Nickal Plans To Help Paul For MMA Debut

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The mixed martial arts (MMA) community has mixed feelings about the future debut of YouTube sensation and semi-professional boxer, Jake Paul, but Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) newcom…


Dana White’s Contender Series Season 6 Week 10
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The mixed martial arts (MMA) community has mixed feelings about the future debut of YouTube sensation and semi-professional boxer, Jake Paul, but Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) newcomer, Bo Nickal, is one fighter who is actually looking to help prepare “Problem Child.”

Paul, who is currently scheduled to finally meet Tommy Fury inside of the boxing ring next weekend, has already signed with Professional Fighters League (PFL) with the plan to debut in MMA later this year. It’s unknown at this time when or even who Paul will fight, but it’s intriguing to know he’ll be trading in his boxing gloves for MMA ones very soon.

While Paul has already started some MMA training — including kicking and grappling — he remains green to the sport. A background in high school wrestling certainly helps, but Paul is going to need some really good training moving forward if he plans to make a successful career in MMA.

Paul, who seems eager to test his luck inside of the cage, has already been linked to American Kickboxing Academy for his upcoming MMA training. However, “Problem Child” is not tied to any gym and is free to seek out whomever gives him the best advice. That’s where Nickal comes in.

Nickal, who is a three-time NCAA Division I national wrestling champion, is on the cusp of his UFC debut next month. The 27-year-old fighter is one of the hottest prospects to come into MMA in quite some time, which has afforded Nickal multiple opportunities to raise his professional stock. This includes signing on with Paul’s newest venture, Betr, which is the world’s first micro-betting app.

Nickal is hoping his newfound relationship with Paul will lead the two to some valuable training time in the gym.

“We haven’t met in person yet. We got to FaceTime and chat a little bit, which was super cool,” Nickal told TMZ Sports. “He’s doing such awesome things in boxing and in the media space. I’m sure we’re going to be training together. I know he just signed with the PFL and hopefully, he’ll be taking an MMA fight soon. I’m sure that I’ll be able to help him out a little bit on that end.”

“100%,” said Nickal when asked if he’d help train Paul. “I’m super excited to train with him. Not only to be able to help him out a little bit on the MMA/grappling side but also to learn from him. He’s had a ton of experience boxing, so it would be awesome to be able to get together and work together.”

Nickal, who is undefeated at 3-0 in his own professional MMA career, is currently scheduled to fight middleweight veteran Jamie Pickett at UFC 285 on Mar. 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout is expected to open up a ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) card headlined by the heavyweight debut of Jon Jones.

UFC 284 ‘Fight Motion’ Video! Did Islam Really Beat Volk?

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Fight fans can now watch the slow-motion video replay of all the action from UFC 284 last weekend in Perth, Australia, including Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title defense over featherwei…


UFC 284: Makhachev v Volkanovski
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Fight fans can now watch the slow-motion video replay of all the action from UFC 284 last weekend in Perth, Australia, including Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title defense over featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski (highlights HERE).

Last weekend produced more to talk about than just a pound-for-pound superfight. While fight fans got to witness one of the most entertaining 155-pound battles in recent memory they also got to see Volkanovski outpacing Makhachev and nearly taking his crown. Makhachev ended up winning via unanimous decision, but many pundits believe Volkanovski had done enough to become UFC’s newest double champ.

Adding to the mix is the recent controversy surrounding Makhachev’s alleged IV use after UFC 284’s weigh ins. It’s unknown at this time exactly what went down, but for now Makhachev remains the lightweight champion of the world. However, he still isn’t the pound-for-pound best.

Luckily, fight fans can relive last weekend by watching UFC 284’s “Fight Motion” video in the above player. It features a slow-motion look at some of the best Octagon action from Perth and a better assessment of the controversial main event between Makhachev and Volkanovski.

Thoughts?


To check out the latest and greatest UFC 284: “Islam vs. Volkanovski” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Video! Flyweight Submits Heavyweight In ‘David Vs. Goliath’ Freakshow

It’s not every day that we get to see a 130-pound fighter go toe-toe-toe with a 265-pound heavyweight, but that’s exactly what fight fans got on Friday at Dogfight Wild Tournament in Barcelona, Spain.
To be honest, I did a tripl…



It’s not every day that we get to see a 130-pound fighter go toe-toe-toe with a 265-pound heavyweight, but that’s exactly what fight fans got on Friday at Dogfight Wild Tournament in Barcelona, Spain.

To be honest, I did a triple take when seeing this highlight pop up on the social media feed. It’s anyone’s guess how a fight between a flyweight and a heavyweight got sanctioned, but seems like Spain is leading the charge. The fight was labeled an “exhibition match,” but that’s just a fancy way of saying “we don’t really care.”

The bout in question took place on the main card of Dogfight Wild Tournament and was contested between flyweight fighter, Raymison Formiga, and unsuspecting heavyweight, Roger Dalet, who upon checking doesn’t seem to have any professional combat experience at all.

