Tag: Anthony Pettis

Fight Week: Anthony Joshua will try to get back on track vs. Jermaine Franklin

Fight Week: Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua will try to get back to winning ways against Jermaine Franklin on Saturday in London.

FIGHT WEEK

Former heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua will return to the ring against Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night in London.

ANTHONY JOSHUA (24-3, 22 KOS)
VS. JERMAINE FRANKLIN (21-1, 14 KOS)

  • When: Saturday, April 1
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (7 p.m. U.K. time) (main event later in show)
  • Where: O2 Arena, London
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Joshua 9-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Fabio Wardley vs. Michael Polite-Coffie, heavyweights; Matteo Signani vs. Felix Cash, middleweights; Austin Williams vs. River Wilson-Bent, middleweights
  • Prediction: Joshua KO 9
  • Background: Joshua returns to the ring for the first time since his back-to-back decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk, which cost him his world titles (in the first fight) and a great deal of respect. The 2012 Olympic champion from the U.K. was first revealed to be human in June 2019, when Andy Ruiz Jr. stopped him in seven rounds to take three of the four major belts. Joshua rebounded by outpointing Ruiz in the rematch the following December to regain his titles and stopped Kubrat Pulev in nine rounds in December 2020, his last victory. Then came Usyk. The gifted former undisputed cruiserweight champ defeated Joshua by a wide decision in September 2021 to become a champion in a second division and do further damage to Joshua’s reputation. The former champ performed better in the rematch last August but still lost a split decision, giving him a record of 2-3 in his last five fights. Franklin is a massive underdog but perhaps not a complete pushover. The 29-year-old from Michigan lost to longtime contender Dillian Whyte this past November but he pushed the Londoner harder than anyone had expected, coming up short by a majority decision. If Joshua wins on Saturday, he will be an attractive candidate to face any of the top heavyweights. That includes titleholder Tyson Fury now that his projected showdown with Usyk seems to be off. Deontay Wilder is another potential opponent.

 

ROBEISY RAMIREZ (11-1, 7 KOS)
VS. ISAAC DOGBOE (24-2, 15 KOS)

  • When: Saturday, April 1
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Featherweight (126 pounds)
  • At stake: Vacant WBO title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Ramirez 5½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Joet Gonzalez vs. Jose Enrique Vivas, featherweights
  • Prediction: Ramirez UD
  • Background: Ramirez, the two-time Olympic champion from Cuba, lost a stunning split decision to journeyman Adan Gonzalez in his four-round pro debut in 2019 but has been untouchable since (including a shutout decision over Gonzalez in a rematch). The slick 29-year-old southpaw is coming off a ninth-round knockout of veteran Jose Matias Romero last October. He will be fighting for his first major title. Dogboe, a former 122-pound beltholder, is enjoying a bit of a renaissance. The 28-year-old from Ghana appeared to hit his ceiling when he lost his title to Emanuel Navarrete by a unanimous decision in December 2018 and then was stopped by Navarrete in the 12th round of the rematch the following May. He then moved up to 126 and has won four consecutive fights, including a split decision over capable Joet Gonzalez last July to earn him a shot at another belt.

 

ROY JONES JR. (66-9, 47 KOS)
VS. ANTHONY PETTIS (0-0, 0 KOS)

  • When: Saturday, April 1
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view (UFC Fight Pass)
  • Division: Cruiserweight (200 pounds)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Vitor Belfort vs. Ronaldo Souza, heavyweights
  • Prediction: Jones KO 6
  • Background: He’s back? Jones is 54. The once-great Hall of Famer hasn’t taken part in a sanctioned bout since 2018, when he outpointed journeyman Scott Sigmon. He hasn’t even been in the ring since 2020, when he looked his age in an exhibition with Mike Tyson. Yet Jones made the decision to take part in a real match and the authorities in Wisconsin inexplicably gave him the go ahead. He said he took the fight because he always wanted to face an MMA fighter with a big name, such as Pettis. Uh, OK. Jones might actually defeat Pettis, a 36-year-old former UFC lightweight champion with no boxing experience. Still, you can bet a lot of people are asking a legitimate question right about now: “Should a 54-year-old be taking part in an actual professional fight?” Probably not.

 

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

SATURDAY

  • Floyd Masson vs. Fabio Turchi, cruiserweights, Brisbane, Australia (FITE).
  • Adrian Pinheiro vs. Demetrius Banks, cruiserweights, Orlando, Florida (BoxTV.com).

