Paulo Costa shares his side of the story after his fight against Robert Whittaker which was scheduled to take place at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia was called off. It’s fair to say that the Brazilian knockout artist isn’t having the best of time in the promotion as he has once again found himself in a rift with the company and president Dana White over financial dues. 'Borrachinha' who was once considered the face of the middleweight division is slowly fading away as he has only one win in the last three fights in the octagon which includes a KO loss to then Kingpin, Israel Adesanya. The 31-year-old did manage to turn things for himself but once again has landed in trouble as his fight against the No.1 contender Whittaker is cancelled due to the failed negotiations. 'Borrachinha' was in attendance at Ariel Helwani’s podcast show, The MMA Hour where he shared what went wrong between the two parties. “They didn't sent a contract or terms or nothing. They just say, 'If you want to fight Whittaker, let's do that fight,” Costa said Wednesday on The MMA Hour. “I will not [fight] for the same money. It’s a main event in Australia. The people from Australia will be there. It’s a great fight. So [$70,000] is not enough for that. Just go a little bit higher, and they said no.” It will be interesting to see where Costa goes from here as he previously indicated that his time in the UFC might be up as he has promising offers coming from the other promotions.

Gervonta Davis has spoken his opinion over Ryan Garcia's plan to skip a fight between now and their scheduled meeting on April 15. The two are scheduled to fight in Las Vegas in 2023, putting a long-desired bout between boxing fans to rest. Despite the positive news that terms have been agreed upon, challenges still remain. On January 7 in Washington, Davis takes on Hector Luis Garcia, and until recently, it was believed that "KingRy" would have a fight of a comparable level around the month's conclusion to help him prepare for the biggest challenge of his career. Davis doesn't agree with Garcia's claim that he didn't want a fight in the interim. He admitted to BroBible that he thought his potential rival was using performance-enhancing drugs or drinking excessively. Davis said: “I think a couple reasons. It could be him juicing, and you know when you juice they be having on cycles and off cycles." He added: “He looks bigger than he’s been over the years. Or maybe because he’s been drinking, too. I know he’s been drinking a lot. Either that, or he juicing for sure.” Tank made the charges following a string of tweets in which he demanded that the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency join the campaign for testing. Garcia replied that there had never been a problem with employing VADA.

Shakur Stevenson is courageous enough to spar with anyone, but he won't be practicing heavyweight Jared Anderson again. Stevenson, a two-weight world champion at featherweight and super featherweight, is extremely confident in his abilities and fears no man in the ring. Having said that, he may have gone too far when he decided to spar his friend, Anderson, who has a perfect 13-0 record with 13 KOs and is tipped to become a future heavyweight champion. Asked about their sparring session, Stevenson told talkSPORT: “Man, that dude is crazy. “I spar with everybody and I don’t really care who I get in the ring with, but I’m not sparring him no more. “Even though he’s bigger than me, at the end of the day he’s a competitor and he’s still going to compete, so you don’t want to get in there with a 240 lb guy who is being competitive with you. “He may feel like he’s trying to pull his punches, but they’re still big punches. “It was good work and that’s my brother, I’m going to be with him through his whole career. I’ll be right there every step of the way and even when the camera is off, it’s all love. “I think he’s got all the tools, I’m in the gym with this guy and I get to see him everyday, sparring and everything and I don’t see anybody as talented as him in the heavyweight division. “The only way you can is by trying to catch him with a big shot, but even that will be hard because when he gets hit with big shots he gets mad and he gets to beating people up.” Anderson's promoter, Bob Arum, recently predicted that he would take over the heavyweight division, saying, "I would put him in with anybody because there's something magical about Anderson." Arum even stated that 'Big Baby' would be ready to face Fury in a stadium fight in Las Vegas in 2024.

