Tag: Turki Alalshikh

MMA News Today: Video Shows Paddy Pimblett Reacting Backstage To ‘Most Boring Champion’ Belal Muhammad’s UFC 304 Crowning, Turki Alalshikh Says UFC’s Sphere Card ‘Will Eat’ Canelo Match On Sept. 14, & More

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 30, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Paddy Pimblett Posts Reaction To UFC 304 Main Event, Belal Muhammad Becoming Champion A video posted on Paddy Pimblett’s YouTube channel gives fight fans a behind the scenes […]

Continue Reading MMA News Today: Video Shows Paddy Pimblett Reacting Backstage To ‘Most Boring Champion’ Belal Muhammad’s UFC 304 Crowning, Turki Alalshikh Says UFC’s Sphere Card ‘Will Eat’ Canelo Match On Sept. 14, & More at MMA News.

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 30, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

  • Pimblett scolds Muhammad after title win
  • Alalshikh gives strong prediction for UFC vs. Canelo
  • Sonnen points out that Aspinall is finishing big guys with ease

Paddy Pimblett Posts Reaction To UFC 304 Main Event, Belal Muhammad Becoming Champion

A video posted on Paddy Pimblett’s YouTube channel gives fight fans a behind the scenes look at his fight night experience this past weekend.

“The Baddy” delivered one of the performances of the night at UFC 304 in Manchester when he submitted King Green in the first round to earn a lightweight ranking.

The main event, however, did not end on such good terms for the UK fighters and fans as Belal Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards to become the welterweight champion.

In the video, Pimblett is seen reacting to the official decision before going on to label Muhammad as the “most boring champion ever.”

Turki Alalshikh Not Worried About Saudi-Backed UFC 306 Going Up Against Canelo Álvarez

It’s incredibly rare to see any major sporting events going up against the UFC, but that is exactly what Canelo Álvarez will look to do on September 14 with his fight against Edgar Berlanga.

Alvarez has a track record for fighting on Mexican Independence Day, but he missed out on this last year after the UFC booked the T-Mobile Arena for the first Noche UFC card.

The MMA leader will instead be hosting UFC 306 this year at the Sphere, which is being built up to be an event like no other.

Part of the reason that both events are going head-to-head in Las Vegas is because UFC 306 is being sponsored by Riyadh Season and the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority, which has allowed the UFC to go big on this particular card, meaning Álvarez could run the T-Mobile on this occasion.

Speaking to ESPN, Turki Alalshikh gave a short response to how he believes the Saudi-backed Sphere event will compete with Álvarez.

“We will eat him,”

Chael Sonnen Says Tom Aspinall Is Doing Something That Even Mike Tyson Struggled With

Tom Aspinall’s incredible ability to end fights early on means that he has unbelievably low amounts of Octagon time despite being a world champion.

The interim heavyweight champ has said it himself that he wants opponents to test him in deeper waters but nobody can take him there.

Following his one-minute finish over Curtis Blaydes this past weekend, Chael Sonnen was full of praise for the Brit in a recent YouTube video.

He compared Aspinall to arguably the greatest knockout artist combat sports has ever seen and said that he is even capable of finishing fights in ways that Mike Tyson couldn’t even accomplish.

“Mike Tyson had a hard time putting down the heavyweights that were 240, 250, 260 [pounds]. These are the guys that Tom is touching one time; this is shocking power. Tom is getting guys out of here so quickly. I don’t love the reality that in three years, Tom has been in the ring for about three minutes, but the other side of it is, what are you going to do? How are you going to stop him?”

Read more on the story here.

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Jake Paul vs Mike Perry called a ‘Circus’ by Turki Alalshikh

Jake Paul Mike PerryTurki Alalshikh, Saudi Arabian advisor, was not too impressed with the Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry boxing match that…

Jake Paul Mike Perry

Turki Alalshikh, Saudi Arabian advisor, was not too impressed with the Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry boxing match that went down this past weekend. Jake Paul was able to defeat the former UFC fighter by way of TKO in the sixth round.

Who is Turki Alalshik?

Turki Alalshikh is the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and a key figure behind VIsion 2030, he is a leader in Saudi Arabia with a focus on entertainment and sports. This Riyadh-based figure has been the key hand behind eliminating the red tape in boxing that has existed for so long. Dream matchups have been able to be booked under his watch such as Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk which required multiple governing bodies in boxing to sign on.

The UFC and PFL MMA have both worked alongside the Saudi leader. Additionally, Turki Alalshikh has been the driving force behind the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s move to boxing, having faced world champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in Riyadh.

“We are committed to the long-term success of this industry; prepared to navigate challenges as we work towards our goal. We will collaborate with all stakeholders to advance boxing and optimize the market. For that, everyone understands that we’re taking this very seriously.” Alalshikh told ESPN about the long-term vision.

Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry

Jake Paul, the YouTube star, has been able to put on some blockbuster fights in the world of boxing. “He “The Problems Child” has been able to defeat former UFC fighters such as Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and most recently Mike Perry. These matches sell well on pay-per-view, but Paul has often been criticized for not facing a ranked boxer in a boxing match.

“This is not boxing …” was the reaction from Turki Alalshikh regarding the Jake Paul fight. “Francis [is a] real fighter and [does] great fight not like this circus,” he added.