Former UFC champ Anthony Pettis reveals bulking was minimal after agreeing to fight Roy Jones Jr. at 200 pounds

When he got the call, Anthony Pettis was walking around a few weight classes above what he competes at in MMA.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] will likely be bigger than ever when he steps inside the ring to fight boxing great [autotag]Roy Jones Jr.[/autotag] at Gamebred Boxing 4 on April 1, but the bulking process wasn’t as extreme as fans may think.

During his time in the international spotlight, Pettis has competed at lightweight and welterweight. But when he got the call that informed him of the potential opportunity, Pettis said he was weighing closer to an MMA light heavyweight, at approximately 205 pounds. The bout will be eight rounds in the cruiserweight boxing weight class of 200 pounds.

“After the last season of PFL, I knew I wasn’t going down to 155,” Pettis told reporters including MMA Junkie at a virtual pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I started bulking up, getting ready to go at 170. I was not sure exactly what other opportunities there were in the mixed martial arts world. So when this fight came about, I was already 205 pounds, in shape. So I’m ready to go. I’m ready for whatever, pretty much.”

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As soon as agreements were in place, Pettis made moves he thinks will put him in the best position to beat a former boxing champion at his own game. Pettis packed up his things and moved to Las Vegas to train with legitimate boxing sparring partners, guys who could emulate the style and strength of Jones. The upcoming match will be his professional boxing debut, compared to Jones’ 76th.

“I’m sparring bigger guys to feel that pressure he’s going to bring,” Pettis said. “That’s why it’s the fight game. I’m going to go in there and use my smarts. I’m going to use my skills that I’ve accumulated over these last couple years and go out there and try to put it on him.”

“… It’s just straight boxing now. Like Roy Jones said, I’m finding the best boxers I can spar with. I’m living in Vegas. I’ve got access to great, great sparring partners here. There’s one sparring right now in front of me. I’m living this lifestyle. I went and got motivated to box. How can you not, fighting one of the goats? Y’all must’ve forgot. That’s one of the things I’ve known since I was a kid man. I’m taking it serious. I come to win fights and this is a whole different world than I’ve been in at this level. The sparring I’m getting is preparing me for it. I’m ready.”

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Don’t call it a comeback, but Roy Jones Jr. explains why he couldn’t say no to Anthony Pettis bout at Gamebred Boxing 4

Don’t call it a comeback. Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. says he’s retired, but Gamebred Boxing vs. Anthony Pettis he couldn’t pass up.

Don’t call it a comeback.

Boxing legend [autotag]Roy Jones Jr.[/autotag] says he has no intentions of making a permanent comeback, even though he has a bout on the books against former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] at Gamebred Boxing 4.

Jones, 50, will compete for the first time professionally since 2018 at Fiserv Forum in Pettis’ home city of Milwaukee on April 1. The event streams on UFC Fight Pass pay-per-view.

Prior to the offer, Jones considered himself done with competition, he revealed to reporters including MMA Junkie at a virtual pre-fight news conference Wednesday. However, he made a one-time exception to check a long-sought-after item off his athletic bucket list.

Before Conor McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather, Jones advocated for a fight against then-UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Despite being years past his prime, Jones thinks the showdown vs. Pettis suffices in a lot of ways.

“When I was still at where I thought was pretty good, I wanted to fight Anderson Silva, but it just kept getting pushed to the side, pushed to the side, pushed to the side. It never happened,” Jones said. “So I was kind of dead on all of it. I was through with boxing. I was like, ‘Nah, I’m done. I shouldn’t fight no more. I’m 54 years old.’ Then they said, ‘You know, one of the greatest ever at 155 said he’d come up in weight to fight you and you don’t have to come lower than 200.’ It sounded kind of intriguing.”

The opportunity fell into his lap. It was too good to pass up, Jones especially considering the amount of respect he has for the individuals involved: promoters Jorge Masvidal and Dean Toole, as well as who he considers to be a combat sports legend, his opponent, Pettis.

“I was like, ‘Wow, (Pettis is) very innovative in what he’s done, too, because he’s done things in the MMA (cage) that no one else will do,'” Jones said. “For me to get the opportunity to face someone who has that same type of creative mind in their own respective sport, like I have in boxing, I was like, ‘Wait a minute. Should you say no to this?’ I’m like, ‘I want to say no, but it’s Dean (Toole). It’s Gamebred. It’s Milwaukee. Have you ever fought in Milwaukee before? No.’ The pros, I guess, outweighed the nos. So here we are.”

