On Saturday, hours out from UFC 301 in Brazil, Brown, long a fan-favorite welterweight known for his elbows and violent finishes, announced his retirement.

“Not doing it again. I’m out. That’s the announcement,” Brown wrote in a brief statement issued on social media. “My life will now be dedicated to serving others. Growing others in the martial arts and building businesses that can help the community and the world.”

Brown, 43, had not fought since a May 2023 win over Ultimate Fighter winner Court McGee. He was 2-1 across his last three fights. “The Immortal” did not shed any light into the reasons behind his decision to retire – but it brings about the end to a run in pro fighting that began in 2005.

In 2008, Brown would join the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 7, winning his first two bouts before being submitted by Amir Sadollah. He would appear on the show’s finale regardless, picking up a TKO win over Matt Arroyo; Brown stacked up a 4-1 record in his first five UFC  fights, with all four wins coming via stoppage.

While he would never fight for the promotion’s welterweight title, Brown would cap off a four-fight bonus-winning streak in a title eliminator against Robbie Lawler in 2014. Brown would lose a unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night effort, snapping a seven-fight win streak that included victories over Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Mike Swick, Erick Silva and others.

Ohio’s Brown ends his career on another bonus-winning streak, having picked up two Performance of the Night bonuses and a Fight of the Night across his last three bouts. His overall record in MMA stands at 24-19, with 17 wins inside the UFC octagon.

Outside of MMA, Matt Brown has also launched Immortal Coffee, his own coffee line.

The post UFC Fan Favorite Matt Brown Announces His Retirement appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alex Pereira Headed to GLORY Hall of Fame

Former GLORY and UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira is headed to the GLORY Hall of Fame. Promotion officials made the announcement during Saturday’s GLORY Collision 6 broadcast, which saw Rico Verhoeven defeat “Cookie” Osaro seemingly with ease.

Pereira had a decorated kickboxing career before following rival Israel Adesanya to MMA and the UFC, so this announcement isn’t a huge surprise.

“Alex Pereira was one of the greatest champions in GLORY history,” said Scott Rudmann, co-founder and Vice Chairman of GLORY, in a press release issued following the announcement. “His accomplishments in the GLORY ring speaks for themselves, as the only man ever hold the champions belt in two weight classes simultaneously. Alex continues to make huge waves in combat sports with his successful shift to MMA, and he continues to bring awareness back to the stand-up combat. He devotes time and money to community service in his home country of Brazil, and he is a wonderful guy, always humble about his enormous accomplishments. We’re proud to have in the GLORY Hall of Fame.”

Pereira holds the GLORY record for most title defenses in GLORY middleweight history, was a tournament winner, and held both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in the company.

Charles Oliveira Reacts to UFC 297 Rumors with Apparent Surprise

Charles Oliveira fighting Islam Makhachev at UFC 297 in Toronto this January? That’s news to him, although he isn’t ruling it out.

The rumor was floated by Ariel Helwani on social media on Saturday. With Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title already booked for Toronto, it’s likely the event will feature a second title fight.

The original plan was Volkanovski vs. Topuria, but with the Australian featherweight champ suffering a head kick loss to Makhachev last month, a little extra time off isn’t a bad thing. Plus, it’s likely the UFC will be back in Australia in February, and with Israel Adesanya taking a sabbatical, the promotion may want Volk available for that card.

So “Do Bronx” vs. Islam in Toronto makes sense, and would no doubt make bank. Oliveira’s response? “We just heard this from the locker room,” Oliveira said on the UFC Sao Paulo pre-show on Saturday (h/t MMA Junkie). “People were asking us on the messages about getting it. This is the first time we heard about it. That’s the timeline, January maybe. So who knows?”

Oliveira has fought in Canada several times and picked up a win over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in Vancouver this past June. The crowd was hot for the Brazilian star, so the UFC could be looking to capitalize on his popularity in the Great White North. He had been booked in a rematch with Makhachev, who defeated him to claim lightweight gold, at UFC 294 last month, but withdrew after suffering a cut in training.

Jon Anik Interested in Seeing Matt Brown vs. Jake Paul

UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik is game for a Matt Brown vs. Jake Paul boxing match.

Speaking with Cageside Press about the recent Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou boxing match, which was undeniably a close contest, Anik said that “I just hope— and I know the odds were not in favor of the mixed martial arts fighter in this particular contest— I just hope that if there are crossover affairs going forward, that at least we send the right MMA guys in there. Let’s send Max Holloway in there to try to box up some world champion’s face.”