Dillon Danis is getting ready to compete again. Danis made his sophomore mixed martial arts (MMA) appearance in the Bellator cage three and a half years ago. Danis remained undefeated as a Welterweight prospect to watch after defeating Max Humphrey via first-round armbar submission, despite fighting twice in 175-pound Catchweight bouts. Still under Bellator contract, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt is preparing for a boxing ring showdown against YouTube star Olajide "KSI" Olatunji on January 14, 2023. However, he needed permission from his current employer, and it came at a cost. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about how I had to do that, because Showtime and DAZN are rivals, so I had to pay a hefty fee [to Bellator],” Danis told The MMA Hour. “It’s a lot of money. What I’m paying [Bellator President Scott] Coker to let me fight is more than probably every UFC [fighter makes]. “I’m still with them,” he added. “It would be different if I was with Showtime, because Showtime, they have a deal with them.” Danis hasn't been afraid to brag or express his self-assurance since breaking into the MMA scene. Danis has been involved in a few fights over the years, most notably while assisting Conor McGregor with BJJ. Danis claims that despite taking so much time off, he is still in high demand. “I’m still the most relevant at 2-0, and I’m about to make the biggest bag out of anybody in MMA, active,” Danis said. “I’m not going to say [how much], but it’s way more than anybody. Once it comes out, then you can see. It’ll come out. I’m telling you, I’m making more money than any UFC champion right now. “I’m 2-0 and I’m about to make more money than any guy in MMA right now,” he continued. “100 percent... Okay, ‘Izzy’ (Israel Adesanya), because he gets the pay-per-view and things like that, it actually might be close to ‘Izzy,’ and Conor’s not fighting right now. I’m telling you. I saw what Paulo [Costa] was supposed to make against [Robert] Whittaker [$70,000 show, $70,000 win], and that’s what I was getting in my first fight for Bellator. That’s nothing. It’s embarrassing. I got more than that in my first fight in Bellator.” It remains to be seen whether Danis will resume his MMA career. Bellator is still interested, according to the 29-year-old, pending the outcome of the upcoming KSI match.

Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, stated on Wednesday that he will be prepared to return to the ring in May and that he hopes to face light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol again in September. Bivol won a unanimous decision against Alvarez in Canelo's second career light heavyweight fight. Alvarez had not competed at light heavyweight since 2019 when he defeated Sergey Kovalev to win the WBO title. Bivol's unexpected victory against Alvarez in the contest moved Alvarez back to the super middleweight category, where he easily defeated Gennady Golovkin in September to hold onto his titles for the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring. "My plan right now is to return in May. I'm going to start training in January and see how I feel after that," Alvarez said, referring to his recovery from left wrist surgery last month. "The idea is to return in May with a tuneup fight to see how I feel and then get the rematch against Bivol in September," Alvarez said. Bivol, who is on a 21 fight winning streak, just defeated Gilberto Ramirez by unanimous decision earlier this month. If the fight with Canelo doesn't take place, Artur Beterbiev, the current undisputed light heavyweight champion, is Bivol's likely next opponent.

According to legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to face each other next in a world heavyweight title unification contest. The highly anticipated bout between the two, who are currently seeking for all four of the main heavyweight world championship belts, would determine the undisputed heavyweight world champion. Top Rank's Bob Arum, who co-promotes Fury with Queensberry Promotions in the UK, confirmed that neither Fury, the WBC champion, nor Usyk, the unified WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight champion, will take a fight before the fight. Earlier this month, Fury successfully defended his WBC title by defeating his British challenger Derek Chisora for the third bout in his career. He then summoned Ukrainian hero Usyk, the IBF, IBO, WBO, and WBA belt holder, who was sitting ringside at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next," the Arum told Sky Sports. He added:“With Fury and Usyk we’re dealing with two adults, not a lot of (rubbish) back and forth. Usyk is a good friend of mine, he’s very intelligent and Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect" Fury and Usyk have agreed to hold the undisputed fight in early 2023, with only the specific date and location to be determined.

Despite pushing women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko to the limit in June, the UFC did not award Taila Santos an immediate rematch following her split-decision loss. Santos (19-2) appears to have a date and opponent set for her comeback, having fought at UFC 275 the last time. Erin Blanchfield (10-1) told on Monday during a pre-recorded interview with "Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell" that she has signed a contract to fight Santos on a UFC Fight Night card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on February 18. Blanchfield, 23, also revealed she signed a new four-fight contract and presented the UFC with a single caveat before agreeing to what could be a No. 1 contender's fight, just months after her breakthrough submission win over Molly McCann at New York's Madison Square Garden in November. Blanchfield, a native of Elmwood Park, New Jersey, has won all four of her fights since making her UFC debut in late 2021. Since her lone professional loss, a split decision to current UFC flyweight Tracy Cortez at Invicta FC 34 in 2019, she has won seven straight fights. Blanchfield, who turned pro at the age of 18 and has wins over Kay Hansen, Miranda Maverick, and JJ Aldrich, will be taking a big step up in class against the 29-year-old Santos, who nearly upset Shevchenko at UFC 275 by relying on her size and grappling.

