Fightful Fix is your one-stop-shop for all of today's biggest combat sports stories — from the speculation on where Yoel Romero will sign to Israel Adesanya's grappling game — conveniently compiled in one place. Take a look below.
Where will Yoel Romero sign?
The speculation around what promotion will sign recently released former UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero is ramping up. Speaking on his ESPN show "DC & Helwani" MMA reporter Ariel Helwani said the following about the current interest level promotions have in the "Soldier of God" and acquiring his services.
"Surprisingly, I'm told Bellator not interested, I'm told PFL not interested," Helwani said. "And so there's RIZIN, there's ONE, there's KSW."
His co-host former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier reacted to Helwani's report with the following.
"It's just surprising to me that there isn't a line, waiting for his services," Cormier responded. "Because I mean, Gegard Mousasi-Yoel Romero in Bellator makes absolute sense, like it's a big fight."
Bellator and PFL are currently not interested in signing free agent Yoel Romero, per @arielhelwani.
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 7, 2020
Where would you like to see The Soldier of God end up? pic.twitter.com/WOEt7CPCYz
But Romero's manager Malki Kawa had a different tone on the interest level in his client. He tweeted out the following, seemingly as a response to Helwani's report.
You guys can believe these reporters if you want to, but you should get your popcorn ready and just wait until I get this deal done. Crazy is an understatement #iluhju
— malki kawa (@malkikawa) December 8, 2020
Lmao what a lie https://t.co/L5o6dN8WYn
— malki kawa (@malkikawa) December 8, 2020
Lawsuit filed against former UFC champion B.J. Penn
The downward spiral for former UFC champion and MMA star B.J. Penn is continuing. According to a report from Combate's Evelyn Rodrigues, a Brazilian woman Camila Amado has filed a paternity lawsuit against Penn. She claims she met Penn in September of 2018 while he was training with the Nova Uniao camp in Rio de Janeiro and then flew to Hawaii in January of 2019 to spend time with "The Prodigy" where after she became pregnant.
“The last straw was having my daughter turn one year old,“ Amado said (h/t MMAFighting). “She only has my name on her birth certificate. He was always in touch with me, but always promises he would do what is right for her.”
Adesanya wants opponents to start taking him down
Current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is regarded as one of, if not the best striker in the entire sport. Well, he recently told MMAFighting that he hopes his opponents start actually get him down the mat, so he can start choking people out.
“I hope they start shooting on me more cause I want to choke somebody out,” Adesanya told MMA Fighting recently. “I mean people were shooting on me at the beginning of my UFC career, and then they realized, ‘We can’t be doing that, fuck it let’s strike, oh we can’t do that [either].’”
BKFC interested in Yoel Romero
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship promotion is apparently very interested in signing former UFC middleweight Yoel Romero and view him as a perfect fit. BKFC President David Feldman spoke with BJPenn.com recently about the potential addition of Romero.
“We are very interested. How could we not be? He has BKFC written all over him. He would be a welcomed addition, we will see if we can make it happen,” Feldman said.
Figueiredo expects easier weight cut before UFC 256
Current UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo returns to action this Saturday at UFC 256 when he defends his title against Brandon Moreno. Speaking with MMAFighting, Figueiredo talked about how the weight cut to 125 pounds should be easier this time around and expects to finish Moreno early.
“I’m having a special attention (in Las Vegas’ UFC Performance Institute), and you can be sure I’ll make weight much easier (than before), god willing,” Figueiredo said in the interview. “I’ll be ready and on weight to put on another show for the Brazilian fans on Dec. 12.”
“(Moreno) will be submitted,” Figueiredo said. “I’ll take him down and submit him. First-round. He’s not a man to fight two rounds.”
Canelo opens as a heavy favorite over Smith ahead of December 19 clash
Arguably boxing's biggest star Saul "Canelo" Alvarez returns to the ring on December 19 to face current WBA (Super) and Ring magazine super-middleweight champion Callum Smith. Ahead of the clash between the two, "Canelo" is being listed as a heavy favorite. Odds.com's Adam Martin provided some of the early lines from WilliamHill for the fight.
WBA SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT
CANELO ALVAREZ
CALLUM SMITH
to Win Outright
-550
+500
to Win Inside the Distance
-110
+535
to Win by Decision
+200
+15,000
Total
Over 9.5 (-120)
Under (+125)
Fight Goes Distance
Yes (+150)
No (-165)
Boxing Odds via WilliamHill (Updated 12/7, 5:00 PM EST)
Horiguchi talks Kape, Harrison and Figueiredo
Former Bellator and RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi returns to action on New Year's Eve at RIZIN 26 against Kai Asakura, where he will try to get back the title he had to vacate in 2019 after suffering a torn ACL and damaged meniscus. He sat down with Drake Riggs of BROADENED HORIZIN about his return and several other topics.
Horiguchi on Manel Kape in the UFC:
"I think he needs to work on his wrestling more to be able to leave some good results in the UFC. But I can't deny that he's probably going to put out some exciting fights. Manel's a pretty big guy so I think the weight cut is going to affect him pretty well. But that's my thought, it all depends on that weight cut because he's a big guy."
Horiguchi on UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo:
"He's had some fantastic performances and he's been able to finish the fight in the early rounds. So he's got the capability to finish the fight which is a really good thing, but I would be interested to see him fight in the later rounds, the championship rounds. That's something I would like to see."
Horiguchi on training with Kayla Harrison:
"Kayla's a very funny person, and she talks a lot. She almost talks too much. So when I describe us training, it's more like we joke around and mess around more than we train seriously. I mean, obviously, we do train seriously when we have to, but it's mostly a lot of messing around."
Jon Jones feeling recharged with new move to heavyweight
Former UFC light heavyweight champion and perennial pound-for-pound king Jon Jones is feeling motivated ahead of his debut at heavyweight. Speaking with ESPN's Marc Raimondi, "Bones" talked about the decision to move to heavyweight and why it excites him.
“The light heavyweight division was fun, but I just wasn’t scared of those guys anymore,” Jones said (h/t BJPenn.com). “Like, none of them. And I think it showed in some of my performances. Obviously, I still trained hard. But there was no urgency in some of my last fights."
“With these next guys I’m going to be going up against, I respect these guys," he adds. "These guys are intimidating — they’re intimidating as shit. It just gets me up in a whole different way.”
Kevin Holland sends request to "Jacare" ahead of UFC 256
UFC middleweight Kevin Holland has had as good of 2020 as any fighter and will look to end the year on a high note at UFC 256 when he faces off against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. Speaking during the UFC Countdown show, Holland made one request to the former Strikeforce Middleweight champion for their fight this weekend.
“If we stand and bang we can get one more bonus. So just don’t go out there and try and lay and pray, baby, haha,” Kevin Holland said on UFC Countdown (h/t BJPenn.com). “Go out there with that action.”
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