Demetrius Andrade has once again taken Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez under the sword of his words after the latter was speculated to face England’s John Ryder in May next year. The former P4P King, Canelo returned to winning ways after suffering a defeat at the hands of the Russian, Dimitry Bivol in May, last year. The Mexican Icon shrugged off this loss by putting on a clinic against Gennadiy Golovkin just five months later, delivering a strong message to the boxing community that he is still relevant. To follow it up, the 32-year-old underwent surgery on his left hand which has been troubling him for the past year or so. He even attributed his injury concern to be one of the causes of his defeat against Bivol. Now the four-division champ is ready to get back on the scene and it seems like he will have an easy opponent in line for his return. Canelo is expected to fight for the first time on English soil in May against John Ryder. Andrade who has been calling out Canelo since 2020 isn’t impressed with the Mexican’s choice of opponent. Andrade feels there were more interesting fights to make in the division than the one Canelo is after right now. “Just more bull s**t, bro. That’s just what it is. Just another easy fight. Another situation for him to go in and say ‘I’m fighting the best’ but come on, he’s not the best,” said Demetrius Andrade Eddie Hearn, Canelo’s promoter and Matchroom boxing’s president, has justified Saul’s choice of rather easy opponent by lamenting that the Mexican needed a tune-up fight after his hand injury.

Manny Pacquiao has inked a contract with Rizin and plans to fight Ffor the promotion in 2023. The 44-year-old boxing legend made an announcement on Saturday that he has signed a contract with Rizin to fight in the organisation in 2023 against an unnamed opponent. Pacquiao addressed the crowd on the ring during the Rizin 40 card at the Saitama Super Arena. “A few months ago, I was here as a guest and today I have a very exciting announcement tonight,” Pacquiao said. “I have agreed with Rizin to fight next year, the date will soon be announced and also my opponent that Rizin will choose. I’m open and excited to fight a Japanese fighter.” The partnership between Pacquiao and Rizin comes after Floyd Mayweather collaborated with the promotion on a few separate occasions for highly publicised exhibition fights. In fact, Pacquiao was present for Mayweather's bout in Rizin, which took place in September and saw the retired boxing champion knock out Mikuru Asakura via TKO in the second round. When Pacquiao makes his debut with Rizin in2023, he'll want to build on his two victories from those demonstration fights.

A.J. McKee rounded off a perfect 5-0 performance for the Bellator MMA fighters versus Rizin in Japan on New Year's Eve. The former featherweight champion, who was fighting at lightweight on Saturday, displayed great skills as he successfully avoided attacks from Roberto de Souza, the current Rizin champion. McKee was savvy with his offence both on the feet and on the ground, while de Souza became irritated as he was unable to truly threaten the American even when he had some favourable situations during the fight. At the conclusion, all three judges gave the fight to McKee, who improved to 2-0 in lightweight competition after previously winning in Bellator at 155 pounds. “Dream come true,” McKee said about fighting in Japan. “Hopefully I get to come back and put on another show for you.” A five-fight victory streak for De Souza (14-2) was broken. The Brazilian-born, Japanese-resident fighter, 33, has held the title of Rizin lightweight champion since June 2021, when he defeated Tofiq Musayev by way of first-round submission.

Andy Ruiz Jr., the former unified world heavyweight champion, is growing impatient with the prospect of facing Deontay Wilder in 2023. Wilder vs. Ruiz Jr. is scheduled for a massive Las Vegas Pay Per View between March and May of this year, as 2023 begins. Wilder, on the other hand, has yet to fully commit, despite Ruiz's promotion of other potential opponents.Wilder's co-manager Shelly Finkel exclusively told the media last month that Wilder is considering other high-profile fights. “Deontay is willing to fight Anthony Joshua next,” Finkel stated in a world-exclusive interview. “We would take that fight in the UK or the Middle East, and we will do it next. “We have the WBC eliminator with Ruiz, and we will do that, but we want the Joshua fight. Eddie Hearn said he contacted me in August, but we had the [Robert] Helenius fight. “We announced it that month and said we won’t talk to anyone until after the Helenius fight. Eddie knew this but still said he had contacted us. “Now we are willing to talk to make a deal for Joshua next.” By October, Wilder vs. Ruiz should have been a foregone conclusion, with both going head-to-head in the ring and then foregoing all other challenges. Despite our understanding that the fight will take place next, this has yet to happen. Ruiz needs the date and venue confirmed as Wilder attempts to deviate from their planned blockbuster. Dates in late March, April, and Cinco de Mayo weekend are all possibilities as Las Vegas prepares for one of the year's biggest fights. The next two weeks will reveal whether Ruiz and Wilder cross the finish line as expected.

