That mutual support was necessary during their teenage years when their parents, who have always backed their football dreams, divorced.

While living with their father they were forced to use their initiative on the streets of Freetown to make ends meet.

“Things were hard for us at some points,” Alusine said.

“My brother and I decided to do something just to survive while going to school.

“We were fetching water, putting it into jerrycans and selling it to people in our community. We were also going around collecting used [scrap] iron and sold it.”

According to Alhassan, their bond has been key to their football careers – which were largely spent together until Alhassan moved to a Qatari club last year.

“We love each other so much that we never wanted to be separated,” he explained.

“When a Spanish club, Real Balompedica Linense, wanted to sign me in 2019 I told them that I would only accept their offer on the condition that they also signed my twin brother.

“They told me to sign the contract and assured me that my brother would join me in Spain a few months later – which he did.”

Key moments in their careers have been shared, with the brothers making their first senior appearances, top-flight bows and international debuts in the same games.

Years of playing together has forged an innate understanding on the pitch.

“I can read his mind and he can read mine,” insisted Alusine.

“When I have the ball my brother knows what I’ll do with it and what he should do, so the first person I look out for to give a pass is him.

“We’re protective of each other too. When one is fouled by an opponent the other gets concerned.

“We’ve been fighting for each other since childhood and the pitch is not an exception.”

Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2024) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the five-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.

With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.

***

Sean Gauci

Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich – DWCS 75

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Weight class: Flyweight
Result: Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: B

Summary: Setting the tone for the night was a technical scrap between Sean Gauci and Anthony Drilich.

I’m not beyond rewarding fighters who go to a decision with an A, but there wasn’t enough output and action to get there for me. That said, it was a shame that Gauci didn’t get consideration come contract time given that he was one of the most complete fighters to compete on the entire card.

I know Dana White has gotten everyone (including myself when it comes to winner grades) to associate quick finishes with good performances, but those two things are far from mutually exclusive.

Unfortunately for Gauci, he claimed to have broken his hand early in the second frame and couldn’t make a case as strong as he would like.

It’s a shame that the UFC flew out two Australian talents who could’ve just fought on the regionals (especially given the flyweight grading curb), but I hope that Gauci and Drilich get serious consideration from the UFC matchmakers down the road.

Islam Dulatov

Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes – DWCS 75

Weight class: Welterweight
Result: Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes via knockout (elbow) – Round 1, 2:44
Grade: A

Summary: After turning the cage into a cartoon dust storm, it was hard to deny Islam Dulatov anything short of an A for his knockout over Vanilto Antunes.

As his record indicates, Dulatov is a fighter accustomed to getting things done early.

Dulatov, like other fast starters, such as Conor McGregor, appears to have the ability to lock in straight out of the gate regarding his reads on distance and openings.

Although it can be hard to tell given his enthusiasm and work rate, Dulatov appears to have solid technique and a diverse striking arsenal from which to draw. Dulatov also owns multiple submissions on his record, so I’m curious to see more of him against stiffer competition.

Signing the Chechnya-born German was a no-brainer for Dana White, so don’t be surprised to see Dulatov featured on an international card early next year.

I’m not sure who they’ll book Dulatov with, but I suspect he’d be the perfect dance partner for someone like Danny Barlow.

Mario Pinto

Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho – DWCS 75

Weight class: Heavyweight
Result: Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho via knockout (left hook) – Round 1,
Grade: A

Summary: Even though it was a quick outing, it’s difficult to deny Mario Pinto an easy A for his knockout over Lucas Comacho.

Both men seemed to be somewhat shakey at first given the height and length parity at play, but Pinto was able to be the more composed of the two by staying behind his lead hand. And once Pinto was able to establish his range, the native of Portugal smartly hooked off his jab to catch Camacho coming in.

I obviously want to see way more of Pinto before making any bold declarations, but not even I can argue with a heavyweight who actually jabs.

Considering Dane White’s Vince McMahon-like adulation for huge men, seeing Pinto get promptly signed came as no surprise to me. As far as his first assignment goes, I think Thomas “Jefferson” Peterson would be the perfect matchup to test Pinto in his promotional debut.

Kody Steele

Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair – DWCS 75

Weight class: Lightweight
Result: Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:07
Grade: A

Summary: Bodyshot stoppages equal instant A’s for me, so it should be no surprise that Kody Steele gets the proverbial rubber stamp from myself and the UFC brass alike.

Looking like the second coming of Rick Story, Steele – who comes from a grappling base – showed steady pressure and bodywork en route to wearing down Blair.

In Blair’s defense, he did take the fight on a short turnaround from a fight he won in late September, so I hope to see him again on a full camp.

