The Texas commission has released a list of medical suspensions following the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz event in Dallas.
Paul vs. Diaz took place this past Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas, featuring nine boxing bouts.
In the main event, YouTuber-turned-boxer [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] defeated former UFC title challenger, [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag], by winning a unanimous decision after a hard-fought 10 rounds of action.
After the event, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation issued medical suspensions to all 18 fighters. MMA Junkie acquired the list from the commissioning body Monday. The list included suspension duration without specifics.
One fighter, William Silva, who was the only athlete to be stopped inside the distance with his fourth-round knockout loss to Ashton Sylve, received the longest suspension of all.
Scroll below to see the medical suspensions handed out to each fighter. Fighters may return to competition sooner than the allotted suspension if they are cleared by a doctor.
MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz event in Dallas, and you can follow along here.
DALLAS – MMA Junkie is on the scene and reporting live from tonight’s boxing event headlined by [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag].
Former UFC superstar Diaz and YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul will meet in a 185-pound boxing grudge match after a heated build that saw both camps get into a brawl during fight week. The nine-fight card at American Airlines Center also features an undisputed featherweight title bout as champion [autotag]Amanda Serrano[/autotag] meets [autotag]Heather Hardy[/autotag] for the second time. UFC veterans [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag] also clash on the main card.
The event begins with preliminary bouts at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the DAZN/ESPN+ pay-per-view main card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET. Keep it locked here for up-to-the-minute results and behind-the-scenes updates throughout the evening.
For complete coverage of the card, check out MMA Junkie’s event page for Paul vs. Diaz.
Jeremy Stephens loves a knockout, but he hopes to punish Chris Avila throughout the fight.
DALLAS – [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] loves a knockout, but he hopes to punish [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag] throughout the fight.
Stephens meets Avila in an eight-round bout at 168 pounds on the card headlined by Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz on Saturday in Dallas.
“I’m just looking to beat this motherf*cker’s ass all rounds,” Stephens said during Wednesday’s open workout scrum. “I don’t want the knockout. I want to beat him up.”
Stephens, who made his boxing debut in a majority draw vs. fellow UFC alum Jose Aldo in April, isn’t sure if boxing is the direction he’ll continue to go, but is enjoying the journey.
“I’m having a lot of fun right now. I’m enjoying it,” Stephens said. “This is an opportunity on the table for me and my family. I’m a diverse fighter. I can fight martial arts, I can fight Jeet Kune Do, boxing, you name it. I’m a prize fighter. I’m just in love with this process of boxing, and the pay, the excitement, the big eyes.
“I manifested this after I fought Aldo. I was like, ‘Man, if Jake Paul or Diaz drops out, I’m going to be that guy calling every – I don’t even know who the f*ck to call, but I’m going to be calling somebody to put me on that card.’ So, I manifested this, and here I am.”
UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens is returning to the boxing ring to fight a friend of Nate Diaz in August.
UFC veteran [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] is returning to the boxing ring to fight a friend of Nate Diaz.
Stephens has been booked to meet [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag] on the card headlined by Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz on Aug. 5 in Dallas, Most Valuable Promotions announced Wednesday. The fight is scheduled for eight rounds at 168 pounds.
Chris Avila is back! Taking on yet another big challenge – this time against the man who has the second most knockdowns in UFC history, Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens. 8 rounds, 168 lbs.
Chris Avila has been been featured on two previous MVP events and in his last bout he… pic.twitter.com/fwKAmPOjW8
— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) June 21, 2023
Stephens, 37, will be making his second professional boxing appearance after he fought UFC rival Jose Aldo to a majority draw at a Gamebred Boxing event April 1. Stephens’ foray into the squared circle has come the heels of a failed MMA stint with PFL in which he went 1-2 in 2022.
“I am super excited to be in these times of MMA mixing with boxing; it is a huge opportunity,” Stephens said in a statement. “And to have all the eyes in the world on this card, I plan on stealing the f*cking show and giving the fans the ‘too hot for TV’ type performance that I always bring.”
