Arjan Bhullar, the heavyweight world champion for ONE, wants to schedule a match as early as feasible. Bhullar engaged in lengthy contract discussions with ONE Championship after defeating former champion Brandon 'The Truth' Vera at ONE: Dangal in 2021, which kept him out of action for several months. He resumed training after the final arrangements were worked out, but he later hurt himself, decommissioning him indefinitely. Anatoly Malykhin, who will attempt to dethrone Reinier de Ridder at the light heavyweight division this weekend, was named the interim heavyweight world champion by ONE Championship during that period. Arjan Bhullar wishes to get the battle as soon as possible so that he could remind his enemies who the real king of the division is and wants the victor. Bhullar stated in the same interview with ONE Championship: “I’m recovered. I was cleared [on] November 7, and I have let the company know. These guys are fighting on December 2. Book me for December 3. Send the contract. I want to get booked. I want to get active.” But this weekend, a huge world title battle will take place before he returns to the ring. When ONE Championship comes to the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, Reinier de Ridder, the two-division ONE world champion, will compete against Anatoly "Sladkiy" Malykhin, the interim ONE heavyweight world champion, in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 5. It will make sense for Arjan Bhullar to compete against the victor between de Ridder and Malykhin, assuming he is prepared to compete shortly in the following year. But if he had his way, he would prefer to unify the titles with the acting champion Malykhin. Bhullar recently spoke with ONE Championship and stated: “[The next fight] is going to be either Malykhin – to get his fake title out of there and shut his mouth up – or it’s going to be the winner of Brandon Vera vs. Amir Aliakbari, and I [would] like Amir as well. That’s what makes sense for me. And then I drop down to fight RDR [at light heavyweight] after that. That’s the ideal path for me.”

Paddy Pimblett believes that not all of Jake Paul's professional boxing matches have been fair. When asked about Paul and the YouTube boxing scene in general, Pimblett, who will compete against Jared Gordon in the co-main event of UFC 282, which takes place on December 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, said that while he believes Paul is trying to take the competition seriously, "The Baddy" is not sure if Paul's outcomes haven't been a little pre-planned. “They are a gang of idiots,” Pimblett said on Pub Talk. “I’ll give Jake Paul his due now, he’s training [so] much that he probably could beat professional boxers. He’s got unlimited funds and he hasn’t got to do anything else. He hasn’t got to go do a job; all he’s got to do is box. He gets the best coaches in, he gets the best nutritionists in, and stuff like that." “Jake Paul is actually not that bad now, even though I think his fights are fixed.” Jake Paul, a popular YouTuber who now competes as a boxer, has defeated everyone who has stood in his way, including mixed martial arts legends Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva. Many critics claim that his clashes are fixed as a result of his unmatched dominance. Paul recently responded to Paddy Pimblett of the UFC's lightweight division who claimed that Silva's matchup with him was fixed. Paul challenged Pimblett to a duel and offered to give him a million dollars if he won. The United Fighters Association, Paul's newly formed union for professional fighters, would require 'The Baddy' to join if he were to lose, and he would need his assistance in recruiting British fighters for getting better pay, benefits, and more. After accepting Paul's challenge, Pimblett called him to Las Vegas to make it happen. “Come to the [UFC Performance Institute] next week and bring $1 million in a bag and I will spar with you,” Pimblett told TMZ. “I’m in the PI in Vegas on Thursday. I land on Thursday, so even though I’m low on calories and I’m only about 170 — he likes picking on smaller people anyway — but if he wants to wait until after my fight — until the Monday because I’m still in Vegas until Tuesday [after UFC 282], and I’m about 185, 190 pounds, I’m game.” On Wednesday morning, Paul replied: Currently 3-0 with three finishes in the UFC, Pimblett will enter the octagon against his biggest test to date at the promotion's final pay-per-view event of 2022. Pimblett is more concerned with increasing his account balance than a specific opponent when it comes to a future chance to compete against a YouTube or social media boxer. “[I’ll fight] any of them, it’s an easy payday,” Pimblett said. “I don’t want to box any of them, I don’t care about them. I do this proper and professionally against some of the best fighters in the world. But if any of them want to pay me millions of pounds to beat them up, I’m all for it.”

