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Israel Adesanya headlines one of the year's most anticipated cards. The main event of UFC 281, which takes place on Nov. 12 at the legendary Madison Square Garden venue in New York, will see the UFC middleweight title going up against longtime foe Alex Pereira. Adesanya and Pereira have a history dating back to their time as professional kickboxers. Pereira had a 2-0 advantage against Adesanya in their series, which culminated with a highlight-reel knockout in the rematch in 2017. Adesanya and Pereira have both won all 12 of their matches at 185 pounds so far in their UFC careers, with Pereira going 3-0 in the promotion and "The Last Stylebender" winning all five of his championship defenses. Below is the official poster for their clash at UFC 281. As part of UFC 281, incumbent strawweight champion Carla Esparza will face former champion Weili Zhang in a championship fight. Also on the card is the highly anticipated fight between former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier and former Bellator champion Michael Chandler.

Don't expect an all-British heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua this year. Because all the hype and the rumors regarding the all British super heavyweight clash has been called off by the Gypsy King. "The Gypsy King" took to social media today to announce that he will be exiting the talks after a self-imposed 5 p.m deadline. The contract signing deadline of Monday has passed. Fury set the deadline on Friday and announced that he would look into other options for his next fight. “Well guys, it’s official. D-day has come and gone,” Fury (32-0-1, 23 knockouts) said in an Instagram video on Monday. “It’s officially over for Joshua. He is now out in the cold with the wolf pack. Forget about it.” Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs), who is coming off back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, had previously stated that his side had agreed to the terms of the fight, and said in an Instagram live video on Sunday that he intended to sign the contract but that the bout agreement was being reviewed by his legal counsel. “It ain’t in my hands – it’s with a legal team. That’s why you hire lawyers,” said Joshua, who is two years younger than Fury at 32. The deadline was missed despite Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, saying there was "no chance" the contract would be signed by Monday while it was being reviewed. Fury, the lineal and WBC champion, most recently defeated Dillian Whyte in six rounds at Wembley Stadium in April. Fury announced his retirement from boxing shortly after, but was almost immediately back to talking about future fights. Fury had publicly called for a fight with Usyk, the newly crowned RING heavyweight champion, but Fury claimed Usyk was "running, hiding" after a similar deadline to make the fight passed on September 1. Let us know what do you guys think about the match up between Fury and Joshua? Does that fight still happen?

One-time UFC title challenger Michael Chandler has joined fellow UFC fighter Sean O'Malley in labeling Islam Makhachev overhyped ahead of his highly anticipated lightweight title unification bout against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. Chandler has been impressed by Makhachev but only half heartedly , labeled as Khabib’s Nurmagomedov heir to the throne, in the UFC, Iron Chandler believes that crowning him the next best thing at lightweight based on his recent victories over Dan Hooker and Bobby Green is a little premature. He said “Nothing against Islam, you say he looks great, you say he looks unbeatable at times, but he hasn’t really fought anybody,” Chandler, who is one spot below Makhachev in the UFC lightweight rankings at #5, told in a recent interview with MMA Fighiting. “That’s really the truth. He beat No. 14 and then he beat Dan Hooker, who was on a three or four-fight losing streak. “Now people will say, ‘well, one of your wins was against Dan Hooker, what are you talking about?’ I fought Dan Hooker at a different time. He had just gone 25 minutes with Dustin Poirier, who at that time was the No. 2 lightweight on the entire planet.” Chandler is willing to be proven wrong if Makhachev rises to the occasion and defeats Oliveira, but despite being backed by bookmakers to win the fight based on his previous performances and overall dominance in the division, he sees no path to victory for the Dagestani native. “I think Charles is just too slick, too good, and he’s going to give him fits on the feet,” Chandler said. “I don’t think it will be hard to take Charles down, but I think Charles wins the grappling exchanges. Chandler is the only person who has been to the ground with Oliveira during his current run and survived to recount his experience. That back-and-forth war is why he's grown so fond of the Brazilian. When it comes to Makhachev, Chandler simply does not believe that the Dagestani have the credentials to put his name alongside the names of other lightweights that Oliveira has already defeated. He believes his former opponent can win this match stylistically.