In their eight-round clash, Jake Paul was able to stop Mike Perry in just six rounds. But the TKO win did not impress the Saudi Arabian figure.

Turki Alalshikh wants Zack Snyder to direct a UFC movie after the promotion’s successful debut in Saudi Arabia

Turki Alalshikh wants Zack Snyder to direct a UFC movie after the promotion's successful debut in Saudi ArabiaA UFC movie directed by Zack Snyder? Why isn’t that already a thing?! Following the promotion’s successful debut in…

Turki Alalshikh wants Zack Snyder to direct a UFC movie after the promotion's successful debut in Saudi Arabia

A UFC movie directed by Zack Snyder? Why isn’t that already a thing?!

Following the promotion’s successful debut in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the country’s General Entertainment Authority, has some pretty big plans for the future. Joining play-by-play man Jon Anik and UFC CEO Dana White, Alalshikh revealed some of his goals, including increasing the stadium capacity to 30,000 and featuring women on the card when the UFC returns to Riyadh in 2025.

Alalshikh also likes the idea of producing a UFC movie, already having the perfect director in mind.

“I want to have a meeting with [White] and the director Zack Snyder, who’s a friend,” Alalshikh said. “We want to talk about doing a big movie about the UFC. Like The Cinderella Man, something like this. I would like to convince Zack Snyder he liked the idea and also convince Dana” (h/t MMA Mania).

Snyder is one of the more polarizing directors in Hollywood. After earning critical acclaim with films like Dawn of the Dead (2004), 300, and Watchmen, Snyder has seen fans slowly turn on him, particularly after his poorly received take on beloved DC Comics characters with movies like Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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Still, Snyder has a strong fan base with many embracing his dark take on the lighter side of entertainment.

Zack Snyder

Could Zack Snyder Deliver the next big MMA movie?

In more recent years, Snyder has focused on making original films, such as the recently reassessed Sucker Punch, and a handful of movies for Netflix, including Army of the Dead and his two-part Rebel Moon saga.

One thing is for sure; Hollywood could use a few more quality films with MMA as the focus. In 2011, fight fans were gifted The Warrior, a critically acclaimed film starring Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, and Nick Nolte, who received an Academy Award nomination for his riveting performance.

Screenshot 2024 01 30 at 11.07.18 AM 1024x581 1

A year later, we got Here Comes The Boom, a comedy film with Kevin James as a school teacher who takes to fighting to save his friend’s job.

In 2020, avid MMA fan Halle Berry starred in Bruised, a passion project distributed by Netflix. Berry, who also directed the film, stars as Jackie Justice, an ex-MMA fighter who gets back into the cage after being forced to take responsibility for the son she gave up years earlier.

UFC MMA movie

The movie featured former UFC flyweight world champion Valentina Shevchenko, but failed the wow critics, amassing a 50% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a not-much-better 56% audience score.

Is Zack Snyder the man to bring us another good MMA movie?

Turki Alalshikh Wants Conor McGregor to Headline UFC Saudi Arabia in June: ‘We Will Do Something Big’

turki alalshikh and Conor McGregorSaudi advisor Turki Alalshikh hopes to see Conor McGregor competing at the promotion’s debut in Riyadh this summer. Alalshikh, the…

turki alalshikh and Conor McGregor

Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh hopes to see Conor McGregor competing at the promotion’s debut in Riyadh this summer.

Alalshikh, the main architect behind Saudi Arabia’s move into boxing, reportedly cut a check for $20 million expecting the UFC to deliver a premium fight card in the Middle Eastern country. However, recent reports suggested that “the powers-that-be” in Saudi Arabia were less than thrilled with the card that Dana White and Co. planned to deliver on March 2. As a result, the event has been pushed to June, giving the UFC more time to deliver something substantial.

But just how high are the Saudis aiming for their first UFC event?

During a recent interview with DAZN, Alalshikh revealed that they are pushing to have none other than Irish megastar Conor McGregor on the card.

“We are ready to have a fight with him,” Alalshikh said. “We try maybe, and we will announce it. We will do something big and I asked the UFC if there is a chance to have McGregor on this card or in the future.”

Dana White Speaks on the Postponement of UFC Saudi Card

Dana White recently called bullsh*t on the reports that the UFC was looking to deliver an APEX-worthy card inside the Kingdom’s capital.

“We moved the card, and I know there’s been a lot of talk about the card wasn’t good enough,” White told Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter. “We never even proposed a card to them. We didn’t tell Saudi Arabia about one fight. So, that’s all bullsh*t.

“We never even proposed a card to them,” White explained. “What we wanted to do is, every time the UFC puts on an event, we want to blow the doors off the place. We want people to be excited. So it was our first fight ever in Saudi Arabia, and a couple of fights that we wanted to line up, they weren’t ready to go.

“So, we pushed the card back because we’re going to deliver. But never once was one fight proposed to Saudi Arabia, and they were like, ‘Yeah, no. This isn’t good enough” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Some of the highest profile fights slated for the previously scheduled March 2 date included a heavyweight clash between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Gaziev and the return of undefeated prospect Muhammad Mokaev against Alex Perez. Hardly a fight card fans would willingly pay $80 to watch, let alone $20 million to host.