Even before it was made official, there’s already been a lot of hype behind UFC 280’s lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. Oliveira was stripped of the title due to a controversial weight miss at UFC 274. The gold didn’t return to Oliveira with a win over Gaethje instead he became a contender for the title fight. During a backstage scrum at UFC 278, Former interim champion Justin Gaethje was asked to give his verdict about the UFC 280 headliner. Gaethje didn’t pick a side, but he believes it cannot be anticipated due to some factors that can change the result. "Fighting is so exciting. Chance, skill, anything can happen at any moment. And that's why we are such big fans. So those fights need to play out, you know, I have no idea how they're gonna go.’’ “I’m 100 percent confident that Islam will not dominate Charles, and that’s about it,” Gaethje told. “I think Charles is going to move forward. Islam is going to try, and eventually, he might be successful, and if he is, he’ll win. But I don’t see him tiring him out. Even if he takes him down for the first two rounds, I don’t see Charles getting submitted, and I don’t see him being too exhausted to continue to fight the fight that he needs to fight.” Justin Gaethje has just undergone a successful nose surgery following his first-round loss at UFC 274. ‘’The Highlight’’ was dropped and choked out by Charles Oliveira in his last meeting. So, being aware of how dangerous Oliveira is, Gaethje expects a hard-fought battle. “My last fight, Charles was brilliant. And he hurt me often, he hurt me early. Ten seconds in, I was really hurt, and probably four times after that. I felt something I never felt in the cage,” he said. “It’s just one of those fights where I was against adversity the whole time. “It’s a feeling I’ve never felt. Usually, you get hit, you call it a buzz, call it a flash. This is more like my tongue just went on a super powerful battery and it just… my entire body was crazy. “It was perfect shots, perfect time, one or the other. And it was factors that I faced that night.” In the same scrum, Gaethje also predicted a fourth-round knockout win for teammate Kamaru Usman against Leon Edwards. We all know how that turned out. Leon Edwards proved Justin Gaethje and the whole world wrong who doubted him. He landed a vicious head kick which sent the former pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman to the shadow realm. Nonetheless, Islam Makhachev has dominated in each of his fights and is highly rated for his excellent ground game. Islam is currently on a 10-fight win streak which led him to have a taste of what he deserves. As he steps up for the title fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov expects nothing less than a dominant performance from his close comrade.

After winning an olímpic gold medal, and beating all the cruiserweight champs in the cruiserweight división to become undisputed champion against what experts said he couldnt do due to his size. Now he is slaying the heavyweight giants and is now unified heavyweight world champion and he is doing it with superior ring smarts and dedication. Just imagine if he actually beats Fury, that would be incredible!! Usyk is out to make history and wants Fury or he wont fight no more. Thats what the champ said after beating A.J in their rematch this past weekend.

Callum Smith won the WBC Lightheavyweight title elimanator bout this weekend in the Joshua v.s Usyk 2 undercard. Britains former supermiddleweight world champ is now the WBC lightheavyweight mandatory challenger. If that fight does actually takes place my heart is with Smith, he supports Autism like I do but I really dont see a way he can compete against this monster called Arthur Beterbiev. Beterbiev used to compete at heavyweight as an amateur. At lightheavyweight he is a real nightmare with a 100% knockout ratio.

I cant believe these new school fighters! They rather leave a title vacant than risk a loss, this is fighting not ballet I dont understand these new so called champs. WBO Middleweight champ Demetrius Andrade vacates his WBO world middleweight championship because he doesnt want to fight the mandatory Janibek Alimkhanuly to go fight Zach Parker for the Vacant supermiddleweight title. He actually thinks he will get the Canelo fight jajajaj, he wants that pay day and I respect that but you wont get it that way. Thats what made the old school so great they would defend their titles till the death and these new champs pull out of fights if they break a nail. Thats why insted of winning fans over , the only thing they win is the fans laughter and bad coments.

There are rumors going around that say that the heavyweight unification fight between Fury v.s Usyk is on for december 17th in Saudi Arabia, just one day before world cup final in Qatar. Hopefully its true and we have one undisputed champ in the heavyweight división after like 15 years. We havent had an undisputed heavyweight champ since the great Lennox Lewis. I hope the rumors are true.