Still, it’s plausible that a 6’6”, 265-pound heavyweight could still take care of business against a 130-pound flyweight half his size even with a limited skillset. Unfortunately, size could not make up for a lack of fighting (and cardio) and it allowed Formiga to chop Dalet down in the very first round. Dalet tried hard to overpower the Brazilian veteran, but Formiga eventually got in top control and worked his way for the armbar submission finish.

It was wild to say the least and a true pound-for-pound clash for the ages (just kidding). Check it out below and let us know your thoughts!

Bonuses! Della Maddalena Banks $50K For Quick Submission

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Islam Makhachev did just enough to retain his UFC lightweight title in a main event superfight with Alexander Volkanovski last night (Sat., Feb. 11, 2023) at UFC 284 live on ESPN+ PPV from…


UFC 284: Makhachev v Volkanovski
Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images

Islam Makhachev did just enough to retain his UFC lightweight title in a main event superfight with Alexander Volkanovski last night (Sat., Feb. 11, 2023) at UFC 284 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. In the co-main event, Yair Rodriguez captured interim featherweight gold with a second-round submission win over veteran Josh Emmett.

In addition to the main and co-main event attractions, UFC 284 produced a laundry list of high-tilt matchups, knockouts, and submissions. Check them out below:

  • Women’s strawweight veteran Loma Lookboonmee scored her first career submission win by stopping Elise Reed via rear-naked choke (watch HERE)
  • Flyweight prospect Kleydson Rodrigues lived up to his hype by stopping Contenders Series alum Shannon Ross with a 59-second TKO
  • Joshua Culibao shook off a terrible spinning back kick to the groin to submit fellow featherweight Melsik Baghdasaryan in the second round (highlights HERE)
  • Heavyweight power puncher Justin Tafa scored a huge knockout finish over Parker Porter just 66 seconds into the first round (watch HERE)
  • Jack Della Maddalena pushed his UFC welterweight record to 4-0 with a first-round submission finish over Randy Brown

In order to sift through the action and see which fighters took home a cool $50,000, we take a closer look at the official UFC 284 post-fight bonus winners below:

Fight of the Night: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Performance of the Night: Yair Rodriguez

Performance of the Night: Jack Della Maddalena

For complete UFC 284 results and coverage click here.

Highlights! Makhachev, Volkanovski Turn In Epic War

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Islam Makhachev narrowly defended his UFC lightweight title last night (Sat., Feb. 11, 2023) at UFC 284 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, when he…


UFC 284: Makhachev v Volkanovski
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Islam Makhachev narrowly defended his UFC lightweight title last night (Sat., Feb. 11, 2023) at UFC 284 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, when he collided with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in a pound-for-pound superfight.

Volkanovski looked good in the early going with constant movement and stance switching. He ended up catching Makhachev with a good punch midway through the first that backed the champion against the cage. Volkanovski hurt Makhachev again early into the second, but Makhachev survived with a takedown. Volkanovski proved that he could get back to his feet and started to implement his offense. He even pinned Makhachev along the cage to land some solid shots inside.

In the third round, Makhachev tried to take Volkanovski down again, but the featherweight champion showed how strong he truly is. He nearly scored his own takedown, but Makhachev was was able to keep his footing. Volkanovski got a little cocky in the fourth round during a scramble and ended up giving Makhachev his back. Volkanovski defended nicely, but Makhachev scored valuable control time.

The fifth and final round saw Makhachev do significant damage with knees inside. Volkanovski suffered a cut under his eye in the process. Volkanovski kept showing an excellent takedown defense which allowed him to land a massive right hand to stun Makhachev and knock him down with one minute left. Volkanovski then rained down heavy ground-and-pound to put Makhachev on the brink of defeat.

In the end, it was Makhachev who did enough to retain his UFC lightweight title with a unanimous decision win.

Check out the full fight video highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

For complete UFC 284 results and coverage click here.

Highlights! Yair Becomes First To Submit Emmett, Wins Interim Gold

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Yair Rodriguez captured UFC gold last night (Sat., Feb. 11, 2023) at UFC 284 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, when the veteran fighter stopped J…


UFC 284: Rodriguez v Emmett
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Yair Rodriguez captured UFC gold last night (Sat., Feb. 11, 2023) at UFC 284 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, when the veteran fighter stopped Josh Emmett via second-round submission (triangle choke) to win the interim featherweight title.

Rodriguez opened up with heavy body kicks to keep Emmett from entering range. Emmett was eventually able to close the distance to clip Rodriguez and then land substantial ground-and-pound.

Emmett went back to his power in the second round, but Rodriguez did serious damage with kicks and knees to the body. Rodriguez also landed a short elbow inside that really bothered Emmett. Eventually, Emmett was able to score a takedown along the cage, but Rodriguez was active off his back and set up the submission finish.

Check out the full fight video highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

For complete UFC 284 results and coverage click here.