🥊 Bobby Knuckles is Back & UFC 303

The UFC took their first trip to Saudi Arabia this weekend with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh bringing the combat sports leader to Riyadh for the first time, with a potential MONSTER PPV on the horizon for 2025. 👀 

PLUS, this “Reaper” AI edit goes HARD…

JORGE MASVIDAL INTERVIEW

HEADLINES

🥊 Conor McGregor revealed his broken pinky toe injury that forced him out of UFC 303, which he went on to describe as currently being unable to even wear a shoe due to the stem cell injections. Here’s hoping Conor does whatever he can to get back into the cage in 2024!

🥊 UFC 1 legend and ex-sumo wrestler Taylor Wily passed away at the age of 56 last week. Wily was the first man to ever be KO’d in the UFC, but prior to that was an incredibly accomplished sumo wrestler. He would later go on to have acting roles in “Hawaii Five-O” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” amongst others. Always sad when a legend of the sport passes. 🙌🏼

🥊 UFC Perth seems to have a main-event booked, although we haven’t seen anything from the UFC officially yet. Israel Adesanya however posted on his instagram that he would be taking on Champion Dricus Du Plessis on August 17th at UFC 305.

🥊 How badly did Jimmy Butler want to throttle Ryan Garcia playing poker together this weekend? 🤣🤣 Watch this clip:

THE RARE DOUBLE POST INTRO…because D.C had me dying on my couch on Saturday afternoon with this one…

“Shhhh…I see dead people Mike” ~ D.C (probably)

UFC Saudi Arabia Recap

Middleweight: Robert Whittaker def. Ikram Aliskerov (via Uppercut to TKO at 1:49 in RD1)

The UFC made its long-awaited debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with Dana White and Turki Alalshikh bringing an incredible card to the masses on ESPN and global streaming platforms. The main-event, although a last-minute creation from the brass due to the injury-delay from Khamzat Chimaev, was still one a lot of MMA pundits were split on.

• Split no longer, as Robert Whittaker aka, “BOBBY KNUCKLES” put on an absolute clinic and planted his flag atop the 185lbs division.

• Whittaker and Aliskerov packed a ton into less than 2 minutes worth of work as the two set out on a pace that not many could match for a 25-minute fight.

• This one came down to the feints. Similar to Alex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill, Whittaker utilized his feints to get the read he needed to land the kill shot. At the highest level, these fighters analyze patterns, dissect movement, and paint a beautiful picture of swift violence like you see below.

UFC Saudi Arabia Quick Hitters

• In a battle of former teammates, Alexander Volkov pulled out a dominant decision victory over Sergei Pavlovich, who was none too happy about that after the fact with this little shove. Volkov is still up there in terms of title contention as a veteran in an admittedly shallow HW division.

• “No Time” Volkan Oezdemir continues to put it all together with a massive KO & Follow up-shot (see below) to “stretcher” Johnny Walker as UFC commentator Jon Anik so aptly put it. Volkan has been up and down the last few years with his last win streak dating back to 2019, but after back-to-back dubs it might be…TIME for him to make another run. 😂😅 (dad joke)

• Kelvin Gastelum vs Daniel Rodriguez began as a 170lbs bout but ended as a 185lbs bout with hefty fines for “KG” and a new contract for “D-Rod” even with the decision win ultimately going to Gastelum.

• How about Jon Anik, Michael Bisping, and Daniel Cormier just riffing on the mics all night? You gotta’ love listening to these guys have the freedom to tell it like it is, whispering to call out some cheating, or have fun with their jobs talking about waxing guys backs in the second fight of the night. We’re lucky to have them in this sport and lucky to have their bosses as well.

• The $50,000 bonuses went to Robert Whittaker, Shara Magomedov, Volkan Oezdemir, and Felipe Lima

UFC 303 Mini-Preview

International Fight Week is finally HERE, and even amidst the changes on the card, this UFC 303 PPV is absolutely STACKED on paper.

This week, we’re bringing you the skinny on some of the choice fights on the card, and some spots you might look to wager your hard-earned coin.