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In 2020, Jones competed in an exhibition boxing fight against fellow all-time great Mike Tyson and fought to a draw. Gamebred Boxing 4 will be his first professional fight in almost five years. But just because Jones opened the door for a few one-offs, he wants boxing fans to know that is not a sign of things to come. These were exceptions rather than the rule.

“No, no, and no,” Jones said, of a full-on comeback. “The only reason I’m doing this is Anthony wanted to try to change and cross over into this sport. With him and Masvidal and everybody that’s involved. They all made it such a good situation where it’s a win-win for everybody. It’s a good situation. It’s pay-per-view. It’s something I want to do, which is have a crossover fight with a good name in MMA. I’m the first one who came up with that idea. I didn’t get paid for it, but I came up with the idea. Floyd and Conor got to get paid for it. But at this point in my career, I still wanted to do it, because sh*t, I wanted to do it.

“Here’s a perfect opportunity, a guy who’s also a legend at what he did. Yeah, he’s a smaller weight class, but he’s up to 205 pounds when they told him about it. So he’s big enough. He knows how to handle himself and I know he’s going to go hard with boxing because he’s one of the greats. If I was going to go play a one-on-one basketball game with Michael Jordan, I would get the best basketball coaches around that I can get because I’m playing a GOAT. I know it’s what it is and he’s going to be ready for it. But I’m not planning to do it again, no.”

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Anthony Pettis vs. Roy Jones Jr., Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens headline Gamebred Boxing 4 on April 1

Gamebred Boxing 4 to feature Anthony Pettis vs. Roy Jones Jr., Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens, and many more former UFC fighters.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] fighting a legend in his next outing, but not in MMA.

The former UFC and WEC lightweight champion is scheduled to take on former boxing champion [autotag]Roy Jones Jr.[/autotag] in the main event of Gamebred Boxing 4 on April 1 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The event will stream on pay-per-view on UFC Fight Pass.

UFC star [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], owner of Gamebred Boxing, announced the news Monday, revealing the event and full fight card on The MMA Hour.

Pettis has no history of competing in professional boxing. He was last seen in the MMA world in August, when he lost a unanimous decision to Stevie Ray in the 2022 PFL lightweight semifinals.

On the other hand, Jones Jr. will be competing in his first fight since boxing Mike Tyson in an exhibition bout back in November 2020. The two fought to a draw. Jones Jr., 54, has a professional boxing record of 66-9. He held championships in four different weight classes, including titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. Jones Jr. also won a silver medal in boxing at the 1988 Olympics.

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In the co-main event of the card, former UFC and WEC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] will take on former foe [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag].

The rest of the card is compiled of many other former UFC fighters as [autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] fights [autotag]Anthony Taylor[/autotag], and  [autotag]Pearl Gonzalez[/autotag] meets [autotag]Gina Mazany[/autotag].

Below are all the matchups announced for Gamebred Boxing 4:

  • Anthony Pettis vs. Roy Jones Jr.
  • Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens
  • Vitor Belfort vs. Ronaldo Souza
  • Paul Daley vs. Anthony Taylor
  • Pearl Gonzalez vs. Gina Mazany
  • Dillon Cleckler vs. Josh Burns
  • Devin Cushing vs. Damian Marciano

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Khabib Nurmagomedov names three opponents he wished he fought – including Tony Ferguson

Khabib Nurmagomedov had a perfect career, but he says there are three UFC fights that eluded him.

TORONTO – [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] had a perfect career, but three fights eluded him.

Nurmagomedov’s UFC lightweight title reign included wins over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and finally Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 to cap off his undefeated run as a mixed martial artist.

The one fight that got away for the now-retired Nurmagomedov is the obvious one against [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag], which was canceled five times for various reasons.

“Of course it was Tony Ferguson for sure,” Nurmagomedov said during a Sunday speaking appearance in Toronto for Class A Events/Penny Appeal Canada. “But this has never happened.”

But Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) said there were two other fighters he was interested in facing. Although he respects him greatly, Nurmagomedov catered to the Canadian crowd by mentioning former two-division champion and one of the greatest fighters of all time, [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag], as well as former WEC and UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag].

“In my mind? Yes, it was couple fighters – it was couple fighters for sure,” Nurmagomedov said. “OK, GSP, if you guys want – but I respect this guy a lot. I grew up with his fights. When he became UFC Champion in 2007, I (hadn’t started) my professional career. I was an amateur fighter and I watched a lot of his fights with my father. GSP was like a role model in MMA for me. If you guys want (that) fight, OK – let’s say GSP.

