Tag: News

Former UFC Fighter’s Opponent For Boxing Debut ‘Bails’ Over Reported Pay Dispute Day Of The Fight

Former UFC light heavyweight Tyson Pedro has long been planning to make his boxing debut after stepping away from MMA earlier this year. In March, the 33-year old announced his retirement following a loss to Vitor Petrino at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He then planned to step through the ropes and booked a […]

Former UFC light heavyweight Tyson Pedro has long been planning to make his boxing debut after stepping away from MMA earlier this year. In March, the 33-year old announced his retirement following a loss to Vitor Petrino at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

He then planned to step through the ropes and booked a pro boxing debut against Kris Terzievski for June 12 in Australia that was cancelled after Pedro pulled out of the fight in May due to an injury. Terzievski is a 12-1 pro who has competed exclusively in Australia since making his debut back in 2016.

The match-up was then rescheduled to take place on November 20 where the WBC International and Australasian bridgerweight titles would be on the line. On the day of the fight, the bout was cancelled with reports that there was a pay dispute on Terzievski’s side which led to him flying home, as seen below:

Pedro gave his side of the story in an interview with the event’s broadcaster, Stan Sport.

“I’ve come from the biggest promotion, the UFC, in the world and I picked the best bridgerweight in the country and he bailed on me so I expected him to run in the ring but I didn’t expect him to run in the sea.”

Pedro detailed how he was told that the fight might not go ahead before it was clear that he would no longer be headlining the card.

“I got a call saying that he might be, I won’t go into details, the truth will come out of everything that’s happened but yeah, I just got a call, maybe it was off, maybe it was on and I didn’t understand it and then I found out that he was on a plane so.”   

Having been booked against the same opponent twice already, the former UFC light heavyweight who fought 11 times inside the Octagon isn’t too confident about trying to run this fight one more time.

“If you leave me standing at the aisle, how can you ask me to marry you again?”

Report: Shara Magomedov Agrees To Michael ‘Venom’ Page Fight At UFC Saudi Arabia

A huge middleweight match-up could be well on the way to being confirmed following the latest report about the UFC’s upcoming return to Saudi Arabia. The Octagon is set to touch down in Riyadh for the second time on February 1 and with the news that a potential main event has already been agreed, fight […]

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A huge middleweight match-up could be well on the way to being confirmed following the latest report about the UFC’s upcoming return to Saudi Arabia. The Octagon is set to touch down in Riyadh for the second time on February 1 and with the news that a potential main event has already been agreed, fight fans are already getting excited.

Red Corner MMA reported that via Shara Magomedov’s manager, Rizvan Magomedov, the undefeated contender has “agreed” to meet Michael “Venom” Page in a clash between two of MMA’s most dangerous and exciting strikers. Page previously expressed interest in this match-up following Magomedov’s latest win, stating that he’d be happy to compete at middleweight.

This fight would see “MVP” move to middleweight after fighting twice inside the Octagon at welterweight. The former Bellator star has gone 1-1 since debuting in the UFC earlier this year.

A decisive win over Kevin Holland in March was followed by a decision loss to Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 where the Irishman lent on his grappling ability to secure the victory. This seemingly wouldn’t be an issue for Page in this match-up.

Magomedov has been incredible value for money since his arrival in the promotion last year, winning four in a row to obtain a top 15 ranking next to his name at 185-pounds. In his toughest test to date last time out, “Bullet” secured his third consecutive performance of the night bonus after he knocked out Armen Petrosyan with a double spinning backfist at UFC 308 last month.

The event has already been announced to feature a heavyweight battle between Sergei Pavlovich and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Ikram Aliskerov, after stepping in to fight Robert Whittaker at the promotion’s first event in Saudi Arabia, is also set to return when he faces André Muniz.

Continue Reading Report: Shara Magomedov Agrees To Michael ‘Venom’ Page Fight At UFC Saudi Arabia at MMA News.

Former K-1 Kickboxer Charged With Murder After Partner Found Stabbed To Death

An Australian former kickboxer has been charged with murder by police after his partner was discovered dead in a hotel room. Shirley So, 50, was discovered deceased with stab wounds in a room at the Pullman Hotel in Penrith, Sydney. Emergency services were called early afternoon this past Sunday after reports of a disturbance. Her […]

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An Australian former kickboxer has been charged with murder by police after his partner was discovered dead in a hotel room.