With plenty of praise for Ngannou, Anik called Jake Paul versus Ben Askren “the easiest bet in the history of professional sports.” The fight Anik would like to see? “I want to see Matt Brown against Jake Paul. I know that’s probably not the right guy to send in there, right, it actually probably is more in line— I say Matt Brown, specified rule set with elbows against Jake Paul. But again a lot of people say to me ‘dude, you’re going to complain as your did earlier with Jamie about sending these 40-year olds in there with Jake Paul.’ And here I am making the case for another one.”

Anik, however, agreed that Brown would at least put on a show. “Oh God. He’d do something, man. He’d do something.”

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Oliveira Responds to 297 Rumor, Pereira to Hall of Fame appeared first on Cageside Press.

These days, “The Hammer” is very much a fan of mixed martial arts, like the rest of us — and it’s the man he still coaches who Coleman is the biggest fan of.

“I’m a big time fan, boy. I love all the champions,” Coleman told Cageside Press during an exclusive interview at UFC X during International Fight Week. “I’ve been following the sport since I left very closely. Conor McGregor, if I seen him right now, I would cut you off and run over and get a picture with this guy. All the GOATs, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, Israel Adesanya, Khabib’s gone, I love that weight class, 155. All the champs. And Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown is my favorite, because I’m still coaching him, and he’s still in there knocking people out.”

Brown is doing just that, tying Derrick Lewis for the promotion’s knockout record recently. Coleman, for one, wants the UFC to make a big fight for Brown to potentially become the company’s KO king.

“He’s looking to get back in there. Give him a big name UFC, give Matt Brown a big name so he can knock somebody out for the 15th time and get that record.”

Given his place in the history of the sport, it’s no surprise that fans and fellow fighters alike cite Mark Coleman among their faves. That sort of respect is something the Ohio native has always sought.

“It’s very, very special. I feel blessed to be a part of this from the beginning. I made it to UFC 109, but being an OG, being at the forefront and now the respect that I get from these fans, that’s kind of what I always wanted as a kid, is respect. And I get respect, I don’t know if I deserve it, but it’s pretty amazing, pretty awesome.”

While the early days of the UFC lacked the production value and mainstream recognition that modern MMA has garnered, Coleman always believed it would become something bigger.

“I do understand how far it has come now,” Coleman told us. “I always visualized it getting this way. Even UFC 10 when I was walking out, after I won UFC 10, I visualized it being the greatest sport in this world, because I knew I wasn’t the only one that loved this sh*t. I knew there was millions and millions, and everybody loves fighting.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Hall of Fame member Mark Coleman above.

The post Mark Coleman Wants UFC to Give Matt Brown “Big Name” for KO Record Attempt appeared first on Cageside Press.

That sort of finish is nothing new to Matt “The Immortal” Brown, who now sits tied with Derrick Lewis as the promotion’s all-time KO lead. And, he told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight, he wants to move into sole possession of the lead.

“I want to, yeah. We’ll see. That’s what everybody’s been asking, when I’m going to get back in there and whatever,” Brown (24-19) said following Saturday’s fight at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he closed out the preliminary card with McGee. “Got some other people that’ll be getting ready for fights, I’ll be helping them out. I’ll start thinking about it the next couple of weeks, and see how I feel.”

What it boils down to is his health, Brown added. “It’s all about, at my age and life and everything, it just comes down to injuries man. I’d be in there til I’m 50 if I wasn’t injured.”

That’s something that continued to be an issue heading into Saturday’s contest, added Brown. “From camp, yeah. That’s why I haven’t fought in 400 days, was because of injuries. I’m always banged up, that’s just the life I live. But when I’m 50, I do want to play football with my kids.”

Which is why he’s taking more care these days. “I’m smarter than I used to be,” said Brown, agreeing that with age comes wisdom. “Hopefully I keep getting smarter.”

As to who he’d like to hunt for the KO against next, Brown only had one name, but he knows it’s not one that’s likely to happen.

“It’d be cool to fight [Robbie] Lawler, but he’s retiring. I fought him once, but I’d love to fight him again, out of respect for him. We had a great fight, and I think we’d have another great one. It is what it is, that’s the only name that comes to my head, off the top of my head. But he’s retiring, so good luck to him.”

Brown lost a decision against Lawler in 2014, a title eliminator that saw Lawler go on to capture the UFC’s welterweight championship. He’s reportedly hanging up the gloves following a fight with Niko Price at UFC 290 this July, however.

