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Tatsuro Taira Tops ESPN’s ’25 Under 25? MMA list, Muhammad Mokaev Takes Tenth

ESPN has published it’s MMA 25 under 25 list for 2024 which highlights the top young and rising talent in the sport today. As the list itself states, it isn’t always a perfect predictor of who will go on to achieve success at the highest level but it does group together the young competitors that […]

For example, in 2019, the top two picks in A.J. McKee and Sean O’Malley have certainly gone on to deliver on their potential whilst the following three names in Edmen Shahbazyan, Nasrat Haqparast and Aspen Ladd have all had varying degrees of success.

Topping the list this time around is Japan’s Tatsuro Taira who is the #5-ranked contender in the UFC’s flyweight division. Even in his last fight where he suffered the first loss of his 17-fight pro career against Brandon Royval, it was clear that Taira belongs at the top of the 125-pound division following six wins inside the Octagon.

His fellow countryman Rei Tsuruya has also scored high (#4) and at 22-years old, he will look to earn his second consecutive win in the UFC when he returns against Stewart Nicoll at UFC 312 in February. The second spot belongs to Raul Rosas Jr. who is likely to be a fixture of these lists for a few more years given that he’s still only 20-years old despite having five UFC appearances already under his belt.

Coming in at number three is the highest ranked woman on the list with Iasmin Lucindo currently occupying the #7-ranking in the UFC’s strawweight division. One of this year’s winners of The Ultimate Fighter, Mairon Santos, rounds out the top five.

Across the top 10, there are two names that don’t currently compete in the UFC and they land at #9 and #10. The younger brother of Zabit Magomedsharipov, Khasan Magomedsharipov, is undefeated at 10-0 with his latest Bellator win coming in June.

Former UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev is set to make his BRAVE CF return on December 13 after he parted ways with the UFC following his seventh consecutive win in the promotion over Manel Kape. The #10-pick was placed at #2 in 2023’s list and though he might not be in the UFC right now, he’s clearly still one of the best flyweights in the world at 24-years old. Interestingly, five of the top 10 are men’s flyweights.

Check out the full list below:

Tatsuro Taira
Raul Rosas Jr.
Iasmin Lucindo
Rei Tsuruya
Mairon Santos
Denise Gomes
Felipe dos Santos
Joshua Van
Khasan Magomedsharipov
Muhammad Mokaev
Stephanie Luciano
Tom Nolan
Luana Santos
Cameron Saaiman
Austin Bashi
Lucas Brennan
Kevin Vallejos
Francisco Prado
Fatima Kline
Shanelle Dyer
Nurullo Aliev
Rongzhu
Tereza Bleda
Makoto Takahashi
Kade Ruotolo

How ESPN’s PPV Pricing Backfired, Leading to Increased UFC Piracy

How ESPN’s PPV Pricing Backfired, Leading to Increased UFC Piracy UFC pay-per-view prices have increased four times since the promotion inked its broadcast deal with ESPN in 2018. Unsurprisingly,…

UFC pay-per-view prices have increased four times since the promotion inked its broadcast deal with ESPN in 2018. Unsurprisingly, that has led to a significant increase in piracy.

Over the last five years, the cost of a UFC pay-per-view event has jumped up from $59.99 to the current $79.99 asking price which was implemented in 2023. During a quarterly financial call on Thursday, TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro acknowledged that the aggressive increase in cost over the last few years has resulted in an even higher number of pirated cards.

“ESPN and Disney were very aggressive, if you will, on pricing the pay-per-views and they have full control over that, but they have control given what they’re paying us for those rights,” Shapiro said. “Over the period of our partnership, they probably went a little quicker and a little higher than we would have liked.

“We voiced that to them, especially in this era of piracy where we’re seeing our piracy numbers really jacked up and we think that’s driven by them pricing it too high. They were very receptive to that feedback” (h/t MMA Fighting)

Shapiro also revealed that executives with TKO, including UFC CEO Dana White, had a meeting with ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro to discuss growing concerns over the current price structure and the ensuing piracy.