A new rival has emerged within the bantamweight division at UFC 278, and his name is Merab Dvalishvili. The Georgian has put a notice in the division with a unanimous decision to win over José Aldo on the main card from Salt Lake City on Saturday. Jose Aldo was expected to be the hardest check for Merab Dvalishvili up till now and The Ring of Rio didn’t disappoint. Aldo started to throw punches and body kicks from the very first round and Dvalishvili tried to set his rhythm. The fighter from Georgia extended his win streak to eight with his victory via unanimous decision over the Brazilian which put him on the cusp of a title shot. Dvalishvili has been unblemished since his two consecutive losses at the start of his UFC career. Afterward in the post-fight interview, Dvalishvili softened the idea of a potential title fight against bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who was in his corner this Saturday, instead called Sterling his "brother." Both have wished not to face each other as they don’t want any bad blood between them. Sterling even stated that he would move up a division rather than face his friend for the defense of his title. During the UFC 278 media day, Merab told: "This is a good problem to have. Two good friends, two teammates, two brothers to be on top of the world, and I'm proud of Aljo [Sterling]. I was following him, and I have been training with him. I'm proud of him, and I look up to him... We will see after. I have to win. Aljo has to defend this belt, and let's see how things go after." A win over Aldo has cemented Dvalishvili position in the top 5 of the division while Aljamain Sterling is set to defend his title against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280. Even if Sterling manages to win, it doesn't guarantee that Dvalishvili will get the next title shot due to Marlon Vera and Petr Yan/Sean O'Malley being in the mix. With rumors of 'The Funkmaster' potentially retiring after a few more fights, Dvalishvili may never face his friend. Before his fight with Jose Aldo, Dvalishvili also hinted at moving down to the flyweight division if he is not given a notable fighter for his next run. The rising contender admitted that it would be a hard weight cut as he prefers old-school techniques for cutting and doesn’t have any nutritionist. “I want to win,” Dvalishvili told Helen Yee in an interview. “I’m not going to let Jose Aldo beat me, and if Jose Aldo beats me, he’s next for the title shot. But I’m going to win. I don’t care (about) the title fight now. After this win, maybe I will try cut and go 125, or I fight Sean O’Malley or somebody with a big name’’ “I’m walking around like 155 and I cut like 20 pounds. I never had a nutritionist. I never asked somebody. Otherwise, I cut my old style when I was cutting 10 years ago – the same style. Then I see people cutting 30 pounds. I cut 20. Everybody (else) cuts 30 pounds. Not everybody, but most people. So if they do it, I can do it, too. But we’ll see. I’m just focused on this fight and I know that I can make 125. If I kill myself, I’ll make 125.” We have heard these types of stories before too, and former training partners and friends fight all the time. The most recent example is the Masvidal Covington feud. For now, there are quite a few dominoes yet to fall in the division before it becomes a real issue.

The reports have been confirmed by UFC President Dana White during the UFC 278 post-fight press conference that former interim champion Tony Ferguson will be heading back to the welterweight division to face the rising Chinese fighter Li Jingliang. The fight is scheduled as a co-main event at UFC 279 which is headlined by Khamzat Chimaev vs Nate Diaz. Following his devastating loss to Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson revealed his plan to move up to the 170lb division in an interview with MMA Junkie. He added that he was very comfortable in that division and now he doesn’t like to be in the 155lb category anymore. "I wouldn't mind going back up to 170 [lbs.]. I knocked everybody out at 170. This cut to 155 is not too hard but I lose a lot of muscle mass man, I fuck**g hate being skinny like that. I look like a little bitch. I fucking don't like that." El Cucuy made his UFC debut as a welterweight. Ferguson is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 13 welterweight finale. n the TUF final, he secured a first-round knockout win against Ramsey Nijem. The last two years have been very rough for Ferguson as he faced 4 consecutive defeats against notable names like Michael Chandler, Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira, and Justin Gaethje. It looks like he is kind of hungry for the win and intends to shatter his losing streak when he steps into the cage against Li Jingliang. El Cucuy will return to his old turf after he was seen training with the coaches and fighters at Jackson-Wink Academy in Albuquerque as he looks to get back on the winning track. Li Jingliang will be back in action after an impressive ‘’Performance of the Night’’ win against Muslim Salikhov via TKO back in July 2022. He is currently 2-2 in his last four outings with an additional win over Argentinian sensation Santiago Ponzinibbio while getting dropped by Khamzat Chimaev and Neil Magny. Tony Ferguson is getting criticized by his fans as they think he should have waited a bit longer. He should have analyzed himself and then look out for the options. There were options like Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor who would have been worthy opponents for El Cucuy. While Khabib has already given a piece of advice for Ferguson that he should retire.

Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk crushed the dream of Britain’s Anthony Joshua during a surprise split decision victory and kept his WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO world heavyweight boxing belts. The fight in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah on Sunday was a replay of the one fought in London in September that Usyk won on a unanimous decision to conquer the titles from Joshua, however, the Ukrainian fought with more intensity and emotion as he had hungry for glory. The pressure was on more than ever as Usyk was representing his country fighting for its existence since Russia’s invasion in February, whereas Joshua was battling for his boxing future. Usyk appeared well ahead of Joshua as the final bell rang at the King Abdullah Sports town Arena. however, the American judge came to the verdict of the fight 115-113 to Joshua, along with the British and Ukrainian judges deciding 115-113 and 116-112 to the champion. When the ring announcer called the winning words, “and still”, an emotional Usyk raised his left arm and dragged the Ukrainian flag over his face. “I devote this victory to my country, to my family, to my team, to all the military defending this country,” the 35-year-old said through a translator. “Thank you very, very much.” The second win against Joshua helped Usyk to extend his winning streak as he remains undefeated in straight 20 fights while Joshua faced the third loss of his professional career. Out of Joshua’s three losses, one loss came against the Mexican Andy Ruiz, and suffered back-to-back losses to the Ukrainian. Joshua was frustrated with the decision and out of rage, he took two of the belts, dropping them on the canvas as he left the ring and headed for the dressing room. But he turned around and stepped back in the ring, took the microphone, and address the crowd. “Usyk is one hell of a fighter. That’s just emotion,” he declared. “For this guy to beat me tonight, maybe I could have done better but it shows the levels of hard work he must have put in, so please give him a round of applause as our heavyweight champion of the world. “I was studying Ukraine and all the champions from your amazing country. I’ve never been there. What’s happening there, I don’t know but it’s not nice … under those circumstances, he’s managed to become champion.” After a tough and rough five-month coaching camp, Usyk entered the arena with a blue-and-yellow attire carrying the words “Colours of Freedom” and supported by words of encouragement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly video address to the nation. “We stick together,” the president said. “We help each other. We restore what was destroyed. We fight for all our people. And we cheer for those who represent Ukraine, today — definitely for Usyk, our guy!” The opening round was unsettled, with Joshua’s corner advising him to tweak his tempo and follow up with his training practices, and therefore the bout continued with Usyk perpetually moving and exploiting his jab and body shots to sensible effect. 9th Round raised the tempo dramatically, with Joshua enjoying his best round before Usyk came back furiously in the 10th. Joshua was in dire need of a knockout as the fight headed toward the last rounds. The Olympic gold medalist was unable to counter the jabs and hard blows with an agile and tricky Usyk approach. At the final bell, the duo embraced, with the Ukrainian sinking to his knees. It was a historic fight for Usyk. Usyk also claimed the Ring Magazine belt along with WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO world heavyweight with the win. “Many generations are going to watch this fight, especially the round when someone tried to beat me hard. But I stood up to it and turned it differently,” he said. Usyk wishes to fight the Gypsy Kind, Tyson Fury who claims that he has retired from professional boxing and would be vacating the WBC title. That is the only fight Usyk will be looking for which will make him the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. When asked about Fury, Usyk said: “I am sure Tyson Fury is not retired yet. I am sure Tyson Fury wants to fight me. If I’m not fighting Tyson Fury, I’m not fighting at all.”

Ovo arena in London had a hell of a show last night. Michael "Venom" Page and "Platinum" Mike Perry has an all out war! The two fighters gave it their all , that the fight really didnt deserve a loser, for once I agreed with the judges and the fight was a draw. In BKFC when there is a draw they go for an extra round, in this casé a sixth round. Boy was it a hell of a finish to a great fight. The last round Perry took over and won the round and won the fight. The fight exceeded expectations and was great. Theres already talks of doing a rematch. I sure hope it happends.

WBO featherweight world champion Emmanuel "Vaquero " Navarrete had a real fight in his hands last night by a rather unknown fighter Eduardo Baez. Baez was clearly winning in the judges scorecards but was put down by a nice body shot to the liver. He was down and out, he didnt even try to beat the count, on a fight he was clearly winning. Navarrete's sights are on Óscar Valdez or Shakur Stevenson, both would be big money fights for him although I really dont see him beating either of them, but then again this is boxing and anything can change with a good punch.

WBA world champ Dimitri Bivol will defend his WBA world championship against the mandatory challenger ex WBO world champ Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez on november 5th in Saudi Arabia. Both are undefeated fighters at this moment, this will be a good fight in my opinión but I do believe that Bivol will be too much for Ramirez to handle. Somebody will lose their undefeated status after this fight.

WBC champ Tyson Fury made a few post on social media right after the A.J v.s Usyk fight saying that the fight was not good ect. He also said that he is unretired and that he could beat Usyk but it will be expensive. Fury is a great showman or a great clown but he is the man in the heavyweight división in my humble opinión. Fury knows how to sell a fight, and thats what he is trying to do. He changes his opinión like he changes his underwear and says different stuff all the time so its hard to take him seriously but what is true is that he is a fighting man and his life is fighting. One day he may say he will fight for free the other that he wants $153,929,000,000,000 euros to fight. Hes a great showman and he is trying to sell a fight. Now he wants good money because he knows Usyk is a big risk and maybe wants to cashout. Only god knows what goes through this mans head but if Fury vs Usyk happends it will be huge for boxing.