Author: Dan Hiergesell

Alexander Volkov is hungry to secure his first shot at the UFC heavyweight title and it all starts tomorrow afternoon (Sat., June 26, 2021) at UFC Vegas 30 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when “Drago” meets undefeated contender Ciryl Gane in the main event.

Volkov, 32, has been a wrecking machine inside of the Octagon of late. The towering Russian contender is coming off back-to-back knockout finishes over Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. In turn, Volkov’s UFC record now stands at 7-2, losing only to top contenders Derrick Lewis by insane comeback and Curtis Blaydes. He has looked better each and every time we’ve seen him, win or lose.

Volkov is looking to capture even more success this weekend against Gane. It’s a tough matchup, but one “Drago” feels prepared to win.

“I worked on some special things just for Ciryl Gane,” Volkov said. “I was looking at a lot of his fights, his videos. I feel like I did my homework really good. We’ll see how it’ll be in the Octagon, but I’m feeling great right now.”

Gane is certainly going to bring some new tricks to the table as well. The undefeated contender has produced a 5-0 record inside of the Octagon since his debut in 2019. With wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Junior dos Santos, and Tanner Boser, “Bon Gamin” has displayed some really good striking along the way. Volkov aims to get the better of the exchanges on the feet and prove he’s a more complete fighter all-around.

“(Gane is) really talented,” Volkov said. “He has really good striking skills; one of the best in our division. He’s also good in grappling and wrestling, but I’m feeling like I’m here to win. I’m feeling like it’s really a good fight for me, and I just want to show everybody that I am better in everything.”

If Volkov is able to hand Gane his first professional loss then it may very well lead to a UFC title shot. Jon Jones and Derrick Lewis certainly have the inside track for a future matchup with current champion Francis Ngannou, but “Drago” would position himself close to the top with a win this weekend.

“We will see how it will be,” Volkov said. “I don’t want to look (past him), but I am ready for the title fight. I am thinking about it every day, but for now, I have to fight with Ciryl Gane and show the best performance that I can.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 30 fight card HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 4 p.m. ET.

Anderson Silva reminded the combat sports world that he’s one of the best fighters of all time after defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a boxing match earlier this month (highlights HERE). Almost everyone who witnessed Silva out-box the former WBC champion was left impressed, including social media influencer Jake Paul.

Silva, 46, had won just one MMA fight since 2012 and was entering just his third professional boxing match. Still, the former UFC middleweight champion looked comfortable, mobile, precise, and willing to load up on some of his punches on the inside. It was quite spectacular, especially considering he was a sizeable underdog against Chavez Jr.

Earlier this week, Paul caught up with TMZ to discusses Silva’s performance and pay his respects.

“Anderson’s 46 years old, and I thought he did an incredible job,” said Paul. “He was sticking and moving, bouncing around the ring, having fun, was throwing combos. He’s long and lanky and to come in there and beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who’s what, 50? Wins in the ring, is a world champion … this just goes to show that MMA strikers are also great boxers, and I think a lot of people forget that. That is the first skill that MMA fighters learn if they’re going to learn how to fight, is boxing. So I thought he looked amazing.”

Paul, who is coming off a knockout win over former UFC fighter Ben Askren earlier this year, is scheduled to box former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley this August. The social media star reached out to Silva after his win over Chavez Jr. to recruit him to compete on his undercard against boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. While Silva has been long rumored to box Jones “Spider” also made it known that he’d be interested in mixing it up with the Paul brothers as well.

“Anything is possible,” Paul said. “I didn’t initially think of that, but my saying is ‘Anyone, any time, any place.’ But I think it’ll be more interesting to see Anderson Silva fight Roy Jones Jr. on my undercard, which is what I originally tweeted out there because he beat one legendary boxer, let’s see if he can beat another legendary boxer. Maybe there’s a fight for us down the road. I think there’s talks about him maybe fighting against my brother (Logan Paul). But Anderson’s a nice guy, and I respect him as a legend.”

It’s nice to know that Silva still has a place in combat sports after his storied UFC career came to a close. The pound-for-pound legend clearly has some boxing skills and is not afraid to mix it up with former champions or high-profile YouTube fighters. Let’s hope Silva gets paid well his next time around and is able to showcase the striking he did against Chavez Jr.

Fight fans nearly witnessed a brawl at the official BKFC 18 weigh ins. Luckily, security was there to step in.

Julian Lane, who is known from his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, is expected to fight Jake Bostwick on the BKFC 18 “Prelims.” The two men stepped on the scales earlier tonight (Fri., June 25, 2021) for their 175-pound matchup and all hell almost broke loose.

Lane weighed in first and simply couldn’t stay still. The MMA veteran was pacing back-and-forth waiting for Bostwick to weigh in. Bostwick eventually stepped on the scale and then proceeded to ignore Lane while striking some poses for the media. Once Bostwick turned his attention to “Nitrane” that’s when Lane pushed him back with his forehead. Bostwick returned favor before slapping Lane in the side of the head. The incident was quickly broken up after that.

Check out the weigh-ins scuffle above courtesy of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).

BKFC 18, which goes down tomorrow night live on FITE.TV PPV from inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla., will feature a main card with four different title fights. This will includes appearances by former UFC veterans Thiago Alves, Hector Lombard, Joey Beltran and Joe Riggs. Not to mention the BKFC debut of Pearl Gonzalez.

Stick with Mania for more BKFC 18 news and reaction.

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will make his second appearance under the Professional Fighters League (PFL) banner later tonight (Fri., June 25, 2021) at PFL 6 live on ESPN+/ESPN2 from inside Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and “Showtime” finds himself in a must-win situation.

