Anderson Silva is now one step closer to fighting the YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul. Rumors were circulating about the potential match up but now it looks like Anderson Silva is serious about boxing Jake Paul. The former UFC middleweight champion has been officially granted a professional boxing license to fight in the state of Arizona. In rubber-stamping the application, the Arizona commissioner said, "Congratulations, Mr. Silva. We’re looking forward to what's to come." And the fighter replied: "I’m training hard every day. I’m keeping my mind busy and healthy. I’m so excited." The 47-year-old Anderson Silva had a legendary reign as the UFC middleweight champion and is regarded as one of the greatest fighters in history. Before knocking out fellow UFC legend Tito Ortiz, he defeated former boxing world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a split decision. Jake Paul, 25, is a professional boxer with a record of 5-0. He has defeated Tyron Woodley twice, once by decision and once by knockout. Paul also defeated Ben Askren. The YouTube sensation hasn't competed since knocking out Woodley in the sixth round in December 2021. Since Paul hasn't faced any traditional boxers, there have been doubts about his credentials as a fighter, and those doubts will be raised again with Silva. Dana White doesn't want to talk about Jake Paul anymore, but if the speculated bout between the controversial social media influencer and the illustrious former middleweight champion of the UFC does take place, White believes it will be a legitimate test for his competitor. White shared his thoughts on the targeted boxing match with media backstage at the UFC APEX after DWCS Season 6, “I don’t give a s*** about [Jake Paul], but if he’s really fighting Anderson Silva, if that’s true, it’s about time,” White said. “He’s got a real fight on his hands there, regardless of how old Anderson is. Yeah, that’s a real fight.” Although the matchup hasn’t been confirmed by either side, Jake Paul will be entering the ring as a favorite while Silva will be considered an underdog. Silva vs. Paul will likely headline a Showtime Sports event on Oct. 29 in Phoenix, Arizona. Will Anderson Silva would be able to stop the rising Jake Paul inside the ring? Do share your opinion in the comment box below. Stay Tuned!

After Oleksandr Usyk put on a boxing clinic against Anthony Joshua last month in Saudi Arabia to defend his heavyweight titles. It was obvious that the next matchup which would make sense would be Usyk fighting the WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury. The sport of boxing needs to see an undisputed heavyweight champion to find out truly who is the best. Tyson Fury did set a deadline of September 1 for the announcement of his potential undisputed heavyweight matchup with Oleksandr Usyk, Top Rank president Todd DeBoeuf stated that he is waiting, much like the rest of the boxing world. Fury has previously said he won't return to the ring for less than £500m, but he gave his promoters instructions last week to tell the WBC that he plans to fight despite frequently implying he had given up boxing.Fury is being given the freedom to choose his next course of action, DeBoeuf stresses, but he also points out that anything can happen. Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine expressed a wish to take a break from boxing to focus on his health and spend time with his family, so he declined the opportunity to fight Tyson Fury in 2022. He has returned to his homeland and it would be difficult to tell if he will go into a training camp without any break. The back and forth between the fighters have taken to social media as well. Fury took to Twitter on Friday and said the WBO, WBA and IBF champion was "running, hiding", mockingly labelling him a "middleweight". Additionally, Fury claimed that Usyk will be completely destroyed by a 7-foot behemoth. He said "Middleweight you will get smashed to bits. You said you wanted to fight me after you beated the body builder. Called me out on television. And now you're being a little b*tch p*ssy boy running, hiding, saying you got injuries. You ain't got no injuries, you had a sparring contest." The British boxer continued by telling Usyk that he must fight beside him whether or not his due date is in December. Fury said "Get out and fight in December. You let your mouth go, now lets back it up. See if you can back it up middleweight. It doesn't matter if it's December, April or August next year. The outcome will be the same, I will obliterate you. I'm a 7-foot 20 stone bear and I will destroy you middleweight, Find your balls and come see me. B*tch." Will a fight between the two heavyweight be made official anytime soon? Let us know your views in the comments.