Floyd Mayweather was in Japan for a boxing exhibition when he was challenged by a tough MMA fighter, Mikuru Azakura, who had no idea it was an exhibition. The three-round fight did not need to go that far, and in the end, Mayweather punished his opponent's irreverence by knocking him out at the end of the second round in a proper fight that could have gone on. Azakura attempted to counter his opponent's speed by using his size and reach advantage against Mayweather who appeared to be a 45-year-old former champion who has already lost some of the great elusiveness he once possessed. In a fight with little time for preparation, the American struggled to shake off the Japanese's straight punches and jab. In the second round, Azakura attempted to close the fight by punishing Mayweather, who resented the punishment and ended up smiling and backing away after being hit with at least three powerful combinations. However, the former world champion punished his opponent's brashness and sent him to the canvas near the end of the second round with a powerful right hand. The referee did not allow the fight to continue, and Mayweather's unblemished record remains at 50-0-0, which he endorsed as undefeated, but with more work to dominate as he used to. At the end, 'Money' thanked Manny Pacquiao's presence in the arena, as well as the Japanese public's respect and affection, for having paid a lot of money to see him in action and increase his fortune. After the fight Mayweather said that he wants to continue to fight in exhibition bouts. “I’m happy we were able to give the people excitement tonight,” he said. “Thanks for having me . I’ll be back.” The fact that Manny Pacquiao, a rival of Mayweather, was invited by the event's organizers and spoke in the ring both before and after the main event may not have been a coincidence. Could they be planning a Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown?

Robert Whittaker has no intentions to to stop chasing the Middleweight strap as he believes that the trilogy with Adesanya is bound to happen. "The Reaper" lost a rematch for the middleweight championship to Adesanya at UFC 271 in February, but rebounded spectacularly at UFC Paris with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over top contender Marvin Vettori. Whittaker's 13th victory in his last 15 fights. Whittaker, who successfully defended his No. 1 contender spot, stated that his ultimate goal is to become UFC champion again. “I’m hunting that title shot,” Whittaker said on a recent episode of The MMA Hour. “That’s what I’m doing and that’s what I’m always going to be doing because that’s the only up direction. I’m a fiend for progress, I just want to move forward. Whittaker raised eyebrows in his post-fight speech at UFC Paris when he declared himself "the most dangerous man" in the middleweight division, a statement that required clarification given his two losses to Adesanya. “I’m the most dangerous man in the division,” Whittaker said. “Izzy, he’s the champion of the division, he beat me the last fight as well. He’s a great fighter. But I’m the most dangerous man. I can beat anyone in the division. That last fight against Israel I got within a hair’s breadth of taking everything away from him. Just the fights that I’ve been in and the opponents that I’ve had, I’m not just beating them. I’m flogging them. There’s a difference in that. Whittaker has hinted at moving up another weight class after beginning his UFC career at 170 pounds, and he believes that if he ever moves up to compete at 205 pounds, that is where he will eventually retire. For the time being, he's focused on Adesanya's next title defense against Alex Pereira, which takes place at UFC 281 on November 12. Whoever wins, Whittaker believes he will remain at the top of any championship contender discussion. "I know I have one more shot at gold against Izzy if that's what it is, or if he gets dethroned," Whittaker said. "I believe that getting that third fight with Israel will be a deciding factor for that or whoever it is." What do you guys reckon? Does Whittaker have one more shot at the Middleweight gold before moving to Light Heavyweight? Let us know your views in the comment.