Shirley So, 50, was discovered deceased with stab wounds in a room at the Pullman Hotel in Penrith, Sydney. Emergency services were called early afternoon this past Sunday after reports of a disturbance.

Her body was found in the same room as Darren John Berry, a former kickboxer who notably competed on the K-1: Battle Of The Anzacs 1 card back in 2004. Berry, who went by the moniker “Hacksaw” during his fighting days, had life-threatening wounds to his arms and hands.

Berry, described by police as having an on-and-off relationship with So, was airlifted to Westmead Hospital in critical condition. On Tuesday, the 53-year-old was officially charged with murder at a bedside hearing at the hospital, where he remains under police guard.

The former fighter was refused bail and was set to appear before Penrith Local Court on Wednesday.

While there had been no history of domestic violence between Berry and So, the Daily Mail has reported that “Hacksaw” has a history of AVOs (apprehended violence orders) being taken out against him.

Two of those related to a former partner of his in 2017 and 2019, while a third AVO issued in 2019 related to a man.

News reports out of Australia have described Berry as an MMA fighter but only kickboxing bouts appear on sites with historical records of combat sports events such as Tapology.

Berry has frequently shared combat sports content on his Facebook page, in addition to a history of anti-vax posts.

Continue Reading Former K-1 Kickboxer Charged With Murder After Partner Found Stabbed To Death at MMA News.

‘How Bad Is ONE’s MMA Pool?’ – Fans Give Mixed Reviews As Reinier de Ridder Wins UFC Vegas 100 Debut

Reinier de Ridder got his UFC career off to a winning start at UFC Vegas 100, submitting Gerald Meerschaert in the co-main event. De Ridder, a former two-division kingpin under the ONE Championship banner, departed Asia’s leading martial arts promotion after being unseated by Anatoly Malykhin at both middleweight (205lbs) and light heavyweight (225lbs). Following […]

Continue Reading ‘How Bad Is ONE’s MMA Pool?’ – Fans Give Mixed Reviews As Reinier de Ridder Wins UFC Vegas 100 Debut at MMA News.

Reinier de Ridder got his UFC career off to a winning start at UFC Vegas 100, submitting Gerald Meerschaert in the co-main event.

De Ridder, a former two-division kingpin under the ONE Championship banner, departed Asia’s leading martial arts promotion after being unseated by Anatoly Malykhin at both middleweight (205lbs) and light heavyweight (225lbs).

Following a bounce-back win at UAE Warriors 51 this past July, the Dutchman put pen to paper on a deal with the UFC, vowing to make a splash and compete with the best in the 185-pound class.

His path to doing so got underway Saturday night at the Apex, where de Ridder shared the cage with a former training partner of his and fellow submission specialist in Wisconsin’s Meerschaert.

Things started off rocky for “The Dutch Knight,” who found himself getting hit by the UFC veteran throughout the first round. But de Ridder finished the frame in strong fashion, dropping “GM3” and threatening a finish before the buzzer.

After a grueling second round, the Octagon newcomer looked to take advantage of his opponent’s apparent fatigue, which paved the way for him to establish control on the ground in the final stanza.

It was there where he locked in an arm-triangle choke, extending his submission tally to 13 in the cage and forcing Meerschaert’s first tap since a defeat to Jack Hermansson way back in 2018.

Fans React To de Ridder’s Successful UFC Debut

While the former ONE double champ had his hand raised, his performance received mixed reviews from MMA peers and the fanbase on social media.

Some were quick to write off de Ridder’s chances of adding UFC gold to his trophy cabinet, predicting that his striking deficiencies will be exposed by those occupying spots inside the middleweight top 15.

Others, however, noted that de Ridder’s display at UFC Vegas 100 followed a similar trend to his previous performances on the other side of the world — which he was able to repeat all the way to multiple thrones.

For Meerschaert, Saturday’s result snapped his two-fight winning run. The veteran had previously strung together consecutive submission triumphs over Bryan Barberena and Edmen Shahbazyan to reignite his ambitions of earning a number next to his name at 185 pounds.