At UFC 278 last month, Luke Rockhold was involved in a brutal battle on his return to the octagon with the #6 ranked middleweight Paulo Costa. Rockhold went all-out war against Costa during which he struggled with shortness of breathing due to nose bleeding. But still, he managed to take Costa to the limit and lost via unanimous decision. Rockhold was very emotional after the loss as he didn’t expect such love and support from the fans. For the love of sport, He pushed himself for another run after a long three-year gap due to injuries and some personal issues. In a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, he eventually announced his retirement from the ring. Former teammate and now UFC analyst, Daniel Cormier compared Luke Rockhold's final farewell to a fairytale conclusion. The former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion is retired for now, but he has left the door open for a return but only under limited circumstances. In a video posted to Instagram, Luke Rockhold provided an update on his career. The 37-year-old described his desire to restore his body and his sincere desire to retire there. However, a side of Rockhold’s heart is aware that he might come back in the future and will never totally rule out competing. “Sometimes I struggle back and forth thinking how I want to approach this, but too many people hide behind their words, not how they really feel,” Rockhold said on Instagram Friday. “But, I want to retire. I want to work on life like I did a f*cking fraction of on my break, but I want to get my f*cking body together, get my health together. Health is wealth, ultimately, and my body is f*cking deteriorating and a fight doesn’t help that. “So, I want to get my body back, but I’ll never close the door (on MMA). Once I get my health fully back, and I get my body where I want, and I start performing and not hurting myself, (then) maybe, maybe, maybe, I’ll make another run at this thing – one, two, three years down the line. I honestly feel like I’m only getting better. The way I’m treating my body and changing the game.” The former middleweight champion spoke bluntly about leading a healthier lifestyle and using mushrooms as his major sources of encouragement before making a comeback. Rockhold ought to be regarded as one of the greatest middleweights of his time despite the less-than-stellar conclusion to his career. He put on some virtuoso performances in the octagon and seemed invulnerable from 2014 to 2015. Undoubtedly, his dominance of Chris Weidman is the most notable. The veteran's career has been troubled by injuries for the past few years. The former UFC middleweight champion could fight again in the future if he can maintain his health and work ethic.

GSP is by far one of the most decorated fighters in the history of UFC. He is easily labeled as the greatest of all time because of his skills and fighting IQ inside the octagon. He was recently spotted in Paris where he did a Q/A with the fans before the UFC Paris weigh ins. When asked about the fight between Usman and Edwards, St-Pierre continued to laud the reigning champion after Edwards' amazing comeback kick knockout victory over Usman at UFC 278. Kamaru Usman was comfortably ahead on the points on the night where he thought it would be an easy matchup for him. However early signs of Edwards improvement in the ground game were clearly evident. Even GSP thought that Usman was winning comfortably before his lights shut off. He said “He showcased, in the first round, incredible skills to put Kamaru Usman on his back, mount him, taking his back. He showcased incredible skills right there, “He was losing the second, third and fourth round, and was on his way to losing the fifth round. But I think what makes Leon Edwards so good is his fighting IQ. He is also so good at neutralizing his opponent’s strength”. In his trilogy bout with Leon Edwards, Georges St-Pierre believes Kamaru Usman's level of confidence will determine whether he is able to win back the UFC welterweight championship. The question of how Usman would recover after being knocked out for the first time and in such a harsh way has been raised by Edwards' magnificent moment. There are concerns about Usman, even though almost everyone, including UFC president Dana White, anticipates a trilogy bout between the two in the near future. Another drawback for Usman would be that the trilogy is most likely to take place in London. George Saint Pierre thinks that that mental toughness of Kamaru Usman will come into play if he has to take back the title from Leon Edwards. GSP stated “After a loss, very often we see fighters that a loss can affect their confidence. Confidence is very important for a fighter, because you can have all the skills in the world, but if you don’t have confidence, it’s like someone that has a lot of money in his bank account, but no way of accessing it. So for the magic to happen, you need the skills and the confidence. So we’ll see how mentally strong Kamaru Usman is, and if he comes back and wins the title, I think it will add up to his legacy even more. But it’s going to be a hell of a fight, a hell of a challenge.” Usman was close to equalling Anderson Silva’s record of unbeaten16 fight win streak. Usman before facing Edwards had a 15 fight winning run. Will Kamaru Usman get his title back when he faces Leon Edwards in a trilogy fight next year? Let us know in the comments.