Naoya Inoue became the first undisputed bantamweight champion in 50 years when he took the WBO title off Britain’s Paul Butler with a commanding performance in Tokyo. Butler, 34, was given a lesson by the 29-year-old from Japan, who dominated throughout until he ended the contest with a with a right hand to the body followed by a solid left hook and a barrage of unanswered punches that floored Butler. It was Inoue’s 21st career knockout and it guaranteed a slice of history, with no bantamweight having held all of the titles in the four-belt era. “This is the greatest moment [of my career],” Inoue said after the fight. Inoue more than made good on his pre-fight boast to put on a show of high-quality technical boxing. Throughout the fight, he weaved and bobbed away from his opponent's punches and, like a bantamweight Muhammad Ali, mixed in one of the late heavyweight champ's shuffles. Inoue is likely to move up the weight divisions now, having already won world titles at super-flyweight and light-flyweight. The Japanese boxer was competing in his 19th consecutive world title bout and remains unbeaten in 24 professional fights.

UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is now looking out for her option for her upcoming title defense and has identified two worthy candidates. Shevchenko, who won by a narrow decision over Taila Santos at UFC 275 in June to record her eighth championship defense, thinks Alexa Grasso and Manon Fiorot as potential rivals moving forward. Both Grasso and Fiorot are undefeated in the cage and are riding strong winning streaks. “I would consider two names: It’s Alexa Grasso and Fiorot,” Shevchenko told MMA Junkie on the World MMA Awards red carpet. “These are two challengers that are extremely good and ready for this title test. I think any of them.” The alternate for Shevchenko is a trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes, the reigning featherweight and bantamweight champion, who has two victories over her, including one by split decision at UFC 215, which Shevchenko believed she had clinched victory. “There is interest always, and I’m actually ready for that because it’s a fight that makes sense,” Shevchenko said of a Nunes trilogy. “But yeah, let’s see how everything plays out because I think any bright names, any super fights would be good.” Super fights may also herald the arrival of opponents for Shevchenko's championship, as strawweight champion Zhang Weili expressed her desire to take on "The Bullet," who is also willing to be challenged. “Definitely it’s one of the options that can happen,” Shevchenko said. “I saw her recent fights. She got stronger, more tactical, but if a fight is gonna happen, it’s not gonna help her.” Valentina Shevchenko, the UFC Women's Flyweight Champion, faced Taila Santos at UFC 278 and overcame the hardest obstacle of her title stint. For the first time throughout "The Bullet's" tyrannical rule, the fight was so closely contested that a split decision was reached. There have been numerous requests for a replay between Shevchenko and Santos because of the intensely contested character of that contest. However, does Valentina concur? Since Grasso, Santos, and Fiorot are not currently scheduled and the champion has stated that she is prepared to fight right away, it might only be a matter of days before The Bullet's next opponent is revealed.

