MMA

CANELO ALVAREZ and Billy Joe Saunders are on course to sell out the full 60,000 capacity at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Canelo unifies his WBA and WBC belts with Saunders’ WBO crown on May 8 in Texas.
UFC president Dana White, Billy Joe Saunders and Eddie Hearn
Dallas Cowboys Stadium which will host Canelo Alvarez against Billy Joe SaundersCredit: Getty
With no coronavirus restrictions, promoter Eddie Hearn revealed plans to pack out the place, with 60,000 tickets almost sold.
Hearn told Yahoo Sports: “We got another six or seven thousand to go, and thankfully, we were allowed 80,000 for the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, so we’re going to be at full capacity.”
Saunders, 31, is already in America training for the fight, and visited the UFC’s Performance Institute.
There, himself and Hearn were pictured with UFC president Dana White, an avid boxing fan.
Saunders comes into the fight having boxed just once in the last 12 months, retiring Martin Murray, 38, in a title defence.
Canelo on the other hand is preparing for his third, having won the belts against Callum Smith, 30, in December, before beating Avni Yildirim, 29, two months ago.
But the Mexican superstar, 30, is admittedly gearing up for a whole new challenge in Saunders, who is unbeaten in 30 fights.
Canelo said: “He moves really well, he’s fast, he knows how to box, and that’s why I’m training.
How the two stars shape-up head-to-headCredit: The Sun
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“That’s why I’m training, I know how to deal with that. I know it’s going to be a difficult fight, especially in the first rounds, and I’m getting ready for that.
“Yes, it’s different; you have to work the fight differently, and you have to be patient.
“You have to wait around round by round, but you also have to win them.
“And you can get them in the first round, eighth round, or the tenth rounds, but I’m not the same fighter I was in 2014.
“I have more experience, and I think that’ll benefit me.”
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LOGAN PAUL admitted his brother Jake’s decision to call out Conor McGregor in an X-rated rant was ‘f***ing dumb’. Jake hit the headlines in December after he branded McGregor an ‘Irish c***’ and claimed to have sent him a $50million fight offer.
Jake Paul pictured with his big brother Logan
Even big brother Logan – who faces McGregor’s former opponent Floyd Mayweather this year – was left shocked by the video.
And he feared Jake, 24, went too far by going after ex-UFC champion McGregor – who has 19 knockouts in 22 wins.
Logan, 26, said on his podcast at the time: “I love Jake, obviously, but this one is f***ing dumb. Sorry, sorry, this one is f***ing dumb, dude.”
As Mayweather, 44, beat McGregor, 32, in their 2017 boxing match, Logan was asked why he objects to Jake fighting the loser of that bout.
And he responded: “Conor McGregor is a southpaw, he’s bigger than Floyd Mayweather, he’s younger than Floyd Mayweather.
“He’s way active. I understand what you’re saying, so did everyone else, but he’s just a precision striker, knockout artist.
“Floyd is not. He’s just not. He’s older, every day he gets older, every day I get better.
“I understand the discrepancy between us.”
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Logan was set to face Mayweather in February, but it has been postponed to allow fans to attend.
The internet sensation lost his pro debut last year by split-decision to social media rival KSI – real name Olajide William Olatunji.
But his little brother Jake has won his first two bouts, empathically knocking out retired NBA player Nate Robinson, 36, in November.
He fights ex-UFC welterweight Ben Askren, 36, next on Saturday, his third professional bout.
Jake Paul fights Ben Askren in his third pro boutCredit: Getty More

BEN ASKREN threatened to choke Jake Paul out in their boxing match – before the YouTuber claimed his purse would be forfeited by using MMA tactics. Askren faces Paul on Saturday night, his first fight since retiring from the UFC in 2019 and undergoing hip surgery.
Ben Askren threatened to choke Jake Paul out in their boxing match
Jake Paul warned Ben Askren will forfeit his purse if he uses MMA tacticsCredit: Getty
In the open workout, he got his coach in a guillotine and said he would do the same to Paul if fans could raise enough money to cover the cost of a potential penalty.
Askren said: “One of you guys can start a GoFundMe – how much would you give me to choke Jake Paul out with a guillotine?
“If the number’s bigger than my purse, maybe I’ll do it.”
Paul, 24, was asked about Askren, 36, potentially using his old tricks in the ring, but the social media star warned it would come at a cost.
He told MMA Junkie: “So a couple of answers to that question, the first one being I don’t think the fight will last long enough for him to even think about taking me down.
“The second being if he does do something like that, his purse is eliminated in the bout agreement.
“So if he wants to lose all the money for the fight, then sure, then go ahead.
“The third thing is, I’m beating him up in Asics Aggressors which are wrestling shoes, so he’s going to get beat up in wrestling shoes, which I think is hilarious.”
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Despite Paul’s stern caution, Askren simply responded on Twitter: “This is false.”
Matt Woodruff, the executive director of the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, revealed he was not aware of any potential penalties in their contracts.
He told MMA Fighting: “Obviously, Ben is a former MMA fighter, so we’ll have a conversation with him in the locker room to note that it’s boxing, and there will be no takedowns.
“But in terms of sanctions or anything Jake has said, nothing has been relayed to us.
“We’ll have a rules meeting with all the fighters individually before the fight.”
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FRANK MIR has vowed to learn from the mistakes Conor McGregor made against Floyd Mayweather when he trades the cage for the ring. Mir faces boxer Steve Cunningham on Saturday, with Jake Paul and Ben Askren headlining the night, exclusively on FITE in the UK.
UFC legend and former heavyweight champion Frank MirCredit: Getty
Conor McGregor was beaten by Floyd Mayweather in 2017Credit: Getty Images – Getty
The last time an ex-UFC champion crossed over to the ring, McGregor lost to all-time great Mayweather in ten rounds.
Throughout the build-up, the Irishman warned that fans would be in for an unprecedented performance, armed with unpredictability.
In reality, McGregor boxed very conventionally and with success, winning the early rounds before tiring late on and getting stopped on his feet.
But Mir, who twice won UFC gold, promised he will ditch traditional boxing tactics to leave even 39-fight veteran Cunningham bemused.
He told SunSport: “Trying to change into a boxer would be a mistake, how am I going to become a boxer in eight weeks? It’s impossible
“But we do hands in MMA and we do throw punches but there’s a foundation in boxing and the intricacies and different styles in MMA can throw off a lot of boxers.
“I’ve seen it where I’ve gone to gyms, my style is awkward for the conventional boxer to fight, it’s just different.
“You saw at times Conor do that, he took angles and footwork from MMA and got it on Mayweather but he kind of got behind him and showboated.