The UFC heavyweight division is highly under discussion nowadays. With Ngannou's future uncertain and Jon Jones' potential return and heavyweight debut, the heavyweight title situation is at a fascinating point. With Stipe Miocic standing at #1 in the division, Curtis Blaydes with a 3-fight win streak as well as the winner of the UFC Paris headliner between Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa give rise to several options for the current champion Francis Ngannou to defend his title. Recently, Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick revealed that if he is given a free choice to choose the next opponent for his student, he would probably choose the finest available pick which is Jon Jones. Jones has signaled his return to the octagon in a tweet at UFC 282. But as reported by Ariel Helwani, it won’t be happening at UFC 282 on December 10, 2022, despite the promotion’s desire for the match-up. “The fight that makes the most sense is obviously Jon Jones,” Nicksick told MMA Fighting. “That’s the fight we all want. The way I look at it is, Jon Jones has been out for two and a half years. If we can’t do it in December and depending on the way the UFC schedule plays out, maybe [it can happen] in January or February, somewhere in that timeline." “Jon hasn’t fought in so long, Stipe hasn’t fought since Francis beat him, so that will be two years for Stipe in March, so might as well wait another month for the super fight and the fight to make." “Honestly, for me, I’d love the Stipe fight again, or the Jones fight, but if I had my choice between the two, obviously I want to compete against the best to ever do it, in my opinion, and that’s Jon Jones.” Following a successful title defense against Gane at UFC 270, Ngannou is now on the road to recovery from knee surgery. Ngannou's future as a fighter for the UFC is still in doubt. Although he has acknowledged the concerns associated with his contract, he confirmed that it will expire at the end of the year. Ngannou has been very vocal in media since his contract issue risen due to the fighter’s demand for an improved pay structure. Dana White, the president of the UFC, has also expressed to have spoken with Ngannou several times since the bout in January and has given assurance that the organization will sign him again since rumors were circulating regarding his exhibition money fight with Tyson Fury. "The Predator" has also given an expected return date which is December 2022 or early 2023 as he is still in the rehabilitation period following his surgery. His coach has also told that Ngannou will be traveling to Paris for the main event where he will be looking at his possible opponents and learning about their tactical approaches to the fight between the former interim champion Gane and Tuivasa. From there he would be traveling back to Las Vegas for further examination of his knee. “Once he gets back home and the [UFC Performance Institute] reevaluates him — because he was home for the last month to see where his knee is at — and I speak to [his manager] regularly to see what’s going on with the business side of everything, and I don’t think December is going to be a realistic timeline with where he’s at with the rehab. I think it’s only been five months because he had the surgery in March, so October would be six months for him." The heavyweight division is drawing so much attention with Ngannou being on edge for his return. With Tai Tuivasa being an underdog heading into the UFC Main Event, would be aiming for an upset and climbing the ladder for the UFC gold. Let us know in the comment box what you are expecting in upcoming matchups in the heavyweight division.

Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori are officially set to happen in The City of Light. The middleweight match-up between the former interim champion Whittaker and one-time challenger Marvin Vettori will take place at UFC Paris on September 3, 2022, at Accor Arena. Both fighters made the scales without any incident on Friday morning. At the ceremonial weigh-ins before Saturday's co-main event of UFC Paris, Whittaker and Vettori were involved in a stare-down ahead of the most anticipated middleweight contender match-up. Whittaker attempted to shake Vettori’s hand, but Vettori refused and gave him a finger wag warning the former champion that he won't show mercy inside the cage. UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard was quick enough to control the exchange getting more heated. These two competitors will be entering the octagon intending to have another shot for the UFC middleweight crown. Both start in somewhat comparable positions for the co-main event as they have proven themselves as worthy members of the Top 5, but each has not been able to capitalize against Israel Adesanya twice. Although ‘’The Reaper’’ has made it clear that he wishes to have one last ride against ‘’Stylebender’’ before he moves up to the light heavyweight division to try his luck for the UFC gold. Their first meeting at UFC 243 for the title ended with Whittaker getting dropped in the 2nd round. In the rematch, Whittaker managed to get to the distance with Adesanya but lost on the judges’ scorecard. But since his loss to “Wonder Boy” Stephen Thompson, the #1 ranked middleweight has won 12 of his past 14 fights. Given that his second bout with Adesanya ended worse than their first fight, Vettori's future is even less guaranteed. Vettori lost to Adesanya via split decision in his first match. Since that loss, he went on to maintain a record of 5-0 before becoming a title contender with wins against renowned fighters like Jack Hermansson and Kevin Holland. Although he lost the title fight in a rematch with Adesanya at UFC 263, he backed it up with an extraordinary win against the Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa. Now he currently ranks at the #3 spot in the middleweight division at UFC putting him near to becoming a title contender. Who deserves to get the trilogy fight against Israel Adesanya next? Let us know your opinion in the comment box below. For more news, Stay Tuned!

Haney (28-0, 15 KOs), the undisputed lightweight champion, then stated his desire to face Tank (27-0, 25 KOs), however it is unknown if Tank will accept the challenge. Tank's Wednesday’s remarks about Haney trying to imitate him appears to have served as the impetus for the native of Northern California to unleash his war dogs. After Tank was called out, Haney ripped into him for being 27 years old, having the Mickey Mouse title (the WBA secondary lightweight belt), and Jose Pedraza being the only authentic name he has beaten in his 9 year career in boxing. Tank replied that he was paid five times as much as Haney and that he was being treated as though he had all the power rather than the other way around. Tank alleged that Haney was trying to imitate him once more. It is true that Tank has been fighting far too many inferior opponents recently, therefore it is evident that he needs to significantly up the caliber of opposition he confronts. Compared to the opponents the 27-year-old Tank has come up against, Haney would be a vast improvement. Tank should face Haney before he relinquishes his four 135-pound titles and advances to the 140-pound division. Haney's time at 135 pounds is certainly numbered, and moving up to light welterweight might make matters worse. Although Tank had competed at 140 pounds and won a world championship there, his promoter Floyd Mayweather Jr. wasn't too keen on the notion of him fighting Ryan Garcia at that weight. Haney, who just defeated George Kambosos to claim the title of "undisputed champion," will shortly travel to Australia for a rematch with Kambosos, which he is generally anticipated to win. As previously mentioned, Davis last competed in May, stopping Rolando Romero in the sixth round of a thrilling contest. It is uncertain whether these two top fighters in the division will engage in a bout anytime soon. Do you see a matchup between Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis materialize in the near future? Let us know your thoughts in the comment.

