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This edition already went out on March 8, 2024. Subscribe to never miss an edition.

Edition 67March 8, 2024

Something big is coming on April 13th. Stay tuned.

1
The Ultimate Fighter Season 32 Has Been Announced

The coaches? The thirty-second installment of TUF will be coached by the Women's Flyweights Valentina Shevchenko and the Champion Alexa Grasso. The pair have fought twice before, with Grasso submitting Shevchenko in their first meeting and the two going to a draw in their second match.

More details: The season will include Featherweights and Middleweights, with eight fighters from each weight class. Filming is scheduled to begin this month, and the season premiere will air in June, with an official date unannounced.

2
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Announced

Seriously? Yes. Jake Paul announced via social media, alongside Mike Tyson, that the two would be boxing on July 20th inside the AT&T stadium. The fight will air on Netflix and will be Jake Paul's first fight in the Heavyweight division.

The numbers: Paul is 27 and has a boxing record of 9-1 (6 KOs). Mike Tyson is a massive thirty years older, coming in at 57 years of age with a professional boxing record of 50-6 (44 KOs). Tyson has only fought once in the last fifteen years, an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr, which ended in a split draw.

3
Urijah Faber to Make MMA Return

What? According to an official announcement by his promotion, A1 Combat, Urijah Faber will be returning to MMA. He will be fighting on May 25th against an unannounced opponent, headlining A1 Combat 21 in his home state of Visalia, California.

How long has it been? Faber has not fought since December 14th, 2019, when he suffered a third-round TKO loss to Petr Yan. When he makes his MMA return, Faber will be 45.

4
UFC and Venum Extend Contract Until 2029

Details: The UFC and Venum have agreed to extend their partnership until 2029, a five-year extension deal. This means Venum will continue to provide fighters with fight night kits. IMG, the UFC's licensing agent, confirmed the deal.

The future: Not too much will change. The attire worn by fighters inside the octagon on fight night will continue to be sponsored and designed by Venum alongside the UFC, and official UFC merchandise will include the Venum emblem.

5
Merab Dvalishvili is The Backup Fighter For UFC 299

The Machine: Just twenty days removed from his victory over Henry Cejudo at UFC 298, Merab Dvalishvili weighed in as a backup fighter for the fight between Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera.

Did he make weight? Of course, he did. During the weigh-ins on Friday morning, Dvalishvili made Championship weight (135 lbs). Should anything happen before the UFC 299 main event, Dvalishvili will be there to step in.

6
Francis Ngannou Will Continue To Box Regardless of Joshua's Result

What he said: Francis Ngannou said in an interview earlier this week that if Anthony Joshua wins or loses, he will box again. He told reporters he'll first return to MMA, likely to fight Renan Ferreira, but afterward, he will return to boxing because "he just loves and enjoys it."

The result: Anthony Joshua defeated Francis Ngannou via second-round KO, the first stoppage loss of Ngannous's fighting career. After the fight, Ngannou stuck to his words, telling the media, "I'm not done here. It sucks, but it's the game. We all know that."

7
The Strange Ending to Cedric Doumbe vs. Baki Chamsoudinov

The story: At PFL Europe 1 (2024), Cedric Doumbe headlined another card in Paris, France, in front of his fans against the undefeated prospect Baissangour "Baki" Chamsoudinov. The two had a competitive fight before the third round, with all three judges having it scored 1-1 heading into the third round.

Continued: However, Marc Goddard stopped the fight after Doumbe stressed a foot injury. In the aftermath, the "foot injury" was a foreign object lodged inside Doumbe's toe, and the Frenchman wished to remove it before continuing the fight. The result was announced as a TKO victory for Chamsoudinov, which was a bizarre ending to the card.

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OverUnder
All of your weekly MMA updates in one place.
Keeping up to date with combat sports news can take up a lot of time, so we’re simplifying the process by bringing the most important stories directly to you. We read the internet all week and then summarize what you need to know in 3-4 minutes.
Enter your email to sign up for the OverUnder newsletter. The first email newsletter in MMA.
By subscribing, you will receive a weekly MMA newsletter from Verdict MMA. You can unsubscribe at any time.