Nate Diaz is now a free agent after being released from the UFC roster. Diaz fought out his contract with a win over Tony Ferguson in September, but the one-time UFC title challenger wasn't technically removed from the active roster until this week. On Tuesday, UFC officials confirmed the news. Diaz's agent, Zach Rosenfield, also confirmed to that the Stockton, California native was no longer under contract with the UFC. Diaz, a 27-fight veteran of the UFC, announced his intention to test free agency after his most recent contract with the organization expired. He was supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 279, but the Chechen wrestler failed to make weight, forcing a change at the top of the card. Diaz eventually faced Ferguson instead, finishing the fight with a guillotine choke submission in the fourth round. Following that, UFC president Dana White congratulated Diaz for all of his fights in the UFC and stated that he would gladly welcome Diaz back if he ever wanted to return. Diaz's UFC contract has expired, making him one of the most sought-after free agents in MMA history. Diaz has already toyed with the possibility of transitioning to boxing, with a battle against Jake Paul being one conceivable next step. The majority of the work is being done for a boxing battle with Nate Diaz, according to Jake Paul. He only needs the other side to agree. Just minutes after learning that Diaz was finally free of any contractual ties with the UFC on Tuesday, Paul rushed to social media to boldly push for the fight that many fight fans have been waiting for for quite some time. Paul, who announced on Monday that he plans to return in February, posted on Twitter that he has a venue secured for his next fight and that he has the specifications ready for Diaz in the form of a match agreement. The biggest roadblock to Paul vs. Diaz has now been lifted, but it remains to be seen whether the two sides can agree to share the ring.

Ryan Garcia believes he has an advantage against Gervonta Davis in the field of "overcoming hardship." The undefeated lightweight prospect from Victorville, California, was in trouble during the second round of his lightweight match with Luke Campbell last January. Campbell of England landed an overhand left that knocked Garcia to the ground. Garcia, on the other hand, recovered fast and went on to halt the Briton in the seventh round with a body shot. Garcia believes that his potentially career-ending experience has only benefited him as a boxer and will bode well for him when he faces Baltimore's "Tank" Davis in a 12-round, 136-pound encounter in April. The two announced their much anticipated bout last week, to to the delight of the boxing audience. Garcia claims that the Campbell knockout taught him how to take a hit and, more significantly, how to bounce back, something he cannot say for Davis. Garcia will face a dangerous southpaw puncher in Davis. “A lot of boxers have gotten dropped in the past,” Garcia told Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's First Take. “They get up and they win the fight. So, you know that I have that in me. I’ve proven that. He hasn’t proven once he’s been hit with a hard shot what he will do. So that could be a credit to him, but at this point in time, he hasn’t been hit. “Once he gets hit, let’s see how he reacts, because I know I can take it and get right back up and finish the job. I don’t know if he can do it. We’re going to be testing that when the fight happens. He won’t be with that left. Much different scenario. I’ll be ready for everything.” Both fighters will have interim fights before their April 15th showdown. Although no venue has been announced, the fight will be broadcast on Showtime Pay-Per-View, the network that has supported Davis for all of his professional career. Customers may also buy the pay-per-view on DAZN, the streaming company that supports Garcia. Davis will face Hector Garcia, a 130-pound competitor, on January 7 in Washington, D.C. in a Pay-Per-View event on Showtime Garcia has announced that his interim fight will take place in January as well.

In January, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno will square off for the fourth time to potentially put an end to one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. It reminds Jason House, Moreno's manager, of the legendary boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The fight between Figueiredo and Moreno at UFC 256 in December 2020 ended in a draw. Then, in the rematch, Moreno defeated Figueiredo via third-round submission at UFC 263 in June 2021 becoming the first fighter of Mexican descent to claim a UFC title. At UFC 270 in January of last year, Figueiredo exacted retribution by defeating Moreno by a razor-thin unanimous decision to reclaim the championship. The main event of UFC 283 will be the clash between Figueiredo vs. Moreno. For its return to Brazil, a crucial market for the promotion, the UFC is considering several other headlining choices. The UFC will return to Brazil for the first time since March 2020, and fans will witness a Brazil UFC event for the first time since November 2019. As they approach their fourth meeting, House reflects on the conflict between his client and Figueiredo and realizes how much the two rivals have benefited from one another. “This journey has been surreal, it’s been almost storybook,” House said on The MMA Hour. “I’m so excited for this fourth fight with Figueiredo. You need that dance partner. If you want to leave a legacy in this sport, you need that dance partner. “People are like, ‘Oh, do you like Figueiredo?’ Like, dude, I love them. I hope they’re making a ton of money; I hope we’re making a ton of money, and I hope these guys continue to make magic in the cage because I think they needed each other for both of their legacies. [They’re the] Ali-Frazier of the flyweight division.” To excite spectators for the fight with title holder Figueiredo and the promotion's return to Brazil for the first time since right before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the planet, House joined Moreno at a UFC 283 media briefing this month in Brazil. It would be an irony to declare that Rio de Janeiro is prepared for this occasion. “[The vibe was] awesome,” House said. “You can tell they’re itching to have an event there and everyone’s excited to see this fourth one go down. Rio is a mecca of sorts for MMA so it’s great to be back down there.”