Avila, 30, who competed twice in the UFC and once in Bellator, has more experience than Stepgens in the ring with four pro fights resulting in a 3-1 record. Avila most recently won a unanimous decision against Paul Bamba on April 21 at MF & DAZN X Series 6.
“My last three fights I have settled the score with (Anthony) Taylor, and beat up a doctor and a dork,” Avila said. “I’m looking for the best fights and the toughest fights. Jeremy has been around a long time and fought everyone in MMA. But he hasn’t fought me so let’s see what’s up over 8 rounds on August 5th in Dallas.”
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For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.
Some incredible fights aired on big FOX during that era of the UFC from 2011 to 2018, and these are the best of the best.
With the UFC currently churning out cards across multiple platforms such as ESPN, ESPN+ and ABC, it can be easy to forget about the promotion’s history on previous networks that helped launch the world’s MMA leader into the juggernaut that it is today.
Initially reaching a broadcast deal with FOX Sports in August of 2011, the UFC went on to air live fight in primetime from November of that year until December of 2018. This also included additional UFC Fight Nights and broadcast content for FOX’s various cable properties, which included FOX Sports 1, FX and FUEL TV.
Not only would this agreement lead to the UFC’s first televised events on network television in the U.S., but it also sparked a more “corporate era” of the company in regard to the uptick of its show schedule and more mainstream marketing tactics that quietly contributed to its capability to make a multibillion-dollar sale to WME-IMG in 2016.
During this time, the UFC obviously looked to its top talent to fill these cards, even leaning on underappreciated and/or underpaid fighters such as Demetrious Johnson and Nate Diaz (whom the promotion traditionally butted heads with at the negotiating table).
This post pays homage to some of the UFC fighters who made the FOX era an incredibly fun follow-up to the organization’s “Golden Era.” Note: It would be too difficult of a list if I included Fight Nights from FS1, so this list will strictly be focused on the fights that aired on the big FOX network.
Without further ado, here are my top 10 fights that aired on FOX …
See the disclosed payouts for Anthony Pettis, Roy Jones. Jr., Vitor Belfort, Jose Aldo, and more, per the state of Wisconsin.
Gamebred Boxing 4 took place Saturday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisc., where six fighters took home six-figure paydays as a result of their bouts.
Thursday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of the disclosed payouts from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, which oversees the state’s athletic commission and regulation of combat sports events.
The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments, or discretionary bonuses.
Of the 26 fighters to compete on the card, 20 were on flat purse contracts, while the remaining six fighters were on show-win deals. Headliners [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] and [autotag]Roy Jones Jr.[/autotag] took home the largest purses of the bunch, as they combined for $1,350,000.
The total payout for all fighters on the card was $2,827,700.
Scroll below to see what the 26 fighters on Gamebred Boxing 4 were paid – disclosed amounts only.
Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and the faceoffs from the Gamebred Boxing 4 ceremonial weigh-ins.
Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and the faceoffs from the Gamebred Boxing 4 ceremonial weigh-ins, including [autotag]Roy Jones Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], [autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag], [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag], [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag], [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag], [autotag]Pearl Gonzalez[/autotag], and [autotag]Gina Mazany[/autotag]. (Photos courtesy of Phil Lamber, Gamebred Boxing)
July 5, 2009; London, ENGLAND; The Wimbleton trophy awaits the winner of the mens’ singles final round 2009 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Roger Federer (SUI) defeated Andy Roddick (USA) 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14. It was his record-breaking 15th major championship. Mandatory Credit: Steve Bardens/Offside Sports via USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10 2016; London, United Kingdom; General view of centre court at the trophy presentation after the Andy Murray (GBR) and Milos Raonic (CAN) men’s final match on day 14 of the 2016 The Championships Wimbledon. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Roy Jones Jr. vs. Anthony Pettis headlines Gamebred Boxing 4. Check out video of the ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs.
There is not a UFC event this weekend, but stars from the MMA world have ascended on Milwaukee.