Eddie Hearn is taking legal action against Jake Paul. The CEO of Matchroom Boxing has sued for defamation, alleging reputational harm due to Paul accusing Hearn of buying judges in a recent interview. According to TMZ, which broke the story on Friday, this is the case. According to Hearn's lawyer Frank Salzano, “Both legally and ethically there is a clear line separating opinion from defamatory lies,” to TMZ. Jake Paul intentionally crossed the line when he falsely accused Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn of rigging fights. He is aware of this. “Nonetheless, he was still given an opportunity to retract his defamatory statements and refused to. Now he will face the legal consequences of his actions as Matchroom and Mr. Hearn will be seeking damages in well excess of $100 million given the value and goodwill attached to the Matchroom business and the harmful nature of Mr. Paul’s comments.” Paul, who amassed a sizable following on YouTube, has been active in boxing for the past several years, working as a promoter through Most Valuable Promotions as well as a professional fighter. One of the largest women's boxing fights in history, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, was staged in April thanks to Paul and Hearn's collaboration. Hearn promoted Taylor through Matchroom Boxing, while Paul promoted Serrano through MVP. Taylor defeated Serrano by a split decision in a fiercely contested match. Judge Glenn Feldman, who had the most extensive scorecard of the three judges presiding over the bout, gave Taylor the victory 97–93. A few months later, Feldman came under fire online once more when he predicted that Anthony Joshua of Matchroom Boxing would defeat Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch for the heavyweight championship with a score of 115-113. Usyk won by a narrow margin when the two more judges recognized his merit. Paul complained that Feldman scored in both fights and suggested that Hearn and Feldman had engaged in improper behaviour earlier this month in an interview with IFL TV, which is no longer available and has been made private on YouTube. “Glenn Feldman, shows up in Saudi and scores Anthony Joshua to win the fight,” Paul said. “Everyone watched the fight, it’s not a split decision. Usyk had a runaway victory, clearly won the fight. This judge, Glenn Feldman, gives it to Anthony Joshua? It’s like a repeated crime here. This type of sh*t, I’m going to call it out here in boxing because it’s bullsh*t. “Clearly, this guy is getting paid money by Matchroom Boxing. That’s a bold statement and an accusation that I don’t take lightly, but it’s just blatantly obvious. You would think they would bring a different judge that f*cked up the scoring of Taylor-Serrano to Saudi Arabia.”

At the Manchester Arena, Joe Joyce defeated former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker, knocking him out with a terrifying left hook to win the WBO interim heavyweight title in 11 rounds. Parker, who has previously gone the distance with Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua, had never been stopped. Additionally, the New Zealander had never before been brutally broken down. The power jab was Joyce's setup, but Parker's primary attack was the overhand right and left hook upstairs. Parker's blows had no effect on Joyce since he continued to saunter forward while walking through each power shot like he was swatting a fly. Due to the intensity of what was being thrown at him, there were times when Parker appeared to be out of the fight, but he showed the heart and will of a champion and persisted in making a fight, appearing to win the ninth and tenth rounds to get himself back into the fight. But Joe Joyce had a point to prove and he wasn't going to go lose the fight at any cost. He fired powerful shots to begin the eleventh on a mission. Then Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) charged directly at Parker, tilted his hips ever-so-slightly, and delivered a vicious left hook that knocked Parker to the ground and back. Parker corrected himself, but the referee had enough. After the bout was over Joyce called out Oleksandr Usyk and made it clear that he wants to fight for the title next. Meanwhile, the WBC Champion Tyson Fury was also in attendance to watch his compatriot Joseph Parker fight. What do you think of Joe Joyce’s performance against Joseph Parker and is it time for him to fight the top dogs of the division? Let us know in the comments.

On Friday, Bobby Green said that his withdrawal from UFC 276 was caused by a positive drug test he claimed was the result of an over-the-counter supplement he had bought at Walmart. Green claimed that after seeing a YouTube video by Dr. Eric Berg, a well-known and contentious health expert and chiropractor headquartered in Virginia, he made the decision to take DHEA, an illegal anabolic substance. The Virginia medical board censured Berg in 2007 for treating patients beyond the parameters of his chiropractic licensure and making misleading claims about his treatment plan. A week prior to the pay-per-view event on July 2, Green said he received word that a testosterone test had come back positive, necessitating the postponement of his bout with Jim Miller. “I go, what? What? In 20 years, I’ve never tested positive for anything in 20 years of my sport,” Green said Friday on a video posted to his Instagram account. “I know drugs, and drugs to me, I’ve only heard of them coming in needle form, I’ve heard them coming in some crazy pill form, and last, like maybe I’ve heard of some cream stuff of testosterone. … “So I say hey, come back, take all the pictures, show them all those bottles. They go, ‘Hey, it’s that one right there. It’s DHEA. That’s a banned substance on our list, and you’re now in failure, and the fight is off.’ A week before the fight. I’m crushed. I’m like, what the f***.” Requests for comment from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which is in charge of the UFC's drug testing program, were not immediately answered. Before they are decided, the agency does not divulge drug positives, but if the contestant discloses a positive test, they will. Green said he had been told to keep quiet about his case to avoid receiving a lengthier punishment. But he felt forced to discuss the circumstance because he wanted to be honest with his followers and because he was sick of retelling the tale to his close friends. “If that’s what they want to do is give me more time because I took something from Walmart that I had no idea was a banned substance, so be it,” Green said. “But, I do want to let you guys know that it’s not USADA’s fault. It’s my fault. I’m taken wrong in this. I f*cked up, and I take responsibility. I was a jackass. I’m the one that made the mistake. I take all responsibility. I ruined my situation.” Green expressed his opposition to performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and search for a natural advantage to combat aging in a 30-plus minute film. He displayed a drawer full of supplements that he claimed to utilize for a "all natural" boost from a number of manufacturers, including UFC supplement partner Thorne. Green acknowledged that he disregarded the UFC's warnings about prohibited drugs, nevertheless. Educative materials on USADA-prohibited drugs and the risks of over-the-counter supplements, which have caught scores of athletes since the program's debut in 2015, are obligatory reading for combatants. Many boxers have claimed to bypassing the readings so managers or other representatives might finish them. A two-year suspension is imposed on first-time PED offenders who are proven to have used anabolic agents. “I had no idea what was going on,” Green said. “I watched a stupid YouTube video, and I did that. F***. I f***** it up, guys. I apologize to my public, to my friends, to my family. My son was supposed to come to this. Like, guys, I was f*cked up.”

