YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul is in for the biggest test of his athletic life on April 17 when he faces former ONE Championship and Bellator champion Ben Askren in a boxing match.

It should be a telling moment for Paul’s seriousness as a boxer. If he can’t defeat Askren, who is a phenomenal athlete and former champion that relied heavily on his ground skills, it doesn’t bode well for Paul’s claims of wanting to be a serious boxer and not just a pugilist of the celebrity ilk.

If Paul defeats Askren on April 17, it could prove that he actually has some boxing skill and could open the door for bigger, more lucrative bouts.

Thus far, Paul has fought twice, winning both bouts. His opponents haven’t been much of a test, however, as he defeated former NBA star Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard and AnEsonGib, a fellow YouTube sensation. Neither Robinson nor AnEsonGib had boxed professionally prior to their losses to Paul.

In preparation for Askren, Paul has enlisted the services of UFC star Jorge Masvidal. Aside from being one of the top welterweights in the UFC and holding the one-off BMF title, Masvidal has the distinction of holding a record-setting 5-second knockout victory over Askren.

Whether or not training with Masvidal will help Paul’s chances of beating Askren remain to be seen. Paul, however, posted a video of him training with Masvidal, his goal being to better the UFC fighter’s 5-second time in knocking out Askren.

That most certainly would seem to a be a stretch too far when it comes to the reality of what Paul could ever hope to accomplish in the fight with Askren.

Interestingly, Paul not only said that his training with Masvidal would allow him to take out Askren in less than 4 seconds, he then took aim at Nate Diaz, who has been angling for a UFC return in 2021.

TRENDING UFC 257 Fight Motion: Down goes Conor McGregor!

Frankie Edgar has new life at 135 pounds and knows what’s at stake when he faces Cory Sandhagen.

Former UFC lightweight champion Edgar (24-8-1 MMA, 18-8-1 UFC) meets Sandhagen in the co-main event of next week’s UFC Fight Night 184, which streams live on ESPN+ from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and he hopes to emerge as the next UFC bantamweight title challenger.

Edgar made his successful bantamweight debut in August, when he outlasted Pedro Munhoz in the main event of UFC on ESPN 15. The win snapped a two-fight losing skid, and “The Answer” has once again repositioned himself for another shot at gold.

“To me, this really could be a No. 1 contender fight,” Edgar told Mike Swick on the “Real Quick with Mike Swick” podcast. “He’s No. 2, I’m right behind him. Aljo (Sterling) and Petr Yan just got booked, I believe March 6, so it’s a perfect time. We fight the month before these guys; see what happens with them and then hopefully the winner of ours gets the winner of that.”

He continued, “Cory’s a tall guy, which is kind of good. I’m used to fighting bigger guys, so it’s not going to be anything new to me, but I can’t let him get his range going, I can’t stand at the end of his punches. I’ve got to either be all the way out or all the way in. Everybody knows that; it’s really no secret. I’ve just got to kind of have a gritty Frankie Edgar-type of fight and go do what I do and just make it happen.”

With hungry rising contenders such as Rob Font and former UFC champions T.J. Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt and Jose Aldo lurking, Edgar knows he’ll have to deliver a special performance over the highly touted Sandhagen (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) if he wants to cement himself as the No. 1 contender.

“The ’35-pound division is really hot right now,” Edgar said. “I’ve got to go in there and make a statement. I’ve got go in there and finish Cory if I want to get that title shot, and that’s what I’ve been working on this whole camp: Going in there, pressuring him, and really making him wilt in there and showing some experience. I have more experience than anybody in this game for the most part; not too many older fighters than me in the UFC right now, so I’ve got to utilize that to my best ability and make this happen.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/frankie-edgar-wants-to-finish-cory-sandhagen-and-get-ufc-title-shot

Dustin Poirier recently netted the biggest victory of his career, and now there’s an opportunity to purchase his fight-worn gear during his TKO of Conor McGregor at UFC 257.

As has become his tradition in recent years, Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) has put his pieces of his fight kit up for auction to help benefit his non-profit, The Good Fight Foundation.

The items this time are particularly special, given the gravity of his victory. A lucky bidder will be able to purchase what Poirier wore in the octagon for a career-defining second-round TKO of McGregor on Jan. 23.

The collection of items includes his fight trunks, hand wraps, gloves, walkout shirt, hat, and fight night credential. Bidding has opened at $15,000 and closes on Feb. 5.

Proceeds from the auction will go toward Poirier’s charity goal set prior to UFC 257. The Good Fight Foundation is teaming up with The Boys Girls Club of Acadiana to “help bridge the gap in academic success by providing transportation and tutoring” in what is called “Project Learn.”

In addition to the fight kit action, Poirier’s UFC 257 fight netted a sizable $500,000 donation from McGregor to his charity. MMA Junkie confirmed with both sides on the eve of the event that the transaction was in the process of being made.