As a result, ESPN began offering a discounted price for those who purchase an event early versus ordering the card on fight night.

“We had a meeting in Las Vegas a few months ago with Jimmy Pitaro and Dana [White],” Shapiro said. “They took the price down, if you will, in terms of offering a new marketing promotion where if you buy by a certain date, well in advanced of the numbered fights, you are going to get a discount and then the price of course increases once you pass that date. They’re seeing good success with that.”

ESPN’s deal with the UFC expires at the end of 2025

While the promotion has seen its live-event revenues skyrocket in recent years, the same can’t be said for pay-per-view. However, the overall market for UFC PPVs appears to be settling which Shapiro suspects could lead to increased revenue in the future.

“Like audiences in the live events where we’re selling out and breaking records and you see it all in the press release, and like the yield that we’re commanding, which in many cases specifically with WWE have been higher than we even planned for, we’re also sustaining our buys when it comes to pay-per-view,” Shapiro said. “So we feel really good about that.”

ESPN and the UFC are expected to go to the negotiating table soon as their current broadcast deal expires at the end of 2025. With the promotion’s business buddy World Wrestling Entertainment making the move to Netflix next year, we could potentially see the UFC follow suit and go exclusively to streaming.

Is the UFC forcing Conor McGregor to sit on the sidelines? ‘There’s a lot going on behind the scenes’

It’s been a year since Conor McGregor first revealed that his long-awaited return to the Octagon would be against…

It’s been a year since Conor McGregor first revealed that his long-awaited return to the Octagon would be against former Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler.

After watching the two trade barbs on social media and competing against one another on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter, we are still no closer to seeing McGregor vs. Chandler happen than we were during the initial announcement in 2023. Who’s to blame varies depending on who you’re talking to, but it’s become increasingly apparent that the UFC are the ones dragging their feet when it comes to booking the Irishman’s quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sports history.”

Former UFC heavyweight standout Brendan Schaub offered his take on the situation, suggesting that Dana White and Co. are keeping Conor McGregor out of the cage until they can lock down a new deal with the megastar.

“We thought Dana was going to announce the UFC 300 main event and co-main event today, but he didn’t do any of that,” Schaub began. “He announced that McGregor vs. Chandler is not happening in June. This is what my skeptical hippo eyes think; McGregor has one or two fights left on his contract. The UFC never lets you fight your contract out. Especially if you’re a megastar like Conor.

“Manny Pacquiao is coming out of retirement. His number one opponent he wants to fight is McGregor. I think Conor’s like, ‘Yeah, I just need to fight Chandler and then I’m gonna fight Manny Pacquiao‘ and the UFC’s like, ‘No you’re not. You only have one or two fights left. We need to figure out a new deal with you.’ He’s like, ‘I don’t want to do that. I want to fight Chandler and then I’m gonna go fight Manny Pacquiao and probably Jake Paul. Maybe Nate Diaz in boxing. That’s what I want to do.’”

“The UFC’s going, ‘No way. We can’t let you go,’ because remember that the UFC is also in negotiations because their rights are up at ESPN,” Schaub continued. “So that’s going on. I’m sure Conor brings a lot to the table for the negotiation rights to TV whether it’s Netflix or wherever they’re going to end up. So they can’t let him leave. They’re just prolonging it. I think it would be a flex on Dana’s part too to do it because remember, he wouldn’t let Francis [Ngannou] do it. What do you think sells more? Francis/Fury — which didn’t do great — or Conor/Manny Pacquiao?

“So I think there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that we’re not privy to.

Conor McGregor’s Value to the UFC could be working against him

Currently, ESPN is the exclusive broadcast partner of the UFC after signing a seven-year deal worth roughly $300 million per year. As part of a two-year extension that runs until 2025, ESPN also maintains exclusive rights to all UFC pay-per-view broadcasts, which is another lucrative profit machine for the Las Vegas-based promotion.