Khamzat Chimaev might soon be prepared to dedicate himself to the middleweight class. The unbeaten Chechen, who has competed in the UFC at both 170 pounds and 185 pounds, has hinted at a potential weight-up after a catastrophic cut that forced him out of the main event at UFC 279 and almost prevented him from competing at all. Chimaev wrote a message on Twitter on Friday with the single word "185" and a picture of himself as the only attachment. Of course, Chimaev has already admitted that he intended to compete in two weight classes in the UFC with the hopes of eventually winning crowns in both divisions. When he weighed in at 178.5 pounds, which is 7.5 pounds over the limit for a non-title bout, his quest for welterweight gold suffered a severe setback, as he missed the opportunity to fight Nate Diaz. After his dominating victory over Kevin Holland in a catchweight contest, Chimaev still managed to stay on the event, although UFC president Dana White advised him to step up to middleweight. “It’s a problem,” White said just after UFC 279 ended. “That’s a problem that he missed weight. I don’t know. We’ve got to look at it and figure it out. What makes sense is for him to fight at [185 pounds], so we’ll see. “It is what it is. It happened. We’ll go back this week and come up with a plan and probably have him fight at [185].” On record, it appears that Chimaev will have an easier time winning the middleweight championship than the welterweight one because the current champion, Israel Adesanya, has already destroyed most of the other contenders. Before turning his attention to Chimaev or anybody else, Adesanya must first defeat longtime rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in November. Nevertheless, with Chimaev hinting at a transfer to middleweight, a sizable number of contenders will probably begin lining up to welcome him back to the division where he presently holds a perfect 4-0 record and two UFC first-round knockout victories.

After Jake Paul claimed that Eddie Hearn's Matchroom promotion business had paid a well-known boxing judge, the British promoter hinted that he would sue Jake Paul. Glenn Feldman was displeased with "The Problem Child" when Amanda Serrano, a boxer for his Most Valuable Promotions, defeated Katie Taylor earlier this year. During their rematch for the unified heavyweight championship last month in Saudi Arabia, Feldman was the only referee who gave Anthony Joshua the advantage against Oleksandr Usyk. The 5-0 fighter said that Feldman is dishonest and is being paid by Hearn's organization to score fights in their favor during a recent interview with IFL TV, which has since been taken down from YouTube. “Everyone who watched the fight [knows] it’s not a split decision. Usyk had a runaway victory, clearly won the fight,” Paul said. “This judge, Glenn Feldman, gives it to Anthony Joshua. It’s like a repeated crime here. This type of s***, I’m going to call it out here in boxing because it’s bulls***. Clearly, this guy is getting paid money by Matchroom Boxing.” Hearn, who manages the careers of some of boxing's most prominent figures, took exception at Paul openly accusing his organization of match-fixing. “What he said in terms of his allegations of corruption with Glen Feldman is totally unacceptable,” Hearn stated on Thursday to the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel. “We all have a laugh with Jake and he’s an average fighter but I’m telling you now, what he said is unacceptable and it will be dealt with because we take this sport, our values as a family seriously and we love the sport of boxing. “So, for him to come out with idiotic comments without even thinking of what he said is extremely harmful to me and very disrespectful to us as a business and as a family.” Although Barry Hearn, the son of Hall of Fame boxing promoter Barry Hearn, did not specify how he would respond to Paul's allegations, it looks that Barry Hearn will file a lawsuit. “Jake’s comments will be dealt with appropriately,” Hearn added. “I’m not prepared, as I would be on many occasions, to take what he is saying with a pinch of salt on this occasion because it’s banging out of order and disrespectful to the sport of boxing and me and us. “I take it extremely personally because they’re questioning our credentials, they are questioning our integrity and I won’t have it. So, he’s going to have to take the brunt of that. “Maybe he doesn’t care, but I do.”

