Tag: Global MMA

Watch | Biaggio Ali Walsh, Grandson of Muhammad Ali, delivers devastating 1st round KO PFL debut

Biaggio Ali WalshBiaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of boxing icon, Muhammad Ali, made quick work of his debut into PFL after scoring a first-round knockout victory over Tom Grasser. Opening up the PFL Championships 2022 was Biaggio Ali Walsh. Grandson of Muhammad Ali you can imagine how high the expectations were on the 24-year-old to deliver on […]

Biaggio Ali Walsh

Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of boxing icon, Muhammad Ali, made quick work of his debut into PFL after scoring a first-round knockout victory over Tom Grasser.

Opening up the PFL Championships 2022 was Biaggio Ali Walsh. Grandson of Muhammad Ali you can imagine how high the expectations were on the 24-year-old to deliver on his promotional debut.

And he did just that.

Matched up against Tom Grasser who similarly to Walsh had next to no professional experience and was tasked with derailing the already hyped prospect, unfortunately for him, it just was not to be his night.

Ali Walsh made quick work of his opponent landing impactful shots within the first exchange and then going on to drop Grasser with a combination of shots just 45 seconds into the bout before referee Keith Peterson waived the contest off.

Speaking after the fight Walsh revealed his relief to secure the victory and touched upon the pressures of carrying the Ali name and legacy on into MMA.

“The pressure is going to be there, but I welcomed it,” he said.

“I wanted to knock him out early on, but anything can happen in the fight. Whether I win it’s the first second or third round, it doesn’t matter I just want to get the win.” (Transcribed by TalkSport)

Biaggio Ali Walsh Delivers In Opening Matchup of PFL 2022 Championships

Biaggio Ali Wash delivered in the opening matchup of the night which set the tempo of the rest of the card and provided seven finishes in total and one of the biggest upsets the promotion has seen when Larissa Pacheco was able to defeat the previously undefeated lightweight champion, Kayla Harrison.

Also of note, Manchester’s own Brendan Loughnane defeated Bubba Jenkins in the co-main event to secure himself the Featherweight World Title and the $1 Million dollar cheque that comes with it.

The rest of the cards results followed as such:

  • Ante Delija defeated Matheus Scheffel in the Heavyweight Finale
  • Aspen Ladd defeated Julia Budd in her promotional debut,
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier defeated Steve Ray in the Lightweight Finale
  • Sadibou Sy defeated Dilano Taylor in the Welterweight Finale
  • Rob Wilkinson defeated Omari Akhmedov in the Light Heavyweight Finale
  • Sheymon Moraes defeated UFC veteran Marlon Moraes
  • Natan Schulte defeated Jeremy Stephens
  • Dakota Ditcheva defeated Katherine Corgoenes

What did you make of the PFL 2022 Championship Card And Biaggio Ali Walsh’s Debut?

USADA declare Conor McGregor is unlikely to receive testing pool exemption

Conor McGregorA representative of USADA has revealed Conor McGregor is unlikely to receive an exemption from re-entering the testing pool for six months before he will be allowed to compete. Conor McGregor had yet to provide a sample to USADA during the entire course of 2022 as the Irishman was recovering from his complete leg fracture […]

Conor McGregor

A representative of USADA has revealed Conor McGregor is unlikely to receive an exemption from re-entering the testing pool for six months before he will be allowed to compete.

Conor McGregor had yet to provide a sample to USADA during the entire course of 2022 as the Irishman was recovering from his complete leg fracture which he suffered in the summer of 2021.

Speculation surrounded why McGregor had not contributed a sample to USADA like all active competitors are required to do to be cleared for competition. Alongside this McGregor had improved his physique substantially whilst being away from the cage causing followers of the sport to question the legitimacy of the former two-division champions’ recovery.

Most recently to question his recovery was UFC light heavyweight contender, Anthony Smith who claims that McGregor had removed himself from the testing pool to use PEDs in order to help speed up his recovery.

McGregor did not take kindly to the comments from the former light heavyweight title challenger and took to his social media to respond.

“This rat spoke to Weidman who’d the same horrific injury and is having severe complications still, is bothered that I was able to heal/return to a normal way of life. He, like many other rats in my game, would be happier if I wasn’t able to play with my children the same again.”

USADA Director, Averi Walker, Says Conor McGregor Wouldn’t Qualify For A Testing Pool Exemption

Despite what fellow fighters and followers of the sport may speculate, it all boils down to how USADA views Conor McGregor’s absence. Recently USADA director of communications, Averi Walker, has revealed that ‘The Notorious’ would still be required to re-enter the testing pool for a minimum of six months before he would be sanctioned to compete.

“McGregor is not enrolled in our testing pool and would have to be for six months unless an exception is granted, which we do not think would be applicable.”  (Transcribed by BloodyElbow)

Given this testing period, McGregor would be in theory cleared to return to competition in August 2023 provided he does enter the pool in February as suggested.

What do you make of Conor McGregor’s absence from the USADA testing pool?

Alex Pereira reveals he was ‘Scared’ to fight Sean Strickland: “I thought ‘This guy wants to kill me.’”