Gervonta Davis confirmed on social media that his fight with Hector Luis Garcia will take place. The boxing champion was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of domestic violence. Davis was released on Wednesday after the woman who called 911 claimed he did not harm her or their daughter. "These past few days have been hurtful and extremely exhausting for all parties involved," the mother of boxing star Davis' daughter wrote. "I pride myself on being extremely private; this situation was the last thing I wanted to be made public. "The state of our relationship has been in a fragile space and Gervonta and I were both at fault for the argument. While the emotions were running high I made an unnecessary call to law enforcement in an intense moment while I was frantic. Gervonta did not harm me or our daughter. "Today, we have sought the help necessary to move forward with our lives. I am confident that we will succeed within our co-parenting dynamic with the counseling provided to us." The promoter of the fight, which is set to take place on January 7 in Washington, has yet to make an official announcement. Davis, on the other hand, confirmed his participation in the Dominican fight via Twitter.

Bellator MMA president Scott Coker was ecstatic following his organization's 5-0 victory over Rizin Fighting Federation on New Year's Eve. In a historic cross-promotion event in Saitama, Japan, A.J. McKee defeated RIZIN Lightweight champion Roberto de Souza. The rest of the card was also action-packed, with Patricio Freire defeating 145-pound champion Kleber Koike, Kyoji Horiguchi defeating Hiromosa Ougikubo, Juan Archuleta defeating Soo Chul Kim, and Gadzhi Rabadanov defeating Koji Takeda all going to decisions. Following the event, Bellator's Scott Coker praised RIZIN's talent and growth over the year before turning his attention to his crew. Not just the event's winners, but his entire roster, which he claims can compete with the best, including beating some of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) top fighters. “It just shows you how much the RIZIN fighters have grown in the last five, six years, I see a big growth spurt. Keep in mind, when you are talking about the Bellator athletes, and I’m not just saying this because it’s a company I run, but, over the last six or seven years this is the best roster we’ve ever had in the history of the company,” said Coker during the post-event presser. “And if you look at every weight class, we have the best 205-pounder in the world that can compete with anybody. The best 185 pounds in Johnny Eblen, I’m telling you this guy just beat Gegard Mousasi, so he’s another guy,” he added. “But if you go all the way up and down our weight class, not only do we have fighters that can beat the UFC (fighters), we have fighters that can compete, three or four fighters at each weight class that can compete against any company on the planet. So we have a very strong fighter base right now. There's no denying Bellator's roster has improved in recent years due to Coker's aggressive approach to signing free agents, many of whom come over from the UFC ranks. Unfortunately, because Dana White opposes cross-promotion, we will never know who is the best in the world.

Damir Ismagulov, the No. 12 ranked UFC lightweight, has retired from the sport at the age of 31. Even after losing to Arman Tsarukyan, Damir Ismagulov appeared to be a man who could easily compete for a UFC title someday. In 26 fights, the 31-year-old former M-1 lightweight champion had only been defeated twice and had never been finished. It comes as a surprise, then, that the Russian-born Kazakh fighter appears to have announced his retirement in a post to his social media accounts on Sunday, January 1st. “Unfortunately, due to circumstances and health problems, I have to end my sports career,” Ismagulov wrote on Instagram “Thanks to all those who were by my side, regardless of the result in the battles, who sincerely hurt and worried. It was an interesting journey, a moment to remember. Hugged everyone.” Ismagulov spent the majority of his early career fighting in M-1, where he became the promotion's lightweight champion in 2017 and defended it twice before joining the UFC in 2018. Damir dominated his first fight against Alex Gorgees, earning 30-25, 30-26, and 30-26 scores. In his next two fights, he blanked opponents Joel Alvarez and Thiago Moises on the scorecards before facing more of a challenge against Rafael Alves and Guram Kutateladze. It is always disappointing to see a promising MMA career cut short. Damir Ismagulov, like Askar Askarov and Zabit Magomedsharipov, is a talented fighter whose career was cut short due to unspecified medical issues (although recently there has been some suggestions Zabit may return some day). Obviously, Damir's health must come first, but we can hope that he recovers sufficiently to resume his craft. It was always fun to watch him in the cage.