.@DustinPoirier once again uses his fighting platform on Saturday to do good for the world through @TheGoodFightFDN. 🙏#UFC257 | @MikeBohnMMA‘s interview: https://t.co/dS91xREZXC pic.twitter.com/KBH1Gxokam

— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) January 20, 2021

Poirier told MMA Junkie in November that he intends on using that money from McGregor to help build an MMA gym for struggling youth with membership fees covered in exchange for good conduct and dedication to school work.

One of Poirier’s primary sponsors, Robert Graham, is also donating to Poirier’s mission, MMA Junkie has learned. A special clothing collection has been created specifically for the former interim champion, with a portion of proceeds going to The Good Fight Foundation.

Poirier’s efforts have not gone unnoticed in the MMA community. Prior to his most recent win over Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12 in June, Poirier was honored with the inaugural “Forrest Griffin Community Award” to acknowledge his work.

More information on Poirier’s past and future charitable acts can be found at TheGoodFightGroup.com.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-dustin-poirier-tko-conor-mcgregor-fight-kit-auction-good-fight-foundation

The rematch between Uriah Hall and Chris Weidman will have to wait.

Hall (16-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) and former UFC champ Weidman (15-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) were scheduled to run it back in the co-main event of UFC 258, which takes place Feb. 13 in Las Vegas, but is now expected to take place April 24 at UFC 261, although details are still being finalized.

The reason for the delay was a positive COVID-19 test from Weidman, MMA Junkie verified with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN on Friday.

Weidman won the first meeting with Hall by TKO more than a decade ago at Ring of Combat 31 in September 2010, and both men have taken different trajectories since.

2020 was a turbulent year for Hall, and that seemingly continues to begin 2021. After fights with Ronaldo Souza and Yoel Romero fell apart, he was presented with the opportunity to be Silva’s retirement fight opponent at UFC on ESPN+ 39 last month. He won by third-round TKO in an emotional contest for Hall.

Now looking to build off a three-fight winning streak, Hall attempts to get one back over Weidman, who stopped him in just his fifth career bout.

Weidman will attempt to repeat the feat and get some momentum going in his own career. After dropping five of six bouts, including an unsuccessful jump to light heavyweight, the former 185-pound titleholder Weidman got a career-saving victory over Omari Akhmedov at UFC on ESPN+ 33 in August.

He hasn’t had a winning streak since 2015, but now Weidman attempts to get the ball rolling against a familiar foe.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-news-uriah-hall-vs-chris-weidman-rematch-shifts-ufc-259-ufc-261-positive-covid-19-result

After letting the smoke clear from UFC 257, number two ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje recently shared his thoughts on the current state of the lightweight division and his thoughts on seeing Conor McGregor getting taken out.

In an interview with ESPN MMA, Gaethje wasted no time dropping his two cents on number six ranked lightweight McGregor getting TKO’d for the first time in his career by number one contender Dustin Poirier.

“I love seeing a loudmouth kid get knocked out; there’s nothing that makes me happier,” Gaethje said. “Seeing a piece of s–t get put down, that was great. I loved it.”

Before locking onto the next lightweight contender, Gaethje also made a threat should the UFC make the potential trilogy match between Poirier and McGregor for the undisputed lightweight title.

“I will never fight for the UFC again,” Gaethje said. “I would probably really think about never fighting for the UFC if he fights for a title again. That would be preposterous.”

Justin Gaethje targets next UFC opponent

Gaethje then turned his attention to the winner of the UFC 257 main event and current number one contender in the lightweight division, Dustin Poirier.

“I’d rather fight Dustin Poirier [instead of McGregor], absolutely,” Gaethje said. “That’s the best man in the division right now if Khabib was retired.”

Gaethje was also receptive to the idea of fighting one of the biggest stars in the UFC, Nate Diaz.

There has been some speculation by pundits and other fighters that Diaz will make a return to lightweight. His last fight in the division was a unanimous decision victory over Michael Johnson in December of 2015.

“If they call me to fight Nate Diaz, I’m fighting Nate Diaz,” Gaethje said. “I will roll him up and smoke him like a blunt.”

Gaethje also acknowledged his openness to bouts against number three ranked lightweight contender Charles Oliveira and number four ranked Michael Chandler.

“I wanna fight for a title,” Gaethje said. “Poirier, McGregor, Diaz, Chandler, Oliveira at the end.”

Rationalizing his decision to put “Do Bronx” at the end of his list, Gaethje conceded Oliveira’s threat from a match-up standpoint.

“I mean, Oliveira’s the toughest match-up in the division,” Gaethje said. “He brings a very particular set of skills. But Paul Felder knocked him out, he doesn’t like getting hit, and I hit like a truck.”  

Whoever is up next for “The Highlight” in the top five of the UFC’s most stacked division, Gaethje is game.

TRENDING Dustin Poirier’s KO of Conor McGregor one of top selling UFC PPVs of all time

UFC 257 recap highlights: Dustin Poirier KOs Conor McGregor

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/justin-gaethje-slams-conor-mcgregor-open-to-fighting-nate-diaz