Alex PereiraUFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira has admitted he was scared to face Sean Strickland at UFC 276. Pereira recently capture the UFC’s 185lb title, KOing long-time rival Israel Adesanya in the final round at UFC 281. Prior to that fight, Adesanya was undefeated at middleweight, having cleared out the majority of the division. However, Pereira […]

Alex Pereira

UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira has admitted he was scared to face Sean Strickland at UFC 276.

Pereira recently capture the UFC’s 185lb title, KOing long-time rival Israel Adesanya in the final round at UFC 281. Prior to that fight, Adesanya was undefeated at middleweight, having cleared out the majority of the division. However, Pereira has revealed that his fight with Sean Strickland ‘scared’ him considerably more than the bout with ‘The Last Stylebender.’

In a recent interview with So Papos MMA, ‘Poatan’ was open about his emotions in the build to the fight with Strickland, stating:

“Talking about my last fight, [Strickland] had 25 fights, was doing well in the UFC, ranked No. 4 in the middleweight rankings, he’s dangerous, he’s experienced. I was scared, but when I heard him talk, I relaxed a little bit. He is a good fighter and an experienced one, but he was talking some stuff that didn’t make any sense.”“

For a few months since the fight was booked I had fear, but it was under control. But I’ll tell you when I was the most afraid. Everything he said and up until the weigh-in, everything was fine. When he entered the octagon and started staring at me, he hadn’t looked at me that way before. That was when I became scared.”

“He’s another person inside the Octagon, different from his normal personality,” Alex Pereira continued. “I thought ‘This guy wants to kill me’ I’m telling you, this was a different guy from everything else. But in the end it was good that he entered the octagon this way, because it woke me up, I became aware of the danger, I knew I couldn’t make mistakes. I said damn, he’s different in here, you have to be careful with this man. I went in smarter and managed to catch him.” (H/T MMA Mania)

Alex Pereira was clearly able to overcome his fear, knocking Strickland out in the first round with his signature left hook. It would be this exact same technique that ‘Poatan’ would use to begin the finishing sequence against Adesanya at UFC 281.

Now the UFC middleweight champ, despite only holding a record of 7-1, Pereira is likely set for a rematch with Adesanya, although the likes of Khamzat Chimaev are already calling out the new champ.

Who do you think Alex Pereira will fight next?

AJ Dobson suffered hematoma which developed into horrific abscess following UFC 280 loss: “Within two days I was unable to walk.”

AJ DobsonAJ Dobson has revealed he suffered from a brutal abscess which left him unable to walk following his UFC 280 defeat to Armen Petrosyan. AJ Dobson was beaten by Petrosyan via unanimous decision on the undercard of UFC 280, unfortunately for him not only did he have to suffer back-to-back defeats after being beaten by […]

AJ Dobson

AJ Dobson has revealed he suffered from a brutal abscess which left him unable to walk following his UFC 280 defeat to Armen Petrosyan.

AJ Dobson was beaten by Petrosyan via unanimous decision on the undercard of UFC 280, unfortunately for him not only did he have to suffer back-to-back defeats after being beaten by Jacob Malkoun on his promotional debut.

The American also had to deal with a hematoma that developed in his leg which then became infected resulting in an abscess forming which causes excruciating pain.

AJ Dobson took to his social media to update fans on his current situation and promised a return to action soon enough.

“After my last fight I was left with a few hematomas on my shin from eating leg kicks.

About a week ago it violently turned into an abscess and within two days I was unable to walk on my own and had an unwavering fever.

“We’re back on the road to recovery but I still have a lot to be thankful for. I might be out for a while but the goal remains the same! Thanks to my team and management for the help and support! I’ll be back soon.”

AJ Dobson Reveals He Had Fought With A Knee Injury For The Previous 4 Years

Taking damage is bad enough but expected when competing in a sport such as mixed martial arts but going into battle already damaged is a whole separate issue. Although many fighters will enter bouts carrying minor injuries acquired from training or sparring, the level of severity for some of these issues can be extremely high.

AJ Dobson revealed that this is exactly the case for him as he has been battling adversity during the last four years of his career by fighting whilst suffering from a knee injury.

“I tore my knee in 2016 or 2017, and I just had to suck it up. All these injuries that these guys would have, and they would just suck it up, train what they could and still break records,” he said.

“So, I was kinda pulling from those guys. I just have a bucket handle meniscus tear – it’s all right; put a knee sleeve on, rub some dirt on it, it will be all right. (Laughs) It’s just that ‘Work through it’ mindset that I’ve always been surrounded by.” (Transcribed by DailyStar)

We have seen very recently the impact this can have on performance following TJ Dillashaw’s title challenge at UFC 280, which saw him enter the cage with his shoulder frequently popping out of its socket.

How many fighters do you feel go enter the cage whilst carrying a serious injury?

