(Image via Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports)
As we enter the first full week of May, Combat Sports Today returns to your life as MMA Knockout's Zayn Bando reviews the biggest headlines in MMA.
So without further ado, while you're drinking your morning coffee or planning your week, here's what you may have missed in martial arts over the weekend.
Saturday night, UFC 301 and Canelo-Mungia take over the fight calendar.
As we reviewed last week ahead of the bout, two major pay-per-views dominated the martial arts world Saturday night. Brazil hosted UFC 301, where Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended his flyweight title by decision against Steve Erceg, Jose Aldo's triumphant return to MMA, Anthony Smith's upset of Vitor Petrino, and more. It was observed.
But it was the main event that had everyone discussing the scorecard. Some members of the media thought Erceg did enough to win 3-2, while others believed Pantoja was the rightful winner after securing several takedowns throughout the match. there was.
read more: UFC News: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Receives Homecoming Curtain Call at UFC HOF
Despite the fight going Pantoja's way on all three scorecards, Erceg, who had won three straight since signing with the UFC last year, spoke to Daniel Cormier after the fight in the Octagon and said he was not impressed with his performance. A brutally honest assessment of
“I thought it was third. [round]”I think the third one was close enough,” Erceg said. “He knocked me down a few times, but I never had any real control. And I got up and punched him in the leg. I thought at least if I won the final round I'd have a chance. , we successfully defeated it.”
To say that Erceg “lost” is a bit of a stretch considering the fight could have gone as far as five rounds. Needless to say, given the fact that this is his 14th professional fight and he is still relatively new in MMA, I believe he is not done pursuing a world title and will return sooner rather than later. .
As for Pantoja, he proved he is the best flyweight in the world and is here to stay at 125 pounds. Nevertheless, his next fight will be interesting, whether it's against Alex Perez, Amir Albaji, or another contender. Now that he's fully established himself as the man to beat in the lightweight division, there are several directions he could look.
Meanwhile, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, perhaps the biggest fight of the weekend took place inside the ring, as Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeated Jaime Munguia in a 12-round decision to retain his WBC super middleweight title. Munguia held on, but the previously undefeated challenger went down in the fourth round, which may have wiped away any remaining confidence he had.
Nevertheless, this fight lived up to the hype as Alvarez reminded everyone why he is near the top of the men's pound-for-pound list of boxers. The world wants to see how he fights David Benavidez, but Alvarez said he would only fight him “if the money is right.”
What that exact figure is remains to be seen and may never be known, but given Alvarez's pedigree, it's hard to deny that his demands are what he deserves.
UFC releases sizzle promo for Conor McGregor's return
Although it was brief, the UFC took some time to drop a subtle promo to get fans excited about Conor McGregor's return to the Octagon. MMAKO has covered McGregor's return extensively, and at the time of this article, the fight is over 60 years in the making, with over a year in the making before the martial arts world lands in Las Vegas to witness the fight between McGregor and Michael Chandler. The sun is dying.
You can check out the trailer below. It took place before Pantoja and Erceg headed to the Octagon.
For those considering traveling to Las Vegas for the game, we went over the details more extensively last week when ticket prices were announced, and they're now approaching thousands of dollars per ticket. .
read more: UFC 303 fight news: Ticket prices soar on anticipation of McGregor vs. Chandler
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is no longer an exhibition
Rounding out the series of news, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced on Monday that the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson heavyweight boxing extravaganza coming to Netflix in July will feature eight two-minute rounds. It was announced that it would be a record-setting professional match between both men. of the ruleset.
Regardless of how you take that information, regardless of whether fans support the match or not, the match is still going ahead as scheduled, with the promotional experience surrounding the match itself starting in mid-May with two press tours. It's planned.
Final summary
That's it for this week's martial arts stories, but May isn't over yet. The heavyweight title fight between Fury and Usyk will take place on May 17th, with back-to-back UFC Fight Night cards, as well as the continuation of the Bellator Champions Series and the opening of PFL Mena.
No matter what event you choose, MMAKO has you covered.
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