McGregor is an undeniably massive asset for the promotion, not just when it comes to selling events, but advertising dollars, ticket sales, and broadcast rights — McGregor plays a role in all of it.

Is it possible that the UFC is intentionally keeping its top draw on lockdown during a pivotal renegotiating year for the promotion?

Boxing star Teofimo Lopez announces retirement following title win over Josh Taylor: ‘I’m out’

Teofimo Lopez announced his retirement following his decisive unanimous decision victory over Josh Taylor on Saturday night. Lopez, 25, returned to the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, for a WBO junior welterweight title fight with Taylor. After weeks of trash-talk and bad-blood building, Lopez scored a massive victory over Taylor to become a […]

Teofimo Lopez announced his retirement following his decisive unanimous decision victory over Josh Taylor on Saturday night.

Lopez, 25, returned to the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, for a WBO junior welterweight title fight with Taylor. After weeks of trash-talk and bad-blood building, Lopez scored a massive victory over Taylor to become a two-division world champion. During his post-fight interview, Lopez indicated that he was toying with the idea of retirement. He answered any lingering questions less than 24 hours later, revealing that he would be walking away from the sport despite being one of its brightest up-and-coming stars.

“What a relief! Retired at the Top,” Lopez posted on Instagram. “Thank you Boxing for the amazing life you’ve provided for myself and my entire loved ones! THE DOUBLE-GREATEST.”

Replying to his post, Lopez may have given some insight into why he is calling it quits at the peak of his pro boxing career. “Not here to do deals with the devil. I’m out,” Lopez added.

Teofimo Lopez explaining his retirement on Instagram… pic.twitter.com/gPGLhnC3hR

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) June 12, 2023

Teofimo Lopez Wants a Guaranteed Contract Worth Nine Figures

In an interview on The Porter Way Podcast, Lopez revealed that he will be more than willing to step back into the squared circle, assuming Top Rank comes correct with an offer worth no less than nine figures.

“I think the only way you get Teo back is a nine-figure contract deal,” Lopez said. “Because I’ve made ESPN over a $100 million. I’m still getting paid a million dollars to fight while all these other fighters have not even done a quarter of what I’ve done and accomplished in the sport, they’re getting eight, 10, 12, 15 million dollars.

“So obviously I’m the black sheep of the industry and they’re really hurting me on that end. I really want to fix the sport of the boxing world and the corruption that’s going on.”

Top Rank currently has an exclusive deal with ESPN that has been mutually beneficial for both parties while Teofimo Lopez continues to cash checks far below his value. With the sport in desperate need of new and exciting talent, it’s hard to imagine Top Rank and ESPN allowing Lopez to go without attempting to retain his services with a fat bag of money.

If this is indeed the end for Teofimo Lopez, he will retire as a two-division world champion with a record of 19-1 with 13 wins by way of knockout. His lone loss came against George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021. He had since bounced back scoring wins over Pedro Campa and Sandor Martin en route to his title tilt with Josh Taylor.

Teofimo Lopez’s biggest win undoubtedly came in October 2020 when he bested Vasiliy Lomachenko via a unanimous decision inside the MGM Grand.

Stephen A Tackles Narrative That ESPN Is Shielding Dana White

Prominent ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith has addressed the indications that the network and its journalists are downplaying the significance of UFC President Dana White’s physical altercation with his wife. On New Year’s Eve, Dana White was captured on video slapping his wife, Anne, in retaliation to being struck by her inside a Cabo nightclub….

Continue Reading Stephen A Tackles Narrative That ESPN Is Shielding Dana White at MMA News.

Stephen A Tackles Narrative That ESPN Is Shielding Dana White

Continue Reading Stephen A Tackles Narrative That ESPN Is Shielding Dana White at MMA News.