Darren Till likens Alex Pereira’s devastating KO power to that of the late Anthony Johnson

Darren TillDarren Till has compared Alex Pereira’s punching power to that of the late Anthony Johnson following his UFC 281 victory over Israel Adesanya. Johnson was renowned for his devastating knockout power which saw him TKO/KO 17 opponents throughout the 23 wins he amassed over the course of his career. In a similar manner to which […]

Darren Till

Darren Till has compared Alex Pereira’s punching power to that of the late Anthony Johnson following his UFC 281 victory over Israel Adesanya.

Johnson was renowned for his devastating knockout power which saw him TKO/KO 17 opponents throughout the 23 wins he amassed over the course of his career.

In a similar manner to which Johnson could shut the lights out of his opponents, new middleweight champion, Alex Pereira, carries the same venom in his hands. 3 of his 4 victories have come via TKO or KO since signing with the promotion. Most notably Pereira’s devastating power saw him become the first person to finish Israel Adesanya inside an MMA octagon en route to his title success at UFC 281.

Taking note of the devastating power the new champion has is fellow middleweight contender, Darren Till. Speaking to Michael Bisping on an episode of the ‘Believe You Me’ podcast, Darren Till related the power of Pereira to that of the late, great, Anthony Johnson:

“I think Pereira is a big, strong, massive, slow middleweight,” Till said. “He’s slow, his strikes aren’t devastatingly fast, but my God, does that man carry power. I think I’m two times, three times faster than him — Adesanya as well — but he just needs to land.

“It’s like, rest in peace, I don’t even want to say his name because it’s a very sad [time], but Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, I want to give my condolences, but I’m actually going to give the example of him because he is the best example of it: That man only had to touch a little finger on your head and you’d be knocked out. I think Pereira has that type of thing.”

Darren Till Begins Title Resurgence At UFC 282 Against Driscus Du Plessis

Liverpool’s own, Darren Till, will begin his own resurgence toward the middleweight title when he faces up-and-coming contender, Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282.

A long way from the top as the former welterweight title challenger looks to improve upon his past form, Till knows the challenges he faces once he gets there. Despite Pereira having taken out of the most dominant champions the middleweight division has seen in recent times, ‘The Gorilla’ still believes the new champion would have a difficult task at hand if he were to take on either Khamzat Chimaev or his previous opponent, Robert Whittaker.

“He’s young in the sport, but I saw Khamzat call him out and I was like, ‘Khamzat would definitely take him down within 30 seconds,’ yeah, it’s a fight, but that’s not a fight Pereira is ready for,” Till said.

“And Whittaker doesn’t just wrestle, he uses his strikes in his wrestling. He did that to me in the fifth round. We went four rounds of just making each other twitch, and then in the fifth round he used strikes into a takedown to get me. At that time, I couldn’t be taken down. I think he’d still have some trouble with Pereira because Pereira is quite strong.” (Transcribed by MMAFighting)

Do you believe Darren Till will beat Driscus Du Plessis at UFC 282?

Jan Blachowicz reacts to being bumped up to a title fight at UFC 282: “I was the last to know”

Jan BlachowiczJan Blachowicz has revealed he was the last person to be notified when it became announced he would be once again fighting for the light heavyweight belt at UFC 282. A long-term injury is set to keep former champion Jiri Prochazka side-lined for an extended period of time and therefore the Czech native has respectfully […]

Jan Blachowicz

Jan Blachowicz has revealed he was the last person to be notified when it became announced he would be once again fighting for the light heavyweight belt at UFC 282.

A long-term injury is set to keep former champion Jiri Prochazka side-lined for an extended period of time and therefore the Czech native has respectfully offered to relinquish his title to allow the division to continue on without him.

Therefore, taking his and Glover Texeira’s place in the main event will be the originally scheduled co-main event of Jan Blachowicz vs Magomed Ankalaev. For Blachowicz this is an opportunity for redemption as he aims to re-acquire the belt he lost to the aforementioned Brazilian, Teixeira, at UFC 267.

Ankalaev however will have his first opportunity at becoming the light heavyweight champion with many touting him as one of the greatest talents in the 205-pound division.

Jan Blachowicz Speaks On His Late Title Opportunity at UFC 282

News broke of the injury to Prochazka only two days ago with the promotion quickly moving in its I new direction. One-half of the new main event, Jan Blachowicz, has recently revealed he was one of the last people to know of this rescheduling as he was on his way to Las Vegas when the alteration was announced.

“So we just arrived to Vegas yesterday in the evening. So, today is the first training. Get acclimated, used to the weather, and happy because title shot, main event. Amazing. That was crazy because I didn’t know anything, I was on the plane for ten hours. I was the last person know that my fight will be for the title. So I wish Jiri a very fast recovery. But, it is what it is. We’ve got the title shot, so perfect, I’m happy,” Blachowicz said. (Transcribed by BJPenn.com)

Despite being the last to know about his opportunity to become a world champion once again it comes as no surprise that the Polish powerhouse was delighted once he found out.

Nothing changes for Jan Blachowicz in terms of opponent, fight card, date, or location however, as we build into UFC 282 the stakes are now as high as they possibly could be.

Who do you think will become the new light heavyweight world champion following UFC 282?