Traditionally, the UFC promotion gives out bonuses after each of its tournaments. UFC On ESPN 55, which took place this morning in Las Vegas, was no exception. Bogdan Guskov, Alex Perez, Jonatha Diniz and Uros Medich each received $50,000 in bonuses, winning the "Performance of the Night" category. That said, none of the card's bouts were recognized as the "Fight of the Night."
Alex Perez won by second-round knockout over Mateus Nicolau in the main event of the tournament. And Bogdan Guskov in the co-main event won by TKO in the second round against Ryan Spann.
Recall, the next tournament will be numbered, UFC 301, and will be held on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro.
Former WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has spoken out about the possibility of a fight with current holder of these belts Oleksandr Usyk.
"I would love to fight Usik, but I don't think he's number one on the fans' wish list. You know, I'll fight anyone, and at the same time the promoters want me to fight certain people. And like I said, the fighters they want me to fight would be from the 5-on-5 card that's on June 1, and then they're considering a fight with Tyson Fury.
I'd like to fight Usik, I'd like to fight Ruiz, but I think the fans want me to face Fury," Boxing Social quoted Josh as saying.
Famed Venezuelan veteran Jorge Linares weighed in on the chances of absolute world middleweight champion Saul Alvarez and Jaime Munguia in their upcoming fight.
"It's a great fight. I give 60 percent for Canelo to win and 40 percent for his opponent to win. Munguia is a great and strong fighter, but he doesn't have the potential that Saul has. Alvarez has everything. Munguia is big and strong, but he's not great in the ring.
So we'll see. I think this fight could probably come down to a judges decision. I think Canelo will win on points," Linares said in an interview with YouTube channel Fight Hook News.
Recall that Alvarez and Munguia will fight on May 4 in Las Vegas, USA.
Absolute world champion in the second middleweight division Saul "Canelo" Alvarez said that he may return to the welterweight division only for the sake of a rematch with WBA belt holder Dmitry Bivol.
"The only reason to move up to flyweight is for a rematch with Dmitry Bivol. I'm not obsessed with a rematch, but if there is an opportunity and we can agree, I would like to make this rematch," said Alvarez in an interview with YouTube channel One On One | Boxing.
Recall that in May 2022, Alvarez lost to Bivol by unanimous decision. The Mexican star will have his next fight on May 4 in Las Vegas against compatriot Jaime Munguia.
Former unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua has revealed that he plans to fight his next fight in September, and outlined a roundup of potential opponents.
Renowned British promoter Eddie Hearn has reacted to Ryan Garcia's claim that Floyd Mayweather advised him not to make weight ahead of his fight against Devin Haney.
"I'm not too sure about Garcia being advised that by Floyd. Garcia said all of his actions were staged. I'm not so sure about that either.
But, look, you have to take your hat off to him, because whatever his psychological state, Ryan gave a great performance. However, he came in at 1.4 pounds overweight. The thing is, not many people were talking about it. But at the same time, Garcia performed very well. And if you agreed to fight in the new weight, you can not say anything after the fight," - said Hearn in an interview with YouTube channel Seconds Out.
Recall that on April 20, Garcia defeated Haney by majority decision, knocking him down three times.
We present the results of the UFC on ESPN 55 tournament, which took place on the night of April 28 in Las Vegas, USA. The event was headlined by a featherweight bout between Mateus Nicolau and Alex Perez.
The preliminary card:
Lightweight: Hayisaer Maheshat defeated Gabriel Benitez by split decision of the judges (28-29, 29-28, 29-28);
Women's flyweight: Ivana Petrovic defeated Na Lian by choke, 3rd round;
Intermediate flyweight, up to 71 kg: Chris Padilla defeated James Llontop by choke hold, round 1;
Women's Featherweight: Kathleen Souza defeated Marnica Mann by unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27);
Heavyweight: Dontale Mays defeated Caio Machado by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28);
Lightweight: Austin Hubbard defeated Michal Figlak by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28);
Flyweight: Victor Henry defeated Rani Yayu by technical knockout, 3rd round.
Main card:
Welterweight: Uroš Medić defeated Tim Means by technical knockout, Round 1;
Interimweight, under 67.4 lbs: David Onama defeated Jonathan Pierce by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28);
Heavyweight: Jonatha Diniz defeated Austin Lane by knockout, Round 2;
Women's flyweight: Karin Silva defeated Ariane Lipsky by unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 29-28);
Bantamweight: Bogdan Guskov defeated Ryan Spann by technical knockout, 2nd round;
Flyweight: Alex Perez defeated Mateusz Nicolau by knockout, 2nd round.
WBA light heavyweight titleholder Hilberto Ramirez said he sees Oleksandr Usyk as the favorite in the fight for the world heavyweight title against Tyson Fury.
"I'm going to pick Usik. I like Usik, I like the way he moves and everything else. I think he can win this fight.
Will Fury's size play a role in this fight? I don't know. But I like Usik's style. Alexander needs to keep moving and getting closer, because Fury is big, tall and works well from distance. I think it's an interesting fight," said Ramirez in an interview with YouTube channel Pro Boxing Fans.
Recall that the fight Usik vs. Fury will take place on May 18 in the capital of Saudi Arabia Riyadh.
Former unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua predicts that his former rival Oleksandr Usyk will take on Tyson Fury in an upcoming fight for all the belts in the division
"I fought Usik, so I can only speak about what I experienced with him. A phenomenal fighter, he does everything perfectly. I will say he's going to do a very good job.
I've never fought Fury, so I can't really talk much about how he'll perform or what it's like to fight him. So I can only talk about what I know. I would say that Alexander will win," - quotes the British talkSPORT.
Recall that Usik and Fury will fight on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ryan Garcia, a famous American boxer, marked another high-profile statement. This time Ryan said that he wants to fight with former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. According to Ryan, he would be ready to face the Brit in three years.
"I want to fight Joshua, I really do, I want it bad. Let's make it happen. I'll move up to super featherweight. Give me three years and I'll kick his ass. If I knock Joshua out, what are you gonna say? I won't have any haters left after that," Sportskeeda quoted Garcia as saying.
Garcia had his last fight in the welterweight division, beating Devin Haney by majority decision.