Jake Paul will send fight offers to three potential opponents today after confirming his return to action in February. After racing to his first few professional victories in 2020 and 2021, the YouTuber-turned-boxer was sidelined for the rest of this year owing to fight cancellations and other obligations. But he is eager to get back to training regularly and has set his sights on a February return, only four months after his victory over Anderson Silva. After two postponed meetings in December and August, it appears that Paul is trying to reach an agreement with Tommy Fury to settle their feud in the ring. After an incident in Dubai earlier this month, in which the American served as commentary for his rival's exhibition battle against Rolly Lambert, conversations have been ongoing between the camps ever since. However, it appears the social media star is now considering alternative choices, as he announced yesterday to his supporters that he will be extending offers to multiple opponents today. To a tweet asking how rich he was compared to other elite boxers like Conor McGregor and Tyson Fury, he responded with a resounding yes. After pointing out that he is only 25 years old whereas McGregor, Fury, and Canelo Alvarez are all in their 30s, he responded to a press article listing him as one of combat sports' top earners by writing, "Next fight in February." Three possible rivals will be extended offers tomorrow. Other possibilities for Paul are, at the moment, few and far between given that his next fight is very guaranteed to be against a true professional boxer. Last month, he faced Silva, his first opponent with a boxing record. He won by unanimous decision, although at 47 years old, Silva is well past his peak, which he spent in MMA rather than boxing. While several of Paul's foes have gone on to pursue boxing careers, only one has gone undefeated after their bout with the American: YouTube star AnEsonGib, who was stopped in a round by Paul, went on to defeat Tayler Holder and Austin McBroom. Plus, he was the only one of his opponents to have any prior boxing experience, having gone 2-0 in "white collar" fights against other social media celebrities. The 35-year-old Andrew Tate, a former kick-boxing world champion, hasn't competed in years, but the two have been discussing the prospect of a fight. The two are both huge online personalities and seasoned combatants, and they recently went viral for a series of fights they had in Dubai.

Despite being ordered to face Andy Ruiz Jr as a final eliminator for a shot at Tyson Fury's WBC title, Deontay Wilder's team has stated that they are willing to forego that opportunity in order to face 'AJ' in the United Kingdom or the Middle East. Speaking to World Boxing News, Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, made their position clear. “Deontay is willing to fight Anthony Joshua next. 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.” With the proposal seemingly laid at the door of promoter Eddie Hearn, it's up to him to speak with Joshua and see what their 2023 plans are. Following Dillian Whyte's recent win over Jermaine Franklin, it was widely assumed that 'AJ' would face him again. Finkel is aware of this possibility, but he is urging the British to strike a deal with him instead. Hearn has previously expressed his and his fighter's desire for the fight to take place. “Now we are willing to talk to make a deal for Joshua next.” “Deontay wants the fight next. We’ve been trying since 2017 to get the Joshua fight. Let’s make a deal and do the fight. The fans want to see it, so why not?” “The Ruiz fight is there, and we will do it if we can’t get Joshua. But even if Deontay beats Ruiz, we are still willing to fight Joshua.” “We understand Eddie could want the Whyte fight, but the fans would like to see Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua, and we are willing to do it. Let’s make a deal,” While the news is encouraging, some questions remain. Will 'AJ' risk stepping into the ring with one of the sport's hardest hitters after two straight losses and possibly a new training team? How is the rival broadcasting situation resolved? Finally, is it yet another empty promise from the sport's matchmakers?

