Author: Dan Hiergesell

Geoff Neal will be looking for answers when he challenges welterweight contender Neil Magny later tonight (Sat., May 8, 2021) at UFC Vegas 26 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Neal, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the division, is coming off his first UFC loss to date after Stephen Thompson defeated him via unanimous decision in a main event back in Dec. 2020. Before that, Neal ran through the competition at 170 pounds to turn in a 5-0 UFC record with four impressive finishes. His matchup with “Wonderboy” was a true learning experience and something that has made Neal a better fighter now, especially since he didn’t have his coach for the fight.

“I learned that I’m able to push through things; a lot of those issues would have made people nervous and scared. I walked into that fight still believing 100% that I was going to win,” Neal told UFC.com. “It would have been better if I would have had my coach there, but it never once did anything to cross my mind that I was going to lose that fight.”

Luckily, Neal will have another chance to test his growing fighting skills against a true veteran of the division when he meets Magny this weekend. Magny isn’t the most difficult puzzle to solve, but he’s a savvy fighter who is 17-7 since making his UFC debut back in 2013. He has all the tools to hand Neal his second-straight loss and send him back down the welterweight ladder.

“[Magny] is someone that I trained for already, so it was pretty easy to jump right back in camp and get ready for him. He’s a tough opponent and he’s a test for me,” said Neal. “If I can’t handle his grappling and his pace, I need to reassess myself and figure out some things because I’m not going to be champion if I can’t handle his pace and his grind.”

Neal has fought grapplers before but never someone that can control him like Magny. The veteran fighter brings unique length and years of experience into the cage, which is going to make it more difficult for Neal to stay off his back. However, Neal believes his matchup with Magny this weekend is a good measuring stick for the current UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.

“The pace, the grind, the wrestling. [Kamaru] Usman the champ, he’s like that. He’ll grind you, but now he can knock you out,” Neal laughs. “So you’ve got to deal with that now. He’s that type of fighter he will grind you out for five rounds and try to break you and Magny tries to do the same thing. If I can’t handle Magny doing that, there is no damn way I could handle Usman doing that.”

If Neal is able to defeat Magny on ESPN and get back into the win column he’ll reposition himself to fight deep into the top 10 heading into the second half of 2021. After all, he was one of the most exciting and promising names in the division before “Wonderboy” stole his momentum. A victory over Magny will help right the ship.

“I just got to win. Winning handles everything. If I’m continuously winning, I’m eventually going to get where I got to be, so I can’t really worry about who wants this or who wants that or who is getting matched up with this person,” said Neal. “As long as I’m winning, and bonus points if I’m knocking people out while I’m winning, I’m going to get to where I need to be.

“I’m still here. It’s going to be the same Geoff, the same aggressive fighter. I’ve got some new flair to my style but I’m just looking to show who I am.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 26 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.

Donald Cerrone will make another walk to the Octagon tomorrow night (Sat., May 8, 2021) at UFC Vegas 26 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, when he takes on Alex Morono in a makeshift co-main event.

Cerrone was originally expected to fight Diego Sanchez on the main card before “Nightmare” was pulled from the event and given his UFC walking papers. “Cowboy” will now fight Morono and try capture his first win since 2019. Remember, Cerrone is coming off a draw opposite Niko Price back in Sept. 2020 and had lost four-straight fights prior to that.

Ahead of Cerrone’s co-main event clash with Morono the promotion has put together all of “Cowboy’s” Octagon walkouts. There are quite a few considering Cerrone is entering his 37th UFC fight, but the montage is quick and pretty darn cool. Check it out above courtesy of UFC.

There’s been much speculation about Cerrone’s fighting future given his recent lack of success. UFC president Dana White has already hinted at possible retirement for “Cowboy,” but the veteran fighter isn’t done just that. That said, his bout with Morono this weekend at UFC Vegas 26 should be closely watched just in case “Cowboy” changes his mind and finally walks away from the sport of MMA.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 26 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.

There’s no shortage of odd training sessions when it comes to the combination of veteran MMA fighter Diego Sanchez and controversial head coach Joshua Fabia.

The pairing has caused quite the ruckus over the past few weeks leading up to Sanchez’s release from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) before his scheduled fight with Donald Cerrone this weekend at UFC Vegas 26. Footage was released last month of Fabia blasting UFC’s commentary team for “disrespectful” remarks about Sanchez’s past performances. A phone call was also released that featured Fabia and Sanchez asking UFC for medical records, which eventually prompted the promotion to release “Nightmare” under the assumption that he’s not medically fit to compete.

In turn, Fabia has been put on blast by the MMA community for allegedly running Sanchez into the ground since he took over as head coach a few years ago. Sanchez, on the other hand, isn’t doing himself any favors, recently claiming that he’s scared UFC will have him killed.

Now another wild training session between Sanchez and Fabia has surfaced and it’s probably the strangest thing you’ll see all weekend. The training session isn’t new, but it showcases the odd methods used by Fabia to train his athletes. Remember when he chased fighters around the cage with a knife? Well, this training session might actually be stranger than that.

Check it out below:

At this point it’s hard to believe that Sanchez is going to find another MMA promotion to fight for. Bellator MMA has already shot down the idea and other promotions like Professional Fighters League (PFL) and ONE Championship haven’t hinted at signing the former UFC fighter either.