Alex Pereira (-166) vs Jiri Prochazka (+140)

After a brief scramble, the fight at the top of the marquee for the UFC’s international fight week festivities is for the light heavyweight crown, a rematch between “Poatan” Alex Pereira, and the Samurai of Hosteradice, Jiri Prochazka.

Their first meeting took place just 8 months ago at Madison Square Garden, a co-main event scrap that saw Pereira cashing as the -125 favorite, by KO, in what was his 7th UFC bout.

In this short span, Prochazka got back on the horse on the legendary UFC 300 card in March, pocketing an impressive win over Aleksander Rakic where he closed as a slight underdog.

Not to be out done on his own poster however was the ever-ready Alex Pereira, whose -155 line took bettors to the pay window against Jamahal Hill.

Fast forward, 3 months...

In what will be the second meeting between these two agents of stoic violence, Alex Pereira opened at -135 with Jiri Prochazka opening the narrow +114 underdog.

Now, Pereira has nudged up to -166 with Prochazka sinking into the +140 range.

In review of their first fight, it is incredible just how evenly matched these two are, and for that reason, as well as the rapid improvements of “Poatan” in such a short amount of time in MMA, I’ve got to ride “and still” this weekend.

Brian Ortega (+120) vs Diego Lopes (-142)

In what was a shocking twist into the plot of this June 29th date, UFC President Dana White revealed to us all a new-look co-main event between “T-CITY” Brian Ortega and the global fan favorite Diego Lopes.

In just 4 UFC fights, Brazil’s own Diego Lopes has endeared himself to fans both domestic and worldwide. It hasn’t even been 14 months with the company, and he has already pocketed 3 bonuses. He will look to continue his 3-fight win streak against one of the lightweight staples in Brian Ortega.

Since his legendary bout with Alexander Volkanovski in 2021, Ortega has gone 1-1 in back-to-back battles with Yair Rodriguez. Ortega actually entered their first fight -200 but as you remember would lose via a nasty shoulder injury just 4 minutes into the fight.

Walking into the octagon for the rematch as a +120 dog, T-City would eponymously snatch up the triangle in February’s Mexico City scrap.

UFC 303 is where these two forces will meet up to see who remains in the pecking order atop the 145lbs division, even amidst talks of a move up to 155lbs for Brian Ortega.

In my opinion, Ortega has done too much in this sport and for too long to be a dog here. You’ve got to ride with him against a comparable unproven commodity in Lopes even if I love what he brings to the table.

Ian Machado Garry (-130) vs Michael Venom Page (+110)

Now this fight is seemingly the only one that HASN’T changed for UFC 303 as the Pay-per-view opener at-present is the matchup brought cross the pond with Ian Machado Garry taking on Michael Venom Page.

The veteran ‘MVP’ brings in a staggering 22-2 record that features just 1 UFC bout, however, it was a massive one that we covered for UFC 299 against Kevin Holland that saw his theatrics and surgical precision net him a decision win where he closed as a +100 underdog.

He will take on the Irish iridescent, the lightbulb of a personality that is “The Future” Ian Machado Garry.

Garry, the elder statesmen of the UFC here with 7 bouts for the promotion since his 2021 debut, flaunts an unblemished septuple win streak during which, to my research, has never seen him at an underdog price.

I am SHOCKED that Garry is only -130 here. Did MVP impress in his debut against Holland? For sure…but Garry is on a much different level and trajectory than Holland. I see this not only going Garry’s way but being relatively easy work compared to his last few offerings in the octagon. Garry by Finish here will be the play for me at the window.

POUND 4 POUND PODCAST

Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo sit down with the one and only “Gamebred” Jorge Masvidal for a legendary conversation between three future UFC Hall-of-Famers, two of which have shared the octagon together at the highest level!

New episode will drop on Thursday!

LISTENER’S HOT TAKES

Reply to this email and let us know! Also send in your hot takes and we will feature our favorites in the newsletter!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL FIGHT WEEK! — CHIWIWIS!!