Cody Garbrandt's return to bantamweight will come against Julio Arce. Both fighters announced the news on social media, and it was initially reported by Eurosport NL. The forthcoming UFC 285 pay-per-view (PPV) event, set to take place on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will feature a collision between former "Contender Series" highlight Julio Arce and former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt. Garbrandt will put a stop to his 125-pound test against Kai Kara-France at UFC 269 and revert to the weight division that put him on the map. Though Garbrandt is a former champion, up-and-coming prospect Arce will be hoping to send a message by upsetting him. Fans could anticipate a strong action when these two competitors enter the Octagon on March 4 because their clash is going to be intriguing. Garbrandt will try to rebound after losing five of his last six matches, including a battle at flyweight where he was defeated by Kai Kara-France via first-round TKO at UFC 269 in December 2021. Prior to finishing Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250 in June 2020, Garbrandt hadn't triumphed in a fight since defeating Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title over four years ago. Arce, 33, dropped to 18-6 after losing to Montel Jackson by a unanimous decision at UFC 281 in November. After a bright beginning to his UFC career that saw back-to-back victories over Dan Ige and Daniel Teymur, the New Yorker struggled through his next seven fights, posting a lackluster 3-4 record and being unranked at 135 pounds. Although the March 4 fight card for UFC 285 is yet to include a headliner, several fights have been confirmed, including the strawweight clash between Jessica Penne and Tabatha Ricci. In addition, a bantamweight fight between Farid Basharat and Da'Mon Blackshear will take place, while at 125 pounds, Viviane Araujo and Amanda Ribas will square off. In the upcoming weeks, further fight announcements for UFC 285 are anticipated.

Although both Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez openly loathe one another, Haney once admitted that the talent and skills of his hated rival are undeniable. As the 25-year-old continued to make his way up the 135-pound ranks, his career reached its crescendo following a second-round stoppage win over Richard Commey in 2019. Just one year later, Lopez would parlay that victory into a unification bout against Vasiliy Lomachenko. Against all odds, the braggadocious Lopez first boxed then brawled his way to a unanimous decision win. With his star power reaching an all-time high, Lopez attempted to defend his unified throne against George Kambosos Jr. in November of 2021. While he was initially viewed as a tenuous challenger, Kambosos sprung an upset of his own, dropping, bloodying, and outworking Lopez, before handing him the first defeat of his career. Since having his pristine record sullied, Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) has moved on from the 135-pound division and has registered two victories as a full-fledged super lightweight. But while the loquacious former champion has continued to rack up victories, Haney has been thoroughly unimpressed with his recent outings. Just this past weekend, in front of a raucous crowd in New York’s Madison Square Garden, Lopez vowed to issue a statement to the rest of the division by becoming the first man to stop Sandor Martin. But, despite his promises, Lopez struggled mightily before eking out a controversial split decision. Haney, having defeated Kambosos in back-to-back bouts to become the division’s lone undisputed champion, watched carefully from his palatial estate. With his mouth left wide open, Haney revealed that on that fateful night against Kambosos, the Australian native stripped Lopez of something deep down inside. “Kambosos ruined Teo,” said Haney on his verified Twitter account. “He will never be the same.” Lopez, unbeknownst to him, seemingly agreed with Haney. After pulling out the close split decision over Martin, the normally confident Lopez hung despondently on the ropes before asking his handlers several painful questions. “Do I still have it, man?" Asked Lopez. "Do I still got it?”

Anthony Joshua appears to believe he has a more intense and important rivalry with Dillian Whyte than with Tyson Fury. All fans want to witness Joshua vs Fury, however in a recent interview with GQ, 'AJ' claimed that if belts were not involved, he would rather fight south Londoner Whyte than 'The Gypsy King'. This comes as a surprise given Joshua's previous fight with Whyte, and it would make more sense for Joshua to want to take on a new challenge in the form of Fury. Having said that, Joshua and Whyte have a heated rivalry that dates back to their amateur days. Whyte knocked Joshua down on his path to victory in 2009 at the Boston Dome bar in Tufnell Park. The rematch in the professional ranks had a lot more bite to it as a result, with both men throwing insults in the build-up. The two men's hate for one another nearly spilled over in the ring, as punches were struck after the bell and both men's entourages entered the ring, almost culminating in a huge melee until the referee managed to calm things down. Joshua went on to win by knockout in the seventh round, and the two have had an up and down relationship since then, occasionally displaying shows of mutual respect but then trash-talking each other in interviews. It might also be suggested that Joshua fabricated a rivalry with Whyte in order to build up a battle with him in 2023, when 'AJ' is expected to return to the ring. Eddie Hearn, his promoter, said 'The Bodysnatcher' is the frontrunner to be his opponent, but they are also considering former Fury opponent Otto Wallin. Eddie Hearn, his promoter, said 'The Bodysnatcher' is the frontrunner to be his opponent, but they are also considering former Fury opponent Otto Wallin.