Watch the full UFC Charlotte post-fight press conference with Matt Brown above.

The post UFC Charlotte: Matt Brown Says Activity Comes Down to Injuries, Which Kept Him Out 400 Days appeared first on Cageside Press.

“The Immortal” was 1-3 in his last four, and coming off a loss to Bryan Barberena. McGee was coming off his own loss opposite Jeremiah Wells, and while neither were in must-win territory per se, a loss might put them there.

Right off the opening bell, McGee looked to punch his way in, looking to clinch. Brown refused to be put on the back foot, leading to a back-and-forth battle of single strikes and low kicks, with neither man willing to cede any ground.

McGee, however, would latch on with a body lock about 90 seconds in, landing a takedown and taking the back as Brown scrambled to the fence. Brown got to his feet, with McGee still hanging off him, firing knees. An extended grappling battle ensued, Brown with his back to the fence, McGee leaning on him. That finally led to a warning from the ref to get busy; Brown eventually pushed McGee off him, and they returned to center.

What had been missing to that point, luckily for Court McGee and unluckily for everyone else, was one of those patented Matt Brown elbows that had done so much damage over the years. Or really much in the way of significant strikes from “The Immortal.” That changed in a heartbeat, however, when Brown connected with a short right hand as McGee was coming in. McGee dropped instantly, and Brown turned away, having landed the walk-off KO.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!! @IAmTheImmortal | #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/dgUmagrfUN

— UFC (@ufc) May 13, 2023

At 42, that’s Brown’s 16th career win by knockout. He’s also tied with Derrick Lewis for most knockouts (13) in UFC history.

Official Result: Matt Brown def. Court McGee by knockout (right hand), Round 1, 4:09

The post UFC Charlotte: Matt Brown Lands Stunning Walk-Off KO on Court McGee appeared first on Cageside Press.

Matt Brown will be taking on another veteran in Court McGee in the featured prelim bout for UFC Charlotte.

“I’m still taking it serious; you know? I’m coming here committed to victory, I’m committed to win,” said Brown (23-19), speaking on Wednesday at a media day for UFC Charlotte. “But I’m kind of just enjoying the process a little more. Just being a little more relaxed, stress free, not thinking so much about not putting as much pressure on myself.”

Brown, now 42 years old, has been with UFC since 2008 when he came off of season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter. With well over a decade in the UFC under his belt, Brown boasted of  having one of the best weight cuts of his career while speaking with the media on Wednesday.

When asked about his opponent Court McGee, Brown complimented his opponent saying, “He can definitely take a shot well. He definitely has a good way of slowing the pace down and making it his fight and pushing you against the fence and slowing things down.”

“But I’ve also noticed he fights a lot of different ways too,” Brown added after pondering his words for a moment.

“I’m in good shape, I’m strong, I’m healthy, I’m happy. So, I’m going to smash this guy no matter what he does,” said Brown, who has not been in the octagon since last March when he lost a split decision to Bryan Barberena.

Brown has had a very famous figure as part of his team this Fight Week.

“He just brings the positive energy everyday man. And just is always in a good mood and is always motivating, man,” Brown said, speaking about Mark Coleman, the UFC Hall of Famer who was accompanying him for Fight Week. “Just his energy all around is more important than like any particular piece of advice.”

Watch the full UFC Charlotte media day appearance by Matt Brown above.

The post UFC Charlotte’s Matt Brown Still Committed to Victory: “I’m in Good Shape, I’m Strong, I’m Healthy, I’m Happy” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Brown (23-19), a.k.a. “The Immortal,” is expected to face Court McGee (21-11) at a UFC event on May 13, 2023. The bout will be Brown’s 43rd as a professional mixed martial artist, and his 30th as a UFC fighter.

Brown announced the news while speaking to MMA Fighting recently.

“Coming back, I’m going to smash some faces,” Brown said of the match-up. “Court, he’s a great guy, I’ve hung out with him before. Great competitor. We both have similar backgrounds in some respects. We both overdosed. He’s really embraced that.”

Despite his respect for McGee, Brown added that he’s ready to “smash his f*cking face in with my elbow.”

Matt Brown was most recently seen in action last March, where he came up short in a split decision loss to Bryan Barberena. The 42-year old welterweight is 1-3 in his last four, with a win over Dhiego Lima, and losses to Carlos Condit and Miguel Baeza in addition to the Barberena setback.

The Ohio native has picked up post-fight bonuses in his last two bouts, winning Fight of the Night alongside Barberena. His knockout of Lima earned Brown a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus one fight prior.