A.J. McKee like being able to mix soccer kicks and stomps within his aggressive arsenal, but he's unsure if he can do it consistently. On December 31, 2022, at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, five fights involving the top fighters in the promotion were showcased in Bellator vs. RIZIN. McKee’s victory over Souza was followed by victories for Patricio Pitbull over Kleber Koike Erbst, Koyiji Horiguchi over Hiromasa Ougikubo, Juan Archuleta over Soo Chul Kim, and Gadzhi Rabadanov over Koji Takeda for Bellator. All five matches ended in decisions. "Mercenary" had a perfect day. In the headline match of Saturday's Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN event McKee crushed Roberto Souza to make it 5-0 for Bellator. Since the battle was conducted according to RIZIN rules, "Mercenary" was permitted to use stomps and soccer kicks, which he did when the opportunity presented itself. During the post-fight media interview, the former Bellator champion commented regarding the Rizin ruleset: “Man, that was so fun,” McKee told reporters following the event. “I don’t know if it’s something I can do every fight, but it’s definitely something I enjoyed a lot. I look forward to doing it again. Hopefully RIZIN enjoyed the show, hope they bring me back, and we can do it again for a title.” Due to the RIZIN rulebook's resemblance to the PRIDE system, McKee Jr. was thrilled to utilize it. The former Bellator champion used soccer kicks to his benefit and had dominance in the ring. It's obvious that "Mercenary" relished dueling in Japan because he walked in dressed as a samurai and fought with a free mind against Souza. A.J. McKee praised Robert Souza for his toughness as through out the bout, Souza tried to drag McKee into his trap of ground game, but the American was capable enough defensively to deny the threats. “Man, he’s a warrior. He’s one tough dude. He kept throwing that triangle, trying to pull me down. I felt like he was trying to drag me into deep waters to drown me. Luckily, I’m a good swimmer.”

UFC lightweight Rafael Dos Anjos has given his input on the Champion vs Champion fight featuring his division peer Islam Makhachev and featherweight titlist, Alexander Volkanovski. After snatching the title from Charles Oliviera at UFC 280, Makhachev was immediately given an opponent for his probable next fight. Now the newly crowned lightweight champ will defend his title against Volkanovski in his backyard, in Perth, Australia. While the two gear up for a mega clash, the outsiders are also taking a keen interest in the battle between the duo. The former lightweight king, Dos Anjos is the latest to share his thoughts on this championship bout. Dos Anjos has picked Makhachev as the possible winner as he believes the Russian prodigy will prove too much for the rather smaller Volkanovski. In the meantime, the Brazilian legend has also lashed out at Makhachev for choosing an easier opponent for his first title defence. Dos Anjos argued that the 155 division is no short of talent and that many fighters can dethrone Makhachev from the top. “Islam’s gonna win that fight,” dos Anjos said. “He could take somebody at lightweight, a real challenge, but this guy… I can’t understand that.” Makhachev was offered a fight against the Brazilian in February 2022 but the Russian turned the fight in the quest for a title clash against Oliviera which he eventually got in October. Despite his recent heroics in the octagon, Dos Anjos has shown no interest in contesting for another title run from here on out.