Pettis made his PFL debut this past April against former UFC fighter and professional boxer Clay Collard. While Pettis was favored to win the lightweight matchup it was Collard who did more over the course of 15 minutes to walk away with the unanimous decision. The loss snapped Pettis’ two-fight win streak he carried over from UFC and it once again provided some doubt about his ability to return to his dominant ways.

Luckily, Pettis will have another opportunity to prove his worth as a member of the PFL roster when he takes on Raush Manfio tonight at PFL 6. Pettis will need a finish over the young Brazilian to score enough points to secure his playoff spot in the 155-pound division. It is a big moment for the former UFC champion and one that has forced him to refine his training and focus on the things he needs to improve.

“I immediately focused on my boxing,” Pettis told MMA Junkie. “I’m gonna use a lot more hands in this fight. I’ve been posting it. Everybody’s seen what I’ve been attacking. He knows what I’m gonna be doing. I’m gonna be putting my hands together. I’m looking to put these hands on him, and I’m not gonna force the kicks, I’m not gonna force anything flashy. You’re gonna see a well fought, smart fight by me.”

Pettis, 34, was once considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but after losing his UFC lightweight title back in 2015 the veteran simply hasn’t been able to rise back to the top. “Showtime” has gone just 6-8 since that title loss and is still trying to find himself again inside of the cage. It will be interesting to see Pettis put his new training to use later tonight at PFL 6 against a hungry and confident fighter like Manfio.

“He has a great right hand, counter right hand, good left check-hook,” Pettis said. “He doesn’t have too much off his back. When he’s on his back, he doesn’t look for submissions, he’s not trying to go for crazy stuff, but my game plan is to knock him out. I’m gonna go out there in the orthodox stance. I’ve been showing it on my feeds. There’s nothing that I’m gonna change. I’ve been showing everything that I’ve been doing. I’m gonna put him in the orthodox stance, I’m gonna find my rhythm, I’m gonna build up a range, and once I find that range, it’s showtime.”

What say you, Maniacs? Does Pettis get back on track later tonight at PFL 6?

Sound off!

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the PFL 6 main card below, which begins at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2. We’ll also provide quick results for the “Prelims” undercard on ESPN+, which will start streaming at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Anderson Silva traded his MMA gloves in for a pair of boxing gloves last night (Sat., June 19, 2021) at the “Tribute To The Kings” event live on FITE.TV pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, as “Spider” met former WBC champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the co-main event. The former UFC middleweight champion ended up shocking the boxing world by defeating Chavez Jr. over the course of eight rounds.

Silva looked comfortable early as he used his footwork and movement to stay out of serious trouble and land some solid punches from range. Chavez Jr. seemed to have trouble timing “Spider” and became a little frustrated. When Chavez Jr. did find his opportunity to throw some punches Silva invited him into the corner like he used to do along the Octagon cage. Silva’s showboating was on full display.

Silva landed a massive uppercut to begin the fourth round that caught the attention of Chavez Jr. The former UFC champion really started to take control as he sized Chavez Jr. up and unleashed hard punches to the head and body on the inside. When the action separated “Spider” was there for crisp jabs and uppercuts.

Silva continued to pour it on in the fifth round with combinations on the inside and more lead jabs. Chavez Jr. tried to uncork some power shots in the sixth round, but Silva ate them and returned favor with punches in bunches along the ropes. Silva score more damage in the seventh as inside uppercuts really started to bust up the face of Chavez Jr.

It was much of the same in the eighth and final round as Silva’s dictated the range and pace of the fight. Chavez Jr. knew he was down on the scorecards and tried to tee up a fight-saving knockout, but Silva absorbed everything and put the finishing touches on one hell of a combat accomplishment.

Check out some of the video highlights below:

For complete ‘Silva vs. Chavez Jr.’ results and coverage click HERE.

Former UFC middleweight champion and all-time MMA legend Anderson Silva will make his return to the boxing ring later tonight (Sat., June 19, 2021) when he takes on former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at the “Tribute To The Kings” event live on FITE.TV pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Silva, who parted ways with UFC back in Nov. 2020, has only won two out of his last 10 MMA fights dating back to 2012. The former UFC middleweight champion is nowhere near what he used to be, but “The Spider” is hoping to turn back the clock and capture a win inside of the boxing ring. It should be noted that Silva’s last boxing match occurred all the way back in 2005 and he ended up defeating Julio Cesar de Jesus via second-round knockout.

Unfortunately for Silva, he’ll be making his boxing return against a legitimate fighter in Chavez Jr. The former WBC champion is 52-5-1 throughout his pro career and has fought guys like Canelo Alvarez, Daniel Jacobs, and Andy Lee. Chavez Jr. did miss weight and will have to fork over $100K of his purse to Silva, but that’s not going to stop the Mexican fighter from brining the heat on Saturday night.

It may not be the biggest boxing matchup of the year, but if you’re a fan of combat sports you almost have to watch Anderson Silva try his luck at professional boxing. The former UFC king has been talking about this crossover for years and it’s finally happening. Check out below for all the ways to catch the action live on FITE.TV PPV.

Start Time

• Sat., June 19, 2021 from inside the Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico
• Main card begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
• “Prelims” undercard begins at 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT

Online Viewing

• “Silva vs. Chavez Jr.” PPV main card can be viewed through FITE.TV. The PPV will cost $39.99.

Mobile Viewing

• “Silva vs. Chavez Jr.” PPV main card will be accessible through the FITE.TV app. Click HERE for full details and streaming options.

Main Card

Exhibition: Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. vs. Hector Camacho Jr.
182 lbs.: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Anderson Silva
Middleweight: Omar Chavez vs. Ramon Alvarez
Junior Middleweight: Damian Sosa vs. Abel Mina

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of tonight’s main card, starting with the FITE.TV PPV broadcast at 9 p.m. ET.