It cannot be denied that every MMA fan was a little bit surprised when Dana White revealed during the UFC 278 post-fight press conference that Tony Ferguson, a fan favourite, would face Li Jing Liang. The 'Leech' was likewise flabbergasted when he learned that Ferguson wanted to compete at 170 lbs. While Jingliang competes at welterweight, Ferguson has previously competed at lightweight. Despite the change in division by Ferguson, Jingliang was excited to accept this challenge and accepted the bout right away. Ferguson was on a four-fight losing streak when "El Cucuy" decided to switch weight classes to take on a welterweight. Ferguson had just suffered a devastating front-kick knockout loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 274 in May. However, Jingliang recently spoke with Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour about his thoughts on the mismatching from an outsider's perspective. He said “I was shocked I was like, Tony Ferguson wow. But my first reaction is like you want me to cut down to 155 or what Tony Ferguson [lightweight] that is impossible. That I was shocked,” he added. “It was a huge surprise to me. Then they told me No no, no. Tony is moving to 170, so I was like, okay that’s perfect, yeah, let’s go. I was surprised he will move up, I think it’s a challenging move up, but it’s also normal. A lot of 155ers, they move up to 170 and they do well.” In July at UFC Long Island, Jingliang just achieved a huge victory. He overcame Muslim Salikhov to turn things around after losing to Khamzat Chimaev in a disappointing one sided defeat in the first round at UFC 267. Jingliang, a member of the promotion since 2014, is only ranked number 14 despite having 11 victories in the UFC. Ferguson has earned the nickname "boogeyman" for good reason. He is tough as they come and no wonder, he has previously served as the interim lightweight champion. Li Jing Liang has shown tremendous respect to his next opponent and tells the people that they should not forget what Tony Ferguson has done for the sport and established himself as one of the scariest fighters to fight against despite his four fight losing streak. In an interview with MMA Junkie he said “For the people who say it like that – Tony Ferguson four losses in a row, never fought at welterweight – you forget who he is,” Jingliang told MMA Junkie through an interpreter on Monday. “He is Tony Ferguson. You forgot all those people whose face got cut by Tony Ferguson. Amazing fighters were choked by him. You should give credit to him. I believe if you fight against him, you would know how hard to deal with a guy like ‘El Cucuy’ is. You shouldn’t forget those fighters like Tony, who is a pioneer in the sport. You should give him respect.” Ferguson's response to Chandler's knockout and whether his famed toughness can hold up after such a quick turnaround are the two greatest questions that remain to be answered. Recently, Ferguson was spotted training along with working alongside striking coach Brandon Gibson at Jackson Wink MMA Academy, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brandon has also spent years training with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones as well. The gym has had some notable names over the years like George Saint Pierre, Holly Holm, Rashad Evans, Frank Mir, and Michelle Waterson among its ranks. Ferguson himself claimed that his biggest need was to join a reputed team and work on insights from experienced coaches. Will a change in his gym have a positive impact on his performance against Li Jing Liang or the ‘Leech’ will reign supreme come September 10th at UFC 279? Let us know in the comments!

Boxing just lost another great, one of the most feared punchers of the 70's talent rich heavyweight división. He died on thursday, a day after his 78th birthday. Shavers was concidered one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight boxing history, also the best heavyweight to never win a world title. He had wars with the best fighters of the 70's . He fought Ali, Lyle, Norton, Ellis and Young to just name a few. He challenged twice for the world title, on his first shot he fought Muhammed Ali in september 29, 1977 losing a 15 round decisión to the great Ali. Then in his second shot at the title he fought Larry Holmes in september again but this time it was 1979. Lost to Holmes by 11th round stoppage . Both Ali and Holmes raved about shavers punching power but so did everyone else he fought. He fought from 1969- 1995 and retired from the sport with a record of 74-14-1 with 68 victories by KO. He was a small heavyweight by todays standards but he hit like a giant. Rest in peace champ.

Drake is no stranger when it comes to gambling on the UFC fights. He is certainly known these days for putting the odd bets on UFC fights, but the luck is not usually on the rapper’s side. But he recently snapped his losing streak as he won his biggest bet yet in July. He is known to be a long-time UFC fan and previously came out to support Conor McGregor before his bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2017 and was seen wrapped in an Ireland flag walking out with McGregor for a face-off against Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Canadian artist lost his first few bets of the year gambling on UFC, as his $275,000 went in vain when he backed Jorge Masvidal beat Colby Covington in March as 'Gamebred' was outclassed his bitter rival. Two months later Drake staked $550,000 on Justin Gaethje to beat Charles Oliveira with the hope to have a good payday which also saw him lose big money. The month of July turned out to be a lucky month for Drake. He won back-to-back bets, cashing in for a gigantic $3.7M on a $1.9M bet on the scousers Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann wins at UFC London. This wasn’t the only profit Drake made that month. He predicted the winner of the UFC 276 main event correctly as the middleweight champion Israel Adesanya defended his title against Jared Cannonier. Paddy Pimblett is having the time of his life as his UFC career continues to flourish. With 3 out of 3 wins with the promotion, The Liverpool native become so popular that his last performance caught the attention of a Canadian rapper. After Pimblett and his comrade Molly McCann secured their win at UFC London against Jordan Leavitt and Hannah Goldy, the duo demanded a Rolex in their Instagram story. “Rollies for Meatball and the Baddy,” Drake wrote. He tagged crypto betting platform Stake, who then re-posted the story with the caption, “Secured the W & the rollie.” Recently Paddy Pimblett posted a video in which he received his well-earned gift and couldn’t have been happier about it. “A what?” Pimblett said. “A little something from Drake. Oh, s—t! Oh my ... Belter! Thank you very much. Nice one for that Drake. Thank you very much. He said he’d get us a Rolex and he’s got us one.” Both Pimblett and Molly have fought together in the UFC events, and it has resulted to be a great business for the promotion. But this time the duo will be split up as Molly McCann has gone on to book her next fight at UFC 281 where she faces a 23-year-old super talent, Erin Blanchfield. While Paddy is looking out at the options for his next fight. Drake will have eyes on this bout as he will wish for a quick paycheck as his winning streak came to end. The ‘’Drake Curse’’ continues as he recently lost betted $172000 on UFC 278 headliner for Kamaru Usman to beat Leon Edwards.

Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz will engage in a five-round fight at UFC 279 in Las Vegas in less than two weeks. Li "Leech" Jingliang, a recent guest on The MMA Hour, predicted that Diaz might defeat "Borz" despite being the underdog. Li was Chimaev's previous opponent. Although they probably don't need much of a reminder these days, Li Jingliang is here to remind MMA fans that anything can happen in the octagon. Because no underdog can ever be counted off, there is a new UFC welterweight champion in place right now. So before UFC 279, Jingliang won't be treating Nate Diaz similarly. He said, “I can’t give you a number about the chance [Diaz will win], but we all know based on the statistics and the data, Khamzat is the favorite, Nate is the underdog.” ''Another big X-factor is Nate Diaz is Nate Diaz — you don’t know what happens if the fight goes to the fifth round and the last minute and last seconds if you fight with Nate Diaz. What we really need is a miracle, is a surprise in the fight, and I believe Nate Diaz is the guy that can give you this.” In the fifth round of their clash at UFC 263, Diaz nearly pulled off a miraculous upset by hurting the British welterweight late. Similarly another upset took place at UFC 278. With a head-kick knockout of Kamaru Usman Edwards went on to record what may be the defining come-from-behind victory in UFC history. He further added on his beliefs of Diaz upsetting Chimaev, “I said to my boxing coach before that fight, I think Leon has a chance to knock out Kamaru Usman, and then what happens in the fight?” “We all know Kamaru Usman is a very well-rounded fighter, but I think most people underestimate how good Leon is at striking, and like I said, anything can happen at any moment in this sport.” “It doesn’t matter if you are an underdog in other’s eyes. You have to trust in yourself and fight for your family, no matter who you fight against. If you are in the octagon, you are 50-50.” Because of this, Jingliang doesn't give much credence to those who have criticized his own fight, an interesting clash with former interim lightweight championship challenger Tony Ferguson in UFC 279's co-main event. Many question Ferguson's recent performance, which includes a four-fight losing streak that included a horrific knockout, and his decision to compete in the welterweight class, where Jingliang has a significant experience advantage. The Chinese warrior, who just defeated Muslim Salikhov, is not competing for a job or a career. Ferguson's chances of bouncing back from his fifth consecutive UFC defeat would be slim if he was to lose. UFC 279 promises to be action packed and gives the fans a run for their money. Will Nate Diaz be able to upset Khamzat Chimaev and stop the hype train once and for all? Let us know in the comments.

Former unified heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz Jr says he is ready to go and in shape for Ortiz this weekend. He may not look all that in shape because his weight is near the 270's and weeks ago he looked alot thinner. His weight was 268lbs when he beat Anthony Joshua in their first fight so it may not be that big of a deal. He was looking alot lighter so he probably lightened up on the work load, Andy has boxed all of his life and if he says he is in shape I believe him. He better be because in shape or not Luis Ortiz will be a big problem this sunday. We are only three days away from this heavyweight WBC eliminator. I dont think it will go the distance, both could bang and both only like to go forward and scrap. I cant wait, Its one of the big heavyweight clashes left in this year, you also got Joyce v.s Parker and the Fury v.s Usyk match up