He hit Hawes with a head kick and then moments later Aliskerov landed a right punch that folded “No Hype” into a lawn chair. It was an insane knockout to see.

Check out the final moments below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

Aliskerov, 30, has now won his last six professional fights and enters the UFC’s middleweight division with an absolute bang. His only loss of his career came against Khamzat Chimaev so that should tell you something. What’s even more impressive is the fact that Aliskerov is more known for his ground game.

For complete UFC 288 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Claudio Ribeiro kickstarted UFC 288 earlier tonight (Sat., May 6, 2023) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., when the middleweight power puncher stopped “Ugly Man” Joseph Holmes with a brutal second-round TKO (punches).

Holmes looked good in the early going with a nice takedown and some good clinch work along the fence. However, once Ribeiro found some space on his feet his power took over this fight. Ribeiro clobbered Holmes late into the first and ended up smashing him with heavy ground-and-pound.

Holmes was saved by the bell, but Ribeiro kept things rolling in the second round as he gained top control again and landed heavy punches. “Ugly Man” tried to cover up, but Ribeiro’s shots were getting through. The referee had no choice and had to step in for the TKO stoppage.

Check out the final moments below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

Ribeiro, 30, failed in his Octagon debut with a knockout loss to Abdul Razak Alhassan back in January. This was a tremendous way to prove his game is improving and that his power is a threat throughout the entire division. After all, Ribeiro has 11 professional wins and all of them are knockouts.

For complete UFC 288 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Fight fans have been waiting for the return of undefeated Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contender, Khamzat Chimaev, but even UFC president, Dana White, doesn’t know when the Chechen fighter will make his next walk to the Octagon.

Chimaev’s stock took a slight hit during his last appearance back at UFC 279. “Borz” may have won his catchweight matchup with Kevin Holland in devastating style, but it came after he missed weight by nearly eight pounds and had his main event clash with Nate Diaz canceled. Chimaev’s inability to cut weight turned the entire event upside down.

Fight fans haven’t seen “Borz” compete since then. There have been talks about him staying at welterweight and also moving up to middleweight. He’s been rumored to be fighting Colby Covington, Paulo Costa, Kamaru Usman and just about anybody who has a pulse in either division.

Unfortunately for all involved, Chimaev has not booked his next fight and there’s no telling when he might do so. Even White doesn’t know what Chimaev plans on doing as he’s currently working through some personal issues outside of the cage.

“That’s on him,” said White during an interview with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter. “He’s got stuff going on in his personal life. That’s not because we’re not getting a fight.

“Obviously you know how it goes here. I talk about this all the time. We have to get guys three fights a year. So if we don’t get guys three fights a year we have to pay them. The only way that wouldn’t happen is if they have personal stuff going on.”

When asked one final time if Chimaev can fight on U.S. soil or if there are any issues preventing him from doing so White replied with a quick, “Sure.”

Chimaev, 28, remains one of the biggest contenders on the UFC roster despite not competing in the last eight months. With wins over Holland, Gilbert Burns, Li Jingliang, and Gerald Meerschaert over his last four fights a good case can be made that Khamzat is one victory away from a title shot at 170 or 185 pounds. He just has to square away some of his personal stuff before trying to finish what he started.

What say you, Maniacs? How many times will Chimaev fight in 2023?

Let us know in the comments below!

Canelo Alvarez (58–2–2, 39 KO) will fight for the first time on Mexican soil since 2011 later tonight (Sat., May 6, 2023) live on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring super middleweight champion can make big bank if his PPV headliner sells enough buys.

Alvarez will be matched up against veteran boxer John Ryder (32-5, 18 KO), who is coming off a win over Zach Parker and is unbeaten in his last four fights. The oddsmakers have Canelo at -1800 to successfully defend his crown and for good reason, but that doesn’t mean the Mexican superstar doesn’t have to be on high alert against Ryder. After all, Ryder has lost just once since early 2017.

Luckily, Alvarez will be heavily compensated for his main event showing tonight in Mexico. According to totalsportal, Canelo will bank a guaranteed $10 million fight purse for his title defense opposite Ryder. But with a high percentage of the PPV revenue built into his contract Alvarez could make upwards of $33 million should the event do more than 500,000 buys.

Check out the breakdown below:

totalsportal

Ryder — who is entering the biggest moment of his 37-fight career — will take home $1 million in salary for stepping up and fighting the legend that is Canelo. In addition, Ryder also shares a percentage of the PPV buys, but it is much smaller than Alvarez. Ryder would earn $3.3 million should the event clear 500,000 PPV purchases.

All in all, Alvarez should be able to clean up tonight on DAZN PPV. Not only is Canelo celebrating Cinco de Mayo by boxing in front of his home crowd, but the combat superstar is set to make another monumental payday in the process.

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the Canelo vs. Ryder main event HERE. The PPV main card broadcast kicks off on DAZN PPV at 7 p.m. ET, while Canelo and Ryder are expected to make their ring walks around 10 p.m. ET.

It’s still unknown at this time, but fight fans may see the great Canelo Alvarez (58–2–2, 39 KO) compete for the final time later this evening (Sat., May 6, 2023) live on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico. The reigning WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight champion will look to defeat John Ryder (32-5, 18 KO) in front of a wild hometown crowd in Mexico.

Alvarez, who is coming off a trilogy win over Gennady Golovkin back in Sept. 2022, is a massive -1800 betting favorite to take care of business Saturday night against Ryder. However, Canelo has already stated that he plans on walking away from the sport of boxing with a loss to Ryder on home soil.

It’s crazy to think that Alvarez has been at the top of the sport for the past eight years. The Mexican champion has produced a staggering 16-1-1 record since his decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in 2013 and has knocked off some of the best names in boxing along the way. Alvarez remains the face of boxing so it would be devastating to see him walk away even though he’s arguably still at the top of his game.

That said, Alvarez has been dropping hints all week about possibly retiring from boxing. On Friday after official weigh ins, Canelo admitted that he would step away from fighting if Ryder were to pull off a major upset and defeat him in front of his Mexican fanbase. Check it out below:

“There’s been some rumors that you’re fighting here (in Jalisco) because this could be your last fight,” said reporter Chris Mannix. “Is there any chance this is your last fight?”

“Look, if John Ryder beats me…..I’m done,” replied Canelo.

Earlier this week, Alvarez revealed that he has a desire to make a run at professional golfing after hanging up his boxing gloves. If Ryder is able to dig deep and deliver the performance of a lifetime then fans may be seeing Alvarez hit the greens sooner rather than later.

“We’ll see. It’d be amazing if I could make the [PGA] Tour. Fantastic if I ever got to play in a major. Almost everyone says it can’t be done because I started so late,” Alvarez told Mail Sport.

It should be an interesting night of fights to say the least and a main event that will cast a little extra attention as Canelo could make his final walk to the ring.

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the Canelo vs. Ryder main event HERE. The PPV main card broadcast kicks off on DAZN PPV at 7 p.m. ET, while Canelo and Ryder are expected to make their ring walks around 10 p.m. ET.