Yoel Romero and scary knockouts are a sight to behold for any MMA fan. Even at the age of 45 the ‘Soldier of God’ is putting in violent performances. On Friday, Romero knocked out Manhoef in the third round in the co-main event of Bellator 285, which took place at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. In the co-main event of Bellator 285, the multiple-time UFC title challenger defeated Melvin Manhoef. In the third round of their light heavyweight fight, Romero (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) stopped Manhoef (32-16-1 MMA, 4-5 BMMA) with a brutal ground-and-pound. Romero dropped Manhoef early in the first round with a leg kick and then followed him to the ground. From there, the former UFC title contender dominated the action with ground-and-pound. After a few minutes of control, Romero locked an Americana but was unable to complete it. He kept Manhoef under his control until the bell rang. The second round was much more visually appealing. Both fighters exchanged blows at a slow pace, but it was still entertaining. They were packing a lot of punch into their shots. Romero appeared to have the better shots and more volume. Manhoef's output appeared to be hampered by the threat of a takedown. The third appeared to be another standup battle, but Romero closed the gap and took down Manhoef against the cage three minutes in. He remained patient from half-guard and landed powerful shots. As the strikes began to pile up, the referee was forced to call a halt to the fight. Romero had put on a dominant performance. Following the defeat, Manhoef announced his retirement from MMA. “I didn’t want to fight a nobody,” Manhoef said post-fight before taking his gloves off and resting them down in the center of the cage. “I wanted to fight names, and I did the best that I could. For 28 years, I’m doing this, this is what I love, and I appreciate all the support that you gave me. But today, I think I have to hang up the gloves after 28 years of fighting. Thanks for the support, you make my life great, you let me feel alive.” Let us know what you think of Romero’s performance at Bellator 285? Can he still hunt for the title at Light Heavyweight?

Benson Henderson wants another chance at Bellator gold. Henderson made it clear who, what, and where he wants his next fight after a dominant 25-minute performance against Peter Queally in the main event of Bellator 285 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Patricky Freire defends his lightweight title against the undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of Bellator 288. If Henderson gets his wish, he wants to face the winner of the fight, regardless of who wins the gold. If 'Pitbull' wins the rematch, Henderson admits the fight will mean a little more. He said after the fight “I want the title shot next,” Henderson told reporters at the post-fight news conference. “It’s the Russian vs. Brazilian. Mad respect for ‘Pitbull,’ I’m a huge Patricio, Patricky fan. Patricky has the belt, and he has a ‘W’ over me. So, I think it would be very apropos for him to win his fight and for me to square off against him, and take the belt from him since he has a ‘W’ over me. “But if Usman happens to win, if it’s him instead, let’s go ahead and have Bellator set up a fight in Russia. Ohh, eww – Russia’s a no-no right now. So, maybe we go somewhere else in the Eastern Europe and go do a title shot over there somewhere.” Henderson has had mixed results when dealing with both Freire brothers. Patricky avenged his brother's loss by split decision win at Bellator 183 in 2017. If Henderson gets his way, it will be his third chance at Bellator gold during his time with the organization. Henderson made his Bellator debut after leaving the UFC, facing Andrey Koreshkov for the welterweight title at Bellator 153, but lost a unanimous decision. His second title shot came at lightweight against Michael Chandler at Bellator 165, but he lost a split decision.Henderson believes it's time for another shot at the lightweight title after back-to-back victories. What do you think of Benson’s Henderson stint in Bellator so far? Does he deserve one more title shot? Let us know in the comment.