Luke Rockhold has made hints on social media about perhaps making a comeback in 2023. At UFC 278 this past August, the former middleweight champion made a remarkable comeback to the 185-pound weight class in a fight against Paulo Costa. Although Rockhold ultimately lost by unanimous decision, it was one of his most courageous performances in his illustrious career. For most fighters, that lack of success results but lead to hanging up the boots but Rockhold is a true veteran of MMA and willl always have a home in the UFC if he has the drive to compete. Rockhold, who turned 38 in October, has now lost three consecutive fights dating back to 2018. It now appears that the former UFC champion is itching to return to the cage in 2023 and see what he can do. Rockhold gave his followers encouragement on Instagram on Friday by posting the image and words below: “Putting the old rig to the test. 2023 could get interesting,” wrote Rockhold.

The best guys out from BJJ and MMA worlds competed in Fury Pro's final submission grappling competition of the year, which was broadcast from Philadelphia's 2300 Arena, formerly the ECW Arena. The main event featured a brief but intriguing bout between former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and submission expert Gillian Robertson. 'Thug Rose' is a brown belt under Tony Basile and is a more than capable BJJ athlete whereas Gillian Robertson is the BJJ black belt of Gillian Robertson under Din Thomas, who is regarded as possessing some of the finest jiu-jitsu that MMA has ever seen. In the Octagon, Robertson's hitting has always been her downfall, however on the mat, few are as skilled as she is. The Savage demonstrated these abilities to the fullest extent by capturing the win in 65 seconds. The fight was supposed to last 10 minutes, but Robertson dragged Namajunas to the ground right away, positioned herself on her back, and locked on the rear-naked choke submit. The expression on Namajunas' face said it all as she swiftly tapped out before perhaps getting choked out from the submission after Robertson got her arm under the chin. It was a strong performance from Robertson, as her record for the most submission victories in UFC women's division history is clear evidence of her capabilities. However, the former champion's grappling skills should not be diminished by the easiness with which Gillian Robertson defeated Rose Namajunas. 5 of 11 "Thug Rose”s MMA victories have been achieved through submission. For the legitimate reason, Namajunas is considered one of the best attackers in women's MMA. She appears to be less skilled in grappling than she is in striking, though.

Burns recently claimed that Jorge Masvidal, a welterweight in the UFC, had skipped fights scheduled to take place in November, December, and January. Masvidal, who hasn't competed since March 2019, refuted such assertions in a video posted on social media and declared his intention to challenge Burns in March of 2023. But unfortunately, the potential match-up is off the table now and fans won’t be able to see such a highly anticipated fight between the two hard hitters in the UFC welterweight division. Gilbert Burns will now take on Neil Magny at UFC 283, which will take place in Brazil on January 21, 2023. 'Durinho' is hoping to make a strong comeback against a tough opponent in Magny after suffering a difficult defeat to emerging talent Khamzat Chimaev in his last outing at UFC 273 in April 2022. Magny has battled icons, rising stars, and everyone in between, giving him a reputation that surpasses anyone else's in modern MMA. Magny’s readiness and competitiveness have impressed the Brazilian and believes that the BMF title should be granted to Magny for his commitment to battle anybody offered to him. 'Baddest Motherf***r' is the acronym for the title, which was created for the Nate Diaz-Jorge Masvidal match at UFC 244. But the belt has evolved to symbolize any martial artist whose supporters and rival competitors believe deserves it. On his podcast Believe You Me, Michael Bisping recently spoke with Gilbert Burns. 'Durinho' applauded Magny's mindset and stated the following during the podcast: "The guy fights anyone. He's another one, he is the one who should have that BMF title. Because he doesn't care. It's a thing that I want to have that I don't have, that I respect that he does. He fights, if he loses he doesn't give a s**t, a couple months later he's fighting again." After losing the fight against the Swede Khamzat Chimaev with a close call, Burns has made changes for his next training camp as he prepares for his next fight against Magny. At UFC 283, Durinho vows to strive for nothing short of a knockout. Burns will make every effort to finish off his rival for the rest of his fights because he no longer thinks the judges will render the right decision. "I want a finish in Brazil, I don't just want a decision. Take the guy down and hold him down or whatever. No, I want a finish. I'm working my butt off for this fight. I do respect [Magny] so much, but I see I can finish him and that's exactly what I'm working towards."