Steele appears ready to meet the usual standard signed for this show, but I can’t help but worry about his propensity to keep his head upright and on center in exchanges. That said, I expect solid fight-to-fight improvements from Steele, given his age and the camp he trains at.

I’m happy to see Steele get signed considering the fallout he endured during this season and wouldn’t be shocked to see him paired with someone like Mitch Ramirez for his first UFC assignment.

Artem Vakhitov

Artem Vakhitov def. Islem Masraf – DWCS 75

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Weight class: Light heavyweight
Result: Artem Vakhitov def. Islem Masraf via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:23
Grade: A

Summary: Despite starting off a bit shaky, I felt like Artem Vakhitov showed enough in his first-round finish over Islem Masraf to earn an A from me.

When you consider that Vakhitov only recently came over from kickboxing (only having two professional MMA fights prior to this), then I feel like we should temper our expectations when it comes to both the Russian’s style and ceiling.

The clinch is quietly the most important space for strikers coming into this sport, so seeing Vakhitov gravitate toward this phase of the fight isn’t the worst thing in the world (although I suspect he was only doing it to quiet the chaos and reduce win conditions for his opponent).

So long as Vakhitov can avoid pulling his opponent on top of him like he briefly did in this bout, then I expect his competence in closed quarters to only improve from fight to fight. That said, I suspect that the UFC will be careful with how they book Vakhitov, considering his history with Alex Pereira (who apparently played a role in his former foe’s signing).

I feel bad for Yousri Belgouri, who now trains with Pereira and still didn’t get this treatment in his two swings at bat on the Contender Series, but I wasn’t surprised to see Vakhitov get the nod from Dana White and company. For my money, don’t be shocked to see Vakhitov paired up with someone like Ivan Erslan for his UFC debut.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 74.

Francis Ngannou is not looking to get into another back-and-forth with UFC CEO Dana White over the semantics of his choice to leave the promotion.

As the three-year anniversary of Ngannou’s final octagon appearance approaches, the former UFC heavyweight champion doesn’t have a sliver of doubt that he made the right call leaving the company behind. Since then, Ngannou has achieved his dream of competing in professional boxing after a pair of significant bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua that figure to have cashed in big paydays.

There was a point in time when White said Ngannou would never get what he wanted in the boxing world by parting ways with the UFC, especially after he left an offer on the table to be the highest paid heavyweight in UFC history. More recently, White said the idea that boxing provides greater paydays than what’s possible in the UFC is “a myth,” and he knows for “a fact” that Ngannou was offered more money to stay in UFC because he knows the “real numbers” that others don’t.

Ngannou can only scoff at White’s comments and cautioned the public to not buy into the narrative peddled by the UFC boss.

“Personally at this point, it’s been a while since I’ve taken anything from Dana White as credible,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “I don’t give any importance because the things that he says a lot of times cannot make sense. But just for this statement, I will say for everything that I left the UFC for – every single thing – I have had more. Way more. Everything. Name it. Just say I have had everything way more, just for the reference.”

Ngannou (17-3) did not get the results he wanted in the boxing ring as he lost a controversial decision to Fury in October 2022 despite knocking him down and then suffered a brutal knockout loss to Joshua in March. Now Ngannou is about to begin the second chapter of his MMA career as he’s set to make his long-awaited PFL debut when he takes on Renan Ferreira (13-3) in the “Battle of the Giants” main event Oct. 19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+ pay-per-view, DAZN).

Although Ngannou doesn’t have the UFC platform behind him, he is happy with his life. He does not regret a single business decision he has made from the time of his UFC exit to today. Because of that, all of White’s statements are irrelevant to him.

“I’m very comfortable,” Ngannou said. “To this day, I fight because I love fighting. I don’t fight because I need to pay bills or because I need to pay debts. I don’t fight because I need to make a living. I fight because I want to. I can say, ‘OK, I’m out.’ And I will be good. And it would be the last time that you see me.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Jake Paul may not be the most popular person in the world but nobody can knock his business savvy.

While most fighters are struggling to pay their bills when turning professional, the 27-year-old Ohio native was raking in multi-millions for his first three fights in the sport. It was actually after he met former UFC chief financial officer Nakisa Bidarian — who ended up as his partner in Most Valuable Promotions — that he found out his true worth as a combat sports athlete.

“I saw a unique opportunity to create a direct-to-consumer relationship within fight sports,” Bidarian told The Hollywood Reporter about his plans for Paul after the pair first met.

Bidarian went onto produce the pay-per-view card that featured Paul’s next opponent Mike Tyson in an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. The event also featured Paul taking on former NBA star Nate Robinson on the undercard.

