PFL’s big weekend is finally here!

This Saturday, PFL Superfights: Battle of the Giants takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, headlined by a lineal heavyweight title fight between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira. The card also features a number of other marque matchups, including Cris Cyborg taking on Larissa Pacheco, and AJ McKee facing Paul Hughes. On top of that, there’s also another UFC APEX card this week so No Bets barred is back to break it all down.

This week, host Jed Meshew is joined by his Watch Party co-host Mike Heck to dive into all the MMA action this weekend. Topics discussed include Ferreira’s chance to pull off the upset, Cyborg vs. Pacheco, other big fights from PFL, the UFC Vegas 99 main event between Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira, plus much more.

Tune in for episode 104 of No Bets Barred.

New episodes of the No Bets Barred podcast drop every Wednesday and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts. The latest episode can be heard below.

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It seems the wheels are spinning on a potential UFC event in New Orleans.

During a September meeting of the Louisiana State Boxing & Wrestling Commission, members discussed how the UFC was interested in heading to New Orleans sometime in 2025, according to state records obtained by MMA Junkie.

The commission also indicated that the event, should it happen, could occur in the first quarter of the year and feature Dustin Poirier.

However during an interview Wednesday with Uncrowned, Poirier seemed to indicate the event might not happen until later in the year.

Poirier, 35, looks to bounce back from a failed title bid vs. Islam Makahchev in June. He teased a potential retirement after that fight, but it appears new life has been breathed into his career with a potential Louisiana send-off.

“Just how this thing unfolds, we’ll see when I do retire,” Poirier said. “It could be uno mas, it could be dos mas. I had a good meeting at the UFC headquarters. I was out there with Celsius at a trade show and I had a good meeting. So I could come back. My goal is to get a fight and an event here in Louisiana, whether that’s Lafayette, Louisiana or New Orleans. I want to lay the gloves down where I started fighting. That’s my goal.

“Just opponent availability, what makes sense. Behind the scenes, and people don’t understand this, these shows are booked a year in advance. I think a week ago, we were speaking about it, and he was already booked with pay-per-views through August. It’s hard to just throw things together last second. It takes a lot of planning. There are a lot of moving parts with these big UFC events. But my goal is to take my gloves off in Louisiana and retire at home.”

Random tidbit I came across. Louisiana state records say its commission recently discussed how the #UFC is considering bringing a PPV event to New Orleans. Perhaps a Dustin Poirier homecoming? pic.twitter.com/pkdiIYw4Ek

— Nolan King (@mma_kings) October 15, 2024

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Should the UFC touch down in Louisiana, it’ll be the ninth time the state has hosted the promotion overall – but the first since a Dan Henderson vs. Tim Boestch-headlined card in June 2015.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — MMA Fighting’s José Youngs caught up with PFL analyst and former UFC star Dan Hardy to discuss the PFL: Battle of the Giants main event, if the winner is the best heavyweight in mixed martial arts, his favorite fight on the card, and how MMA has evolved.

Diego Lopes may or may not find himself in a UFC championship fight later this month.

The fan-favorite Brazilian will serve as the official backup for the UFC featherweight title fight between champion Ilia Topuria and former champ Max Holloway on Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. This means Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has been training and will weigh in for the bout, just in case either headliner is forced to withdraw from the bout.

So who would Lopes rather face in an ideal scenario: Topuria or Holloway?

“I definitely would rather fight with Ilia for the undisputed title. That would be amazing,” Lopes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “We’ve also really analyzed everything. We’ve sat down to analyze both fighters. People might take this the wrong way and say, ‘No, I don’t believe him,’ but I think for me, a fight against Topuria would be a better matchup for my style.

“It’s a fight that suits me. Against Max, it’s a fight where we have to mount a more complex strategy with no errors. With Topuria, as well, I’m not saying no, but I think against him things would be more favorable because I like to exchange and clash, and I hit hard. I’m capable of knocking out people. And since Ilia throws with everything and I throw with everything, we can say it’s a shootout and let’s see who falls first. So the fight against Ilia definitely suits more my style.”

Lopes previously told MMA Junkie that his dream fight would be against Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). However, under this scenario, if he were to fight Holloway it would likely be for an interim title, given that Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is the champion. This makes a potential fight with Topuria a better choice.

Lopes’ services won’t be needed if both fighters make weight and stay on course. If the fight does go down, Lopes sides with the former champion.

“I’m still giving an edge to Holloway due to all the experience he has in that octagon and all the fighters he’s faced,” Lopes said. “He’s also never been knocked out, but we know anything can happen, and Ilia has power in his hands. However, I’m still giving the advantage to Max.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Real Madrid prioritise signing Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool and Man City chase Nicolo Barella, Arsenal monitor Benjamin Sesko.

Real Madrid have made Liverpool and England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, 26, a priority target. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Liverpool and Manchester City are interested in Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella, 27, but the Italy midfielder is also on the radar of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Arsenal are following the progress of Red Bull Salzburg and Slovenia forward Benjamin Sesko, 21, as they begin to plan for next summer’s transfer window. (Football London), external

Crystal Palace are not willing to entertain any offers for 26-year-old Senegal forward Ismaila Sarr in January. (Football Insider), external

Manchester United have added Turkey boss and former Italy striker Vincenzo Montella, 50, to their shortlist of potential candidates to replace Dutch boss Erik ten Hag, 54, at Old Trafford. (Ajansspor – in Turkish), external

Ten Hag will have to oversee an immediate improvement in results and performances at Manchester United