Continue Reading ‘How Bad Is ONE’s MMA Pool?’ – Fans Give Mixed Reviews As Reinier de Ridder Wins UFC Vegas 100 Debut at MMA News.

Javier Mendez Snubs Khabib & Makhachev While Naming Best Fighter He’s Trained

Javier Mendez has had some of the best fighters in the history of MMA walk through his doors at AKA and has had a front row seat to some of the all-time greats at work. In a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, one of the most successful coaches in the game was asked to […]

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Javier Mendez has had some of the best fighters in the history of MMA walk through his doors at AKA and has had a front row seat to some of the all-time greats at work. In a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, one of the most successful coaches in the game was asked to pick who, of all the great champions he’s worked with, takes the top spot.

Mendez has got a lot of options to pick from his earlier champions like Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold and Daniel Cormier to more recent examples. Many would assume that Khabib Nurmagomedov or his lightweight heir, the current pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev, would also be in the conversation.

However, Mendez subverted expectations by naming the cousin of “The Eagle” who is the reigning Bellator lightweight champion. At 18-0 with one no contest, Usman Nurmagomedov is undoubtedly one of the most talented fighters that isn’t currently signed to the UFC.

His recent comments suggested that he hopes to move across to the Octagon once his teammate, Makhachev, has finished his run at the 155-pound champion so that he can take over in his absence which would be one of the UFC’s biggest signings in some time. Mendez said that whilst Nurmagomedov may not have the same list of accomplishments as the other fighters in the gym, he’s the most talented and is still improving as 26-years old.

“I see Usman [Nurmagomedov] as being pound-for-pound the greatest fighter myself, he’s got all the attributes. He’s the most talented I’ve ever trained… If at one point he never goes [to the UFC], great. He’s still gonna be regarded as one of the great ones… what he does in that cage is like nobody. I’ve never seen anybody do the transitions, the movement that he does. He’s unbelievable and he’s only 26, he’s only getting better.”

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Dana White & Jon Jones Share Contradictory Answers On If Aspinall Fight Will Happen After UFC 309

Dana White and Jon Jones recently offered starkly different opinions on whether the much-anticipated fight with Tom Aspinall will come to fruition following UFC 309. Jones is set to make the first defense of his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The two were originally […]

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Dana White and Jon Jones recently offered starkly different opinions on whether the much-anticipated fight with Tom Aspinall will come to fruition following UFC 309.

Jones is set to make the first defense of his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The two were originally scheduled to face off at UFC 295 in November 2023, but the fight was scrapped at the last minute after “Bones” suffered a torn pectoral muscle.

As a result, Aspinall stepped in to claim the interim heavyweight title with a stunning knockout of Sergei Pavlovich. Since then, the Brit has been outspoken about his desire to face Jones in a title unification bout. However, the former light heavyweight champion has repeatedly brushed off the idea, with the UFC CEO also firmly asserting that Jones’ next challenge will remain Miocic.

Both Jones and Miocic have repeatedly suggested that their upcoming bout could mark the end of their careers. Despite that, in a recent interview with TNT Sports, White expressed his belief that the winner of UFC 309 would likely face Aspinall next.

But during an interview with MMA reporter Kevin Iole, “Bones” outright rejected the notion of facing Aspinall next should he emerge victorious against Miocic next weekend.

Jones argued that the interim heavyweight champion has yet to prove himself worthy of facing him in the Octagon.

“I feel like Tom Aspinall is — I don’t want to say nobody, but he just hasn’t proven anything; he hasn’t done anything. And I understand that, I mean, he won his belt against Sergei, but Sergei just got slaughtered by someone else. So it’s just like, I’m not here to gamble with someone else making a name off of me.”

Jones went on to say that he’s primarily focused on competing against high-profile opponents, those capable of elevating his already storied career. At the moment, reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira is the opponent who piques his interest the most.

“If there were to be a fight with a guy that’s still on our UFC roster that would be not only financially worth it but legacy-worthy, it would be Alex Pereira. Alex Pereira and I are both 37 years old right now. I weigh about 235 [pounds]; I’m an incredibly light heavyweight. I think Pereira walks around at 240, and I think that fight would add much more to my legacy than a young man who’s cool today and maybe gone tomorrow.”

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