Appearing on the Tyson card was a calculated maneuver with Bidirian revealing that Paul ended up making $1 million for the fight — six times less than what he made for his professional debut against fellow social media influencer AnEsonGib.

The gamble paid off.

“I said, ‘Listen, this is what makes sense for this event, but I promise you, if you perform well, your next payday will be at least eight figures,’” Bidarian said. “We turned that into an over $10 million guarantee for his next fight [against Ben Askren].”

The hefty paydays were obviously nice, but Bidarian says that was just a very small piece to a much bigger puzzle that he was building after he started working with Paul.

Recognizing Paul’s appeal to a younger audience — an audience that had largely drifted away from boxing and started paying more attention to MMA through organizations like the UFC — Bidarian seized on the opening.

“Jake’s and my focus has been generating interest in Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the sport of boxing,” Bidarian said.. “And if you look at all the statistics, boxing is one of the fastest growing sports for Gen Alpha, by far. Jake’s had a large part to play in that. If you ask a lot of kids — age 6 to 16 — who’s the best boxer in the world, their answer is Jake Paul.”

As for his upcoming fight against Tyson on Nov. 15., Paul predicted viewership figures around 25 million thanks to the event airing on Netflix without a pay-per-view price attached with the streamer currently boasting over 270 million subscribers worldwide.

During a pre-fight press conference to promote the fight, Paul let it slip how much he’s making to face the former heavyweight boxing champion who turned 58 in June.

“I’m here to make 40 million dollars and knock out a legend,” Paul said in August.

Considering the gaudy figures just around those four fights, Paul’s next business venture doesn’t sound all that crazy.

While his focus remains boxing and continuing to build Most Valuable Promotions, Paul hopes to one day own an NFL team — just not his hometown Cleveland Browns.

“The Browns have a curse — so then I end up drifting to the [Kansas City] Chiefs, Paul said. “Travis Kelce, he’s from Cleveland, so I’m a fan.”

Five of the 12 current WSL teams play in the capital – Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Tottenham and West Ham – while London City Lionesses moved to Hayes Lane in the summer, home of men’s League Two club Bromley, in the summer.

London City Lionesses have also relocated their training facilities to Aylesford in Kent, and Zubizarreta believes the club’s set-up is worthy of top-tier football.

“If you only invest in players but not staff or facilities it doesn’t make sense. It has to be at the same level,” he said.

“The facilities we have are impressive. The first time I arrived at the training centre, I know all the ones in Spain and it’s much better than even the training centre of Barcelona. Any player can be attracted to this environment.

“We need to put everything in the correct place, but we want to invest and give the first team very good facilities so they can improve, and the correct space for the academy to work with the young girls who at the beginning only want to play football.

“Let’s see if we can bring some of them to the first team.”

Daniel Cormier has mapped out a path for how Alex Pereira can become the greatest UFC fighter of all time.

Pereira has now defended his UFC light heavyweight title three times in the span of seven months, most recently with a brutal fourth-round TKO of Khalil Rountree this past Saturday at UFC 307. Pereira, who also held the UFC middleweight title, now has as many title defenses as Cormier did at 205 pounds.

Cormeir said winning a third UFC title could separate Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) from the pack.

“Pereira is in the conversation for the greatest of all time,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “Not yet quite the greatest, but if he can somehow win a fight at heavyweight, compete for the championship, or continue to defend this belt at light heavyweight, I don’t know that you can even question it.

“This is a man who became the middleweight champ, has defended the light heavyweight championship. He was never a real middleweight, though. He was so big that it’s easy to see how Izzy (Adesanya) got him the second time after he won the belt. …This dude is special. He’s very special.”

Cormier revealed that Pereira and his team contemplated pulling out of the fight after “Poatan” was dealing with a slew of injuries. So with Pereira deciding to fight and putting on a memorable performance, Cormier said the sky is the limit for him now.

“I believe he can do whatever he wants at this point, because he’s got a lot of goodwill with the organization right now,” Cormier said. “Pereira was hurt, too. I was talking to his manager and his coach after the fight, and they said they told the UFC, ‘We’re going to go to Salt Lake, and we’re going to try and train, but we may pull out.’ The UFC said to him, ‘That would suck, but let us know how it goes because we have two title fights, and we’ll elevate one if that’s what we need to do.’

“The goodwill you gain from the organization when you do that is unbelievable. So, if he did go into the offices of Dana, Hunter and those guys, and go, ‘I would like to fight Tom Aspinall for the interim championship’ – those actions that he showed last weekend leads to you receiving those types of opportunities. The world is really his oyster in terms of what he can do next, if he so chooses to try a fight up at heavyweight. But for me, it’s fight Ankalaev. Right now, you’ve got to fight Ankalaev if he gets through Rakic.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.