Court McGee will enter the bout off a loss to Jeremiah Wells that saw him knocked out in just over 90 seconds. Prior to that, McGee, winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 11, had won back-to-back fights against Claudio Silva and Raminz Brahimaj.

The UFC’s May 13, 2023 Fight Night event does not yet have a venue, location, or broadcast plan officially announced. A light heavyweight match-up featuring Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker is expected to headline the card.

The following match-ups have been reported for the date thus far:

• Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker
• Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Tainara Lisboa
• Matt Brown vs. Court McGee

The post UFC: Matt Brown Reveals Fight Against Court McGee on May 13 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Matt Brown on James Krause: “Good Dude,” but Krause “is F*cked”

Like pretty much everyone, Matt Brown has been following along with the betting scandal that has erupted around the UFC. At its center is Glory MMA and Fitness coach James Krause, whose fighter, Darrick Minner, showed up for a Nov. 5 match-up with Shayilan Nuerdanbieke injured, falling in the first round via TKO.

Hours before the fight, a large amount of money was placed on Nuerdanbieke to win inside of a round. That triggered a review by betting watchdog U.S. Integrity, with the UFC later announcing its own investigation alongside betting integrity partner Don Best Sports. Other bodies are also digging into what exactly happened, with Krause since suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission, and banned by the UFC.

Brown, who has worked with Krause in the past, was taken aback by the news.

“I always thought he was a good dude,” Brown told MMA Fighting‘s Damon Martin. “Very, very smart with coaching, very smart with business stuff. I actually picked up some tips from him for business stuff. He’s a very intelligent guy.”

“Sounds like he went to the well one too many times on this one though, right? He reached a little too far, over stepped his boundaries and now he’s looking like Pete Rose out here. Long story short, James Krause is f*cked. Everything he’s worked for is going down the drain from this. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

AGCO Comments Following Alberta Decision to Reinstate UFC Betting

Following Alberta’s decision to reinstate UFC betting in the province, primarily on PlayAlberta.ca, their counterparts in Ontario released the following statement to Cageside Press.

In an e-mail response Friday to a request for comment, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario wrote that “The AGCO is aware of UFC’s statement last week, and is encouraged by their commitment to integrity. Protecting the betting public by providing the necessary safeguards against risk of insider betting on event and wagering integrity is a high priority to the AGCO. We recognize the steps taken and are committed to engaging with Ontario’s gaming industry, UFC, the OLG, and iGaming Ontario to ensure that the UFC has the necessary betting integrity framework in place, in particular related to wagering ny UFC insiders.”

In short: no reinstatement in Ontario yet, but a step in the right direction. As for the “steps” taken by the UFC, that includes the banning of James Krause and any fighter under him from UFC events — forcing several, including Brandon Moreno, to scramble to find new homes.

Dustin Poirier Undergoes Surgery on Infected Foot

Dustin Poirier has been battling a nasty staph infection, and was recently admitted to hospital, where he was forced to go under the knife after being diagnosed with cellulitis.

Wife Jolie Poirer kept fans posted on the situation, via a post on social media detailing the ordeal and noting that oral antibiotics simply weren’t working.

“For those asking about Dustins foot … he has a bad staph infection that started Saturday, didn’t respond to oral antibiotics & he was unable to walk,” Poirier wrote on Instagram. “Sunday we went into the ER and they admitted him for cellulitis. They released him early Wednesday morning but after a 2nd MRI it showed there was an abscess that needs to be drained. So now he’s back in the hospital for surgery. I’ll post an update once he’s out. Thank you everyone for the kind words and support.”

Poirier, now out of surgery, has been keeping his spirits up, posting several memes of his swollen foot to his Instagram story.

Dana White Says Chandler “Likely” Next for McGregor

The soon-to-return Conor McGregor is “likely” to fight Michael Chandler next, according to UFC President Dana White.

White made the comment in an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

It’s a fan-friendly fight that pits the former UFC champ against a former Bellator champ, both of whom are coming off losses. While there had been calls for a fourth fight with Dustin Poirier, the foot issue reported on above puts that on ice for now. There’s always a Tony Ferguson match-up, but that feels a bit iffy with the streak “El Cucuy” is on. So “Iron” Mike it is.

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Poirier Goes Under the Knife, Ontario UFC Update appeared first on Cageside Press.

Training out of Ohio, Dobson has worked under certifiable legend, Mark Coleman. Having that kind of wealth of knowledge to lean on has been a huge resource for him.