Aspen Ladd is eager to begin the next phase of her career after capturing her first victory in over three years. She sees Larissa Pacheco and Kayla Harrison as the top female players in the PFL as being far behind her already. “I think Kayla has been the queen for a long time. But if you look at either one of their resumes, it’s absolutely nothing compared to the people that I have fought and have come in fighting. So, you have different levels of experience with different levels of opponents.” One of the biggest upsets of the year happened on Friday when Pacheco defeated Harrison in the women's lightweight tourney finale. Harrison, a two-time Olympic champion in judo, had a distinguished career until suffering her first defeat as a professional in mixed martial arts. The main criticism of Harrison and other PFL fighters has been the quality of their opponents. The addition of Ladd fuelled the line-up of the league season promotion, but for the time being, she fights in a different weight class because, following her release from the UFC due to yet another weight problem that forced the cancellation of her match at UFC Vegas 60, she climbed to featherweight. The 27-year-old Ladd claimed that competing in a heavier weight class was a different experience. “Elated,” she said. “I went through some serious health struggles, not just my knee the last couple of years, like, it was bad. Auto-immune stuff lost all my hair. This little shaved down [hair] is not because I wanted to – it was because I had nothing left. And just getting healthy again and feeling good and being unable to live and fight and do what I love and not feel like crap. It’s been years of a lot of difficult stuff, and it’s just a huge relief.” Ladd felt she was the legitimate winner on Friday as she defeated former Bellator champion Julia Budd by a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). The fight took place at Hulu Theater in New York. Even though the contest was much tighter than she had preferred, even though she was concerned when the scorecards were announced. “At the end of any fight like that, there’s always doubt,” she said. “I felt that I did enough, absolutely, but it’s still a frustration situation. She’s a very tough opponent, and you never know until they call out your name. So, of course, it was nerve-racking, but did I think I did enough? Yes.”

Although being one of the strongest weight classes in the sport, the UFC bantamweight division currently has too many strong opponents, including close buddy Merab Dvalishvili, who are all qualified for a shot at Aljamain Sterling's gold. First, Sean O'Malley defeated Petr Yan to claim the top slot, but many consider the outcome to be a heist, therefore both men might challenge for the title. Due to his recent success in the octagon, a powerful Chito Vera can also assert his right for a crack alongside those two. According to Dana White, Henry Cejudo will likely get the next opportunity. However, uncertainty still exists around the title fight at 135 pounds because Aljamain Sterling has claimed that he needs time away from the ring. Merab Dvalishvili has already declared that he will look out for other top contenders and won't contest for the title until his best friend Aljamain Sterling is the champion. But things change with respect to time and might we shall see the Georgian against his pal inside the cage. In the middle of the bantamweight division's volatility, Merab Dvalishvili has his sights set on a new contender, and much as he did in 2019, the 135er has called out Cory Sandhagen. The bantamweight title status is ambiguous, therefore the top contenders in the weight division must throw on a strong showing to edge out the competition. 'Sandman' had that goal in mind for his most recent fight. On September 17, the striker dominated the strong Song Yadong, ending the match with a late TKO. Merab Dvalishvili requested a fight with Cory Sandhagen in a social media post and recalled the time he first approached the #6 bantamweight two years prior. "I called him out in 2019. He called me out a couple of months ago. This fight makes the most sense. #2 vs. #5. Let's go UFC. Let's make this happen." Since losing consecutive matches more than four years ago, "The Machine" has never lost in the competition. His first fight with the promotion ended in a tight split decision loss to Frankie Saenz, and he lost the subsequent fight via guillotine choke to Ricky Simon under peculiar cases. The Georgian's eight-fight winning streak keeps him in position for a title chance, but it's unclear whether the 31-year-old would go after the title while his buddy is in charge. With a decisive victory over the aforementioned Song Yadong, Cory Sandhagen put an end to his recent poor performance inside the cage. The freakish athlete had previously lost against T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan before the victory. Let’s see how things turn out for both of the bantamweights. Considering Merab’s wish and Sandhagen's current ranking, the fight does make sense and the UFC might look into this option. What do you think about this match-up? Do let us know in the comments.