It’s safe to say that as long as Sanchez attaches himself to Fabia he’s going to find it difficult to regroup and successfully continue his fighting career.

Jake Paul took full advantage of his recent brawl with Floyd Mayweather Jr. to get some fresh ink and launch a new merchandise line.

Paul, who has been destroying washed up NBA stars and MMA fighters in the boxing ring since last year, had his first real action against a professional boxer this past Thursday in Miami. Paul was joining big brother Logan for his pre-fight press conference opposite Mayweather in the lead up to their PPV bout on June 6.

After the elder Paul and Mayweather had their fun on stage Jake met Mayweather face-to-face. Paul proceeded to talk trash with “Money” before grabbing his hat and running away. That’s when all hell broke loose and the combat world witnessed one of the most bizarre brawls in recent memory.

While Paul has no stake in his brother’s upcoming boxing mach with Mayweather the YouTube sensation still took full advantage of his scrap with “Money.” No less than 24 hours removed from his hat grab heard around the world Paul sat down to get some fresh ink. The tattoo was placed on Paul’s leg and reads “gotcha hat.”

In addition to his new tattoo Paul launched a new merchandise line with the same slogan. It’s quite the idea and one that should only increase Paul’s growing brand. The “Gotcha Hat” line can be seen below:

Hate him or love him this is an incredible business move by Paul. His brawl with Mayweather was the talk of the town yesterday more so than the actual press conference that preceded it. Paul should be able to utilize this publicity to create even more buzz around his next trip the boxing ring, which may end up happening against Mayweather after Logan catches his licks next month.

Marina Rodriguez will try to punch her way one step closer to a UFC title shot tomorrow night (Sat., May 8, 2021) at UFC Vegas 26 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, when she matches up with veteran Michelle Waterson in a five-round main event.

This is a massive opportunity for Rodriguez who steps into her first official UFC headliner. Rodriguez was expected to fight Waterson as part of the regular ESPN main card, but after Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw was bumped from the marque the promotion had to look elsewhere.

Luckily, Rodriguez will be given the chance to hold down the main event spot and build on her TKO upset over touted contender Amanda Ribas back at UFC 257 (highlights HERE). It was a massive victory for Rodriguez and one that ultimately landed her this matchup with “Karate Hottie.”

“To be picked to fight in the main event is very gratifying,” Rodriquez told Ag Fight. “You know that the company trusts you, they know you’ll deliver a great fight and that motivates me to show our work. All eyes will be on this fight. Firstly, I need to do a good job. To win by knockout would be perfect. My focus is to put on a good performance and the knockout will come naturally.”

With a main event fight at her fingertips Rodriguez must be prepared to compete for all five rounds. The 34-year-old fighter has never fought for more than three rounds so it will certainly be a learning experience. Rodriguez never seems to gas in her UFC fights even as a high volume striker so she has that going for her.

“In a five-round fight, on short notice like this one, you need to be strategical.” Rodriguez said. “You can’t be hasty. The strategy is all about finding the right moment and connect my shots where I need to. That’s what I’m going to do and the knockout may come naturally. I need to be relaxed, technical, but I can’t deliver a boring fight. Waiting around is not like me. At the right moment I’ll land a shot and the knockout may come.”

Rodriguez may be confident that she can finish Waterson with a surprise knockout at some point during their five-round headliner, but it’s worth noting that “Karate Hottie” isn’t someone who is often finished. Her lone knockout loss came all the way back in 2009 and the last time she was finished she was submitted by Rose Namajunas just over four years ago.

Still, Rodriguez believes in her power and will be looking to put a stamp on her first ever UFC main event on ESPN.

“Even though Michelle is behind me in the rankings, she’s very experienced. She has a gigantic name in the UFC. If I can knock her out and get back-to-back knockouts on my record, I’m sure my name is going straight to the top. I’m focused on the fight. Let’s see how it goes and what comes next. It’s going be the result of what I can accomplish in there.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 26 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.

Canelo Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KO) will look to lock down another major boxing title tomorrow night (Sat., May 8, 2021) live on DAZN from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., when he takes on undefeated WBO super-middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders (30-0, 14 KO) in the main event.

This is a massive fight for both men as they collide in one of the most important boxing matchups of the year. For Alvarez, this is another opportunity to cement himself as arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the game today and earn another significant title in the process. Canelo has looked really good against bigger competition of late so it will be interesting to see how he utilizes his inside game on a fighter like Saunders.

For Saunders, this is his chance to claim the biggest victory of his professional career. The 30-year-old English southpaw captured the vacant WBO super-middleweight title with a decision win over Shefat Isufi back in 2019. Since then, “Superb” has won back-to-back title defenses over Marcelo Esteban Coceres and Martin Murray. Alvarez will undoubtedly Saunders’ toughest test to date.

Heading into Saturday’s main event clash both fighters stepped on the scale for Friday’s official weigh ins. Afterwards, they shared an intense staredown only reserved for a championship boxing fight. Check it out in the above video player.

Before Alvarez and Saunders lock horns in the super-middleweight main event there is another title fight that will take place on the DAZN main card. That will be contested between current WBO junior flyweight champion Elwin Soto and Japanese veteran Katsunari Takayama in the co-headliner.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of Saturday’s main event. The DAZN-streamed broadcast (watch it here) kicks off at 8 p.m. ET, with Alvarez and Saunders likely to make the walk closer to 11 p.m. ET.