“It’s been amazing. He’s such an inspiration. He has stories for days and he’s been to the top many times,” Dobson said. “So any kind of thing that I’m feeling, any questions I’m unclear about, he always has an answer.”

And it isn’t just questions about fighting that Dobson asks to ‘The Hammer’. Coleman provides the mindset that Dobson needs to know that he’s heading in the right direction.

“Just letting me know that I’m doing the right thing, that I’m on the right path,” he shared of his talks with Coleman. “Days when you come in and don’t feel your best – letting me know that that is normal. He’s just a great person to let me know that everything is all right.”

Having one legend guiding the way would be huge for any fighter, but Dobson has the pleasure of two. Not only does he work closely with Coleman, but Matt Brown serves as another of his coaches. While the former UFC heavyweight champion provides the reassurance he needs, the welterweight legend has shown him how things are done.

“Matt is the one that kind of taught me how to train. He took me to the next level,” he said. “The first big camp that I was ever a part of was his fight against Mike Pyle. It’s the hardest camp I’ve ever been through, but from then to now, he’s taught me how to train, what to do and how to fully immerse myself in the sport.

You can see AJ Dobson look to put all of his accumulated knowledge together this weekend when he fights Arman Petrosyan at UFC 280. That fight will take place on the ESPN+ prelims.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 33:53.

The post UFC 280’s AJ Dobson Shaped by Pair of Legends appeared first on Cageside Press.

It’s your Sunday MMA Quick Hits — let’s go!

Matt Brown Wants Flat Pay in MMA, No More Show/Win Money

With the UFC’s pay scale in the spotlight yet again, “The Immortal” has weighed in on the subject. Matt Brown was in action at UFC Columbus late last month, and with Ohio being one of the few commissions still publicly releasing purse information, questions immediately came up about how little some athletes on the card were making.

Brown’s solution? Forget show and win money, and move to a flat rate model.

“The performance bonus, even though I’ve gotten a few and it’s made my life a lot better, I’m not so much a fan of that,” Brown told The MMA Hour recently. “Again, that’s a subjective thing. I like to take as much subjectiveness out of this as possible. I think that in a perfect world we’d all get a flat pay. There shouldn’t be a show and win.”

As Brown pointed out, he got “half of the pay” at UFC Columbus, in a fight that really had no loser. “Even if they gave it to me — which they should have — and Barberena walks away with half, he didn’t deserve half of his pay. He deserves his whole pay.”

Brown made $105,000 to show for his fight with Bryan Barberena, and the pair each pocketed an extra $50,000 for Fight of the Night. But that means Brown lost out on another $105,000 in win money, for a close fight that ended in a split decision which could have gone either way.

Cage Warriors 136 Produces Crazy KO

Cage Warriors might be best known for producing Conor McGregor, who was a double champ there prior to the UFC, or more recently, Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett. But in reality, the UK promotion is one of the best “regional” shows on the planet.

Cage Warriors 136 in Manchester last weekend was a reminder of that, and produced one heck of a highlight reel KO from Manny Akpan. Check it out below.

🔥 🤯 MANNY AKPAN WITH A HIGHLIGHT REEL KO!
A crazy back and forth fight ends in stunning fashion at #CW136. pic.twitter.com/vkVB9pBVKI

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 2, 2022

Julianna Pena Angling for Rousey Fight?

It’s 2022, Ronda Rousey is now firmly in the WWE “Superstar” portion of her career, has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, and her fighting days are firmly behind her.

So now’s the opportune time to try and lure her into a fight, right?

Julianna Pena appeared to be doing just that on The MMA Hour this past week, taking a few shots at the women’s fighting pioneer, who was an opposing coach on The Ultimate Fighter 18, which saw Pena win the women’s bantamweight tournament.

“Ronda is so old news, right?” Pena proclaimed on the podcast back on Monday. “I think that what’s incredible about her is that she opened up the door and was destroying people in 10 seconds, and became a star because she was demolishing people in the first round, and that’s great — but she got knocked out twice and never came back. So how legit is she?”

Well, legit enough that people including the current UFC women’s bantamweight champ are still talking about her years later. Pena didn’t stop there, claiming that Rousey “had to go to pro wrestling” and suggesting that the two consecutive defeats to end her career “truly bothers her.”

“If it really truly does bother her and if it gets under her skin at the end of the day to know that, you know, her legacy is kind of ruined by the fact that she never came back and never got back on the horse, then I would like to invite her to please come back,” Pena continued, “and if she would like to come back, I would welcome her with open arms.”