Dmitry Bivol sees right through Canelo Alvarez's excuses following his loss against him last May. To cut down on Canelo's excuses, Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) claims he's still willing to fight him at 168 pounds to help him with the weight. If Bivol drops to 168, Canelo won't have to face a significantly bigger opponent. Aside from the slew of excuses, what astonished Bivol is that Canelo has yet to execute the rematch against him. He expected to, but Canelo instead chose to fight Gennady Golovkin last September. Canelo opted to have wrist surgery after that fight, and as a result, he now wants a tune-up in May. He's considering a rematch with Bivol in September of next year, but it's unclear whether that will happen. When asked upon if he wants to face Canelo next Bivol responded “I don’t know. I’m resting now,” said Dmitry Bivol to media when asked if Canelo Alvarez is next for him. “We will see. I don’t know. “First, he said, it’s not his weight class. Then he said, ‘It’s not good camp.’ Now he says it was his arm,” said Bivol about Canelo’s excuses for his loss last May against him. What I can say?” “He has his number. I love Canelo, but Bivol already has his number in terms of the way he fights,” said Nonito Donaire, warning Canelo. “The way he fights and the style is pretty much the same. The way he’s coming in confidently, you can’t deny what he’s done,” said Donaire about Bivol. “If I train hard and everything is good in my camp, I believe in my skills that I can beat everyone at light heavyweight,” said Bivol. “I hope. I should,” said Bivol when told that he’ll defeat IBF, WBC & WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. “I believe in myself. Anything is possible if Canelo's tune-up fight in May goes poorly. You'd think the rematch with Bivol would be pushed back even farther, potentially into 2024.

Mexican boxer Saul "Canelo" Alvarez appeared to threaten Argentina soccer superstar Lionel Messi with violence after the team's World Cup victory for allegedly stomping on a Mexico jersey. Messi can be seen slightly kicking the Mexico jersey as he attempts to remove his cleats in a video of Argentina celebrating their first victory of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Canelo exaggerated the situation by venting on Twitter about his frustration with Messi. "Did you see Messi cleaning the floor with our jersey and flag?" tweeted Alvarez. "He should be praying to God that I don't find him." "He has to respect Mexico just as much as I respect Argentina!" I'm not talking about the country as a whole, just about the bulls—t that Messi did." Because there is no Mexico flag in sight throughout the entire clip, Alvarez may have simply been told what Messi did before furiously tweeting. Messi clearly did not intend to kick the Mexico jersey that was lying on the ground. The Mexico jersey was most likely on the floor as a result of the euphoria coursing through the players' bodies during the celebration. It's unclear which Mexico player swapped jerseys with Messi, but "The Magic Man" is clearly innocent of Canelo's allegations. What do you think happens if Canelo catches Messi in a random place? Will Canelo apply some of his boxing techniques on the footballing god?

Adrien 'The Problem' Broner shared a workout video of himself exercising on Thanksgiving, and he appears slow and obese for his first fight of a 12-month, three-fight, eight-figure contract with BLK Prime. Broner, 33, had a large belly, making it appear as if he'd eaten an entire 25-pound turkey along with the pies on Thanksgiving. Broner is looking so slow that it's difficult to imagine him winning a fight at 140 or 147 pounds, which is bad news for BLK Prime because they're paying him big bucks. It's unclear if Broner has been training since announcing his eight-figure deal with BLK Prime a month ago, as he doesn't appear to have visited a gym in a long time. If this is Broner's condition after a month of hard work, he will need to employ a nutritionist to aid him with his diet and have someone patrol his refrigerator night and day to prevent him from sneaking snacks. If the former four-division world champion Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) wants to win any of his three fights with BLK Prime, he'll need to reduce a lot of weight and improve his hand speed since he's too slow, even for the 147-pound class. For the purpose of BLK Prime, an early exit provision is required in case Broner bombs out in his first bout in their 12-month contract with him, as the last thing they want is for him to lose all three fights. If BLK Prime permits Broner to fight only horrifically bad opposition in all three of his fights with them over the next 12 months, he might be able to finish his contract without getting beaten repeatedly. Broner's last clear victory was six years ago in 2016, and he's not going to change that at this point in his career. It makes no difference if Broner becomes in great shape. He's too old and has lost too much hand speed to compete at any weight class, let alone 147.