Gamebred Boxing 4 takes place at Fiserv Forum and is headlined by boxing legend [autotag]Roy Jones Jr.[/autotag] against former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag].
Also on the card, former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag] battles [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag], and former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] battles [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]. The rest of the card features a handful of other notable UFC alumni.
On Friday, the fighters weighed in and squared off. Check out the official weigh-in results below and check out the ceremonial faceoffs in the video above.
Not even Jorge Masvidal knows what to expect from Saturday night’s fights full of UFC veterans.
[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] has returned to Milwaukee to fight in his home city for the first time in nearly a decade, but the circumstances are nothing like they were back then.
The last time Pettis competed in Milwaukee was in MMA for the UFC lightweight championship, which he claimed after submitting Benson Henderson in the first round at UFC 164. Ten years later, Pettis is gearing up for a boxing match this Saturday against legend [autotag]Roy Jones Jr.[/autotag] to headline Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing 4 event at Fiserv Forum. It streams on UFC Fight Pass pay-per-view for $49.99.
The card is chalk full of former UFC fighters as [autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] in the co-main event; [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] run it back from their 2018 UFC fight; and [autotag]Pearl Gonzalez[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Gina Mazany[/autotag].
Not even Masvidal knows what to expect from Saturday night’s fights.
“If you’re on the fence about buying this pay-per-view, we don’t blame you,” Masvidal said in a statement. “You more than likely don’t have a clue how these fights will play out, and to tell you the truth, neither do I. …
“If there’s one thing we can promise and deliver on, it’s that we will be sheer violence and sweet science.”
Pearl Gonzalez and Gina Mazany during the Gamebred Boxing 4 news conference. (YouTube)
Pettis, 36, is making his boxing debut against former multiple-time champion Jones in an eight-round cruiserweight (200 pounds) matchup. For a period during his prime, Jones was considered boxing’s pound-for-pound No. 1, but that was many moons ago.
Jones is 54 now. There’s nothing at stake in this fight except proving something to themselves.
“It feels good to be back in Milwaukee,” Pettis said during Thursday’s news conference. “Last time I was here, I won the UFC world title 10 years ago. Coming back here to fight a legend in Roy Jones Jr., it’s a blessing.”
Said Jones: “Thank God for giving us all the opportunity to come perform. I want to say I’m delighted to be able to be here to perform, but I’m so damn old I ain’t sure if I get delighted no more. It’s kind of fun to be able to still do what you love doing at my age.”
Souza, known more for his standout Brazilian jiu-jitsu, hinted at hearing from people who are against him stepping in a boxing ring for the first time at 43. “Jacare” said he took his preparation seriously.
“I did a very hard camp for this fight,” Souza said. “Everybody’s sad for me. ‘Why, Jacare, are you boxing right now?’ Because I can. … I’ll show ‘Jacare’ can box, too.”
Can he against a once-dangerous knockout artist in Belfort? The former UFC light heavyweight champion got a taste of the ring in September 2021 when he TKO’d Evander Holyfield in the first round of a Triller Fight Club headliner.
Belfort is grateful to be able to compete on his birthday for the first time.
“God is everything in my life. I’m gonna be 46 on Saturday, so first time I’m fighting on my birthday. And I’m fighting a tremendous, legendary fighter from Brazil,” Belfort said. “I have a lot of respect for ‘Jacare.’ … It’s a privilege to be an example for my kids, how to live a righteous life. Sports has helped me a lot. It’s good to give back and be able to perform at this age. I’m very privileged.”
That was the general sentiment from all eight fighters on stage: blessed, privileged to be able to fight, regardless if it’s MMA or boxing.
This just so happens to be the latter.
“The fight gods have blessed us,” Stephens said. “This is an honor to be up here with Roy Jones and Pettis and Vitor right here. I’ve been watching this guy a long time, and here I am sitting right next to him on the big stage, on the big show. It’s a tremendous opportunity. If you really, truly knew what this meant, it’s amazing. I feel like I’m in a dream right now.”