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“Those are the mistakes he made and we’re going to learn from. I’ll use the different angles, attacks and strategies that we use in MMA.
“I’m also going to make sure I hurt him when I’m in those positions, take advantage.”
Mir, 41, left the UFC in 2017 before signing for rivals Bellator, where he lost his first two fights before returning with a win in 2019.
He is one of the most experienced campaigners on the roster, but was forced to start from the bottom as he signed to make his boxing debut with Triller.
Mir was initially set to face American legend Antonio Tarver, 52, before Cunningham, 44, was instead brought in as a replacement.
The transitioning of sports at his age has caused Mir to knock out any complacency he had while in the prime of his MMA career.
He admitted: “All humans are great at bulls***ing themselves. Where my bulls*** came from I always knew I was smarter than any guy I fought.
“So I’d be like I know more about fighting than the guy I’m fighting, so I could be like, ‘Oh, I’ll skip this session’.
Steve Cunningham and Frank Mir fight on Jake Paul’s undercardCredit: Getty
Steve Cunningham was brought in as a replacement for Antonio TarverCredit: Getty
“It was an arrogance, now I’m fighting in a boxing match, now I’m not the smarter one so I have to be in better shape, do the basics, be razor sharp and not make mistakes.”
Mir has backed Askren’s experience to trump Paul’s youth and finer skills in the night’s main-event, predicting a points win for the Olympic wrestler.
But he has opened the door to one day fighting 24-year-old YouTuber star Paul, so long as they can figure out a way around the weight disparity.
Mir said: “I don’t know if they would make that work, because that’s a lot of size difference, but yeah I’d definitely be up for it.
“Just because it’s a great way to go out on big platforms as martial artists. The more people we can fight in front of, the more of a showcase it is.
“All athletes and performers like to go out in front of a crowd because it’s like that’s our true payday.
“Yeah we get paid and there’s a monetary value but really having people value our accomplishments is truly one of the big payments fighters are looking for.
“So fighting on a big stage with an opponent that can bring that crowd and displaying your skills is the ultimate gift.”
Frank Mir left the UFC in 2017 and signed for Bellator
Jake Paul is 2-0 in his boxing careerCredit: Instagram More

BEN ASKREN – who fights Jake Paul this weekend – was on the wrong end of the fastest knockout in UFC history against Jorge Masvidal. The welterweight pair fought at UFC 239 in July 2019 after a bitter build-up, but no one could have foreseen the dramatic early stoppage.

Jorge Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren in just five secondsCredit: Getty – Contributor
Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee was the fastest KO in UFC historyCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Within just five seconds, Masvidal had run across the cage and planted a flying knee on Askren, before landing two more shots on the deck.
The unprecedented finish surpassed the previous record for quickest KO held by Duane Ludwig, which was six seconds.
Askren, 39, went on to have one more fight in the UFC after his unwanted history-making defeat.
But again, it resulted in a loss to Damian Maia and afterwards the American grappler retired and underwent hip surgery.
Askren appeared content on the sidelines, coaching wrestling, until he signed to fight YouTuber Paul, who is 2-0 in his boxing career.
The pair headline this Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Paul, 24, trained with Masvidal, 36, in preparation and predicted he would top the UFC star’s finish.
Askren has been reminded about the knee in the pre-fight press conference, with Masvidal even getting a FaceTime on stage.
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Jake Paul FaceTiming Jorge MasvidalCredit: Getty

The former Olympian admitted he is not bothered about the KO, but slammed his old rival for backing Paul.
Askren told James Lynch: “I think, either way, it’s bad. I mean, people aren’t digging it whatsoever.
“He just looks like a dope. He really, really, really does. I don’t know what he’s doing. I don’t get it. I think it’s annoying.
“I have no issue with the fact that I got beat by a knee, and hey, that’s part of my life. I live it. I’m not embarrassed by it.”

Jorge Masvidal and Jake Paul training togetherCredit: Instagram / @jakepaul More