Pena appears to be taking this play straight out of The Book of Sonnen, setting up a future opponent before she’s even close to facing her next one (that would be the rematch with Amanda Nunes). The problem here is, there’s almost no likelihood of this fight actually happening, and it just ends up making Pena sound petty. It’s like calling out GSP in 2022. Don’t do it.

The current bantamweight champ went on to call Rousey a sellout.

“That’s what I’m saying, she’s kind of a joke in the MMA world now, because she’s a — what is the word? — sellout,” Pena claimed. “Like, a little bit of a sellout there. I mean, I guess I understand, right? It’s like, pro wrestling is fake, you get paid millions of dollars, I get it. But for me, for real sh*t, for like the ‘you’re the real, real deal,’ I would say that that’s in the UFC. And if she ever wants any of that real smoke, I’m ready.”

Rousey finished her MMA career with a 12-2 record, having defended the women’s bantamweight championship six times (a technicality, as she was awarded the title after joining the UFC as the Strikeforce bantamweight champ). Pena is expected to defend her own title for the first time this summer.

Casey O’Neill Has Something to Say About That

While Ronda Rousey was busy dealing with the fallout from WrestleMania 38 over the weekend, flyweight Casey O’Neill had something to say about Julianna Pena’s digs at the ex-champ.

“A joke? Because she had a few losses and decided to move on with her life? This isn’t how it should be…” O’Neill wrote on social media. “We should be supporting each other as females in this sport… you can have an opinion on someone’s skills but this isn’t it.”

O’Neill would later go on to say “Jealousy & hate are ugly emotions” without specifically referencing Pena.

A joke ? Because she had a few losses and decided to move on with her life ? This isn’t how it should be… we should be supporting each other as females in this sport… you can have an opinion on someone’s skills but this isn’t it. Forever a trailblazer & all she done for females https://t.co/eiSaA8YPAJ

— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) April 4, 2022

Bellator 1, In Full

Bellator MMA recently made its inaugural event available on Youtube, free of charge. The 2009 event that helped launch the promotion featured Eddie Alvarez and Jorge Masvidal, among other names.

PFL Challenger Series Show Under Scrutiny

The PFL Challenger Series has had a bit of a rocky start to it. The Professional Fighters League’s answer to Dana White’s Contender Series has had timing issues, and going behind a paywall on fuboTV wasn’t a super popular decision.

That said, all that really matters are the fights— and when there are fights, fans will bet on them. Unfortunately, one recent Challenger Series show was falsely advertised as airing live, and it has now come under considerable scrutiny.

Per a report by ESPN, the PFL Challenger Series 7 card which aired on April 1, 2022 was actually filmed on March 25. However, both the PFL and fuboTV promoted it as a live event, and as a result, sports betting outlets took bets on the fights. Suspicious betting activity soon raised up red flags — with U.S. Integrity, which monitors betting industry movement, sending an alert to sportsbooks the day after the card had aired advising them that the show was pre-taped.

In its alert, U.S. Integrity wrote that “it’s very possible that any potentially suspicious wagering activity is indicative of nefarious behavior.” The Arizona Department of Gaming is removing the PFL from its wagering catalogue, per the ESPN report, while the Colorado Division of Gaming is investigating. Other regions may follow, including Nevada and New Hampshire, who confirmed to ESPN that they were aware of the situation.

The PFL has not revealed why the show was pre-taped, while fuboTV stated that the Challenger Series was normally streamed live, with the April 1 show being the lone exception.

“We inadvertently used the same promo copy for the April 1 show as we did for previous shows, which was a mistake. We regret the error,” Jennifer Press, senior vice president of communications for fuboTV, said in a statement.

The PFL is not the first promotion to air a show via tape delay, as ONE Championship did so consistently in the early months of the pandemic, something that was not always made abundantly clear in marketing.

Some bettors have now reported that their winnings from the PFL Challenger Series event on April 1 have been rescinded.

Car Jitsu Is A Thing

There’s not much to say about this, other than, it exists. Car Jitsu. Jiu-jitsu in a car, on a frozen lake.

return of carjitsu, this time in the middle of a lake, courtesy of Punch Club #popMMA pic.twitter.com/9YBCoFQWR2

— Matysek (@Matysek88) April 5, 2022

We’re just a small step or two away from Man vs. Car.

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Pena Campaigning for Rousey Fight, PFL Live Event Wasn’t Live After All appeared first on Cageside Press.