“And I think it was 2014-15 when Anthony Pettis was UFC champion. (At) that time, I really, really wanted to fight this guy, but then he lost his title vs. Rafael dos Anjos. After that, his career go down – he never came back. It was Anthony Pettis, Tony Ferguson and Canadian superstar GSP.”

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Video: Did the PFL get the return it was looking for with Anthony Pettis?

Anthony Pettis bounced out of the PFL playoffs and is just 1-4 in two seasons with the promotion.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] was bounced from the PFL lightweight playoffs this past Friday.

It hasn’t been an easy road for the former UFC champion the past seven or so years. After he won the UFC’s 155-pound title, he defended it once against Gilbert Melendez. But starting with his title loss to Rafael dos Anjos in March 2015, Pettis has gone 7-12.

He left the UFC on a two-fight winning streak in 2020 to sign with the PFL and had high hopes for a $1 million championship in 2021, but lost both his regular season fights. In 2022, he looked like he might be on the path to redemption with a first-round submission of Myles Price.

He had the top playoff seed despite a submission loss to Stevie Ray in June, but had to fight him again in the playoff semifinals and dropped a decision, making him 1-4 overall in the PFL. To make matters worse, Pettis said he broke both his hands in the rematch with Ray.

So the big question is, did the promotion get what it was looking for with Pettis? That’s what we asked our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze,” along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out their reaction in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video below.

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Spinning Back Clique: New UFC light heavyweight contender emerges, Jon Jones taking too long?, and more

“Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show, discusses the emergence of Jamahal Hill, Jon Jones’ return timeline, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Our panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • Looking back at UFC on ESPN 40 this past weekend, [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] defeated Thiago Santos in what was a fast-paced, action-packed, back-and-forth thriller to assert himself as a new title contender at light heavyweight. Or is that too strong of a position for the DWCS alum considering we’ve also got Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev in the mix?
  • Also, this past weekend, [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] was bounced from the 2022 PFL lightweight playoffs after losing for the second consecutive time to Stevie Ray, this time a unanimous decision. The former UFC and WEC lightweight champion’s bid to win a third major title will have to wait. Furthermore, his contract expires after this season. At $750,000 a fight (disclosed), did the PFL get the return it wanted and should he be brought back?
  • Turning the page and looking forward, what are the stakes this weekend between [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] and [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 41 headliner? We have a former champ vs. someone on a quest to be a champ.
  • Looking forward even further, we got a HUGE announcement last week that UFC 281 in New York will be headlined by middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] defending his title against [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden. These two have met before in kickboxing, with Pereira up 2-0. What do we think? MSG, Stylebender, November … sound about right? What are the early predictions?
  • Last but not least, looking ahead even further, former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] seemed a little perturbed and motivated by the notion from fans that he’s taking too long to return to the octagon for his heavyweight debut. Unless he headlines the UFC’s December pay-per-view, we will have gone two full calendar years without a Jones fight and not since March 2020 has he been in action. Could this long, drawn-out layoff hurting Jones?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

Anthony Pettis to undergo surgery on broken hands suffered in PFL playoffs loss to Stevie Ray

Even if Anthony Pettis had advanced to the 2022 PFL lightweight final, he likely wouldn’t have been able to compete.

Even if [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] had advanced to the 2022 PFL lightweight final, he likely wouldn’t have been able to compete.

Pettis, the former WEC and UFC champion, dropped a unanimous decision to Stevie Ray in the semifinals of the playoffs this past Friday for his second consecutive loss to Ray after being submitted in a June regular season fight.

Adding injury to insult was the fact that Pettis (25-14) said afterward that he broke both of his hands. On Monday, Pettis clarified that he suffered fractures to his left hand and his right thumb, which will require surgery (via Instagram).

https://www.instagram.com/p/ChBASwPPgP4

With the loss, Pettis, 35, has dropped four of his five PFL bouts since signing with the promotion after his UFC departure in December 2020.

It’s unclear if he will return for the 2023 season.

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2022 PFL Playoffs 1: Best photos from New York

Check out these photos from 2022 PFL Playoffs 1 at Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Check out these photos from the fights at 2022 PFL Playoffs 1 which took place at Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)

Stevie Ray def. Anthony Pettis at 2022 PFL Playoffs 1: Best photos

Check out these photos from Stevie Ray’s victory over Anthony Pettis at 2022 PFL Playoffs 1 in New York.

Check out these photos from Stevie Ray’s unanimous decision victory over Anthony Pettis at 2022 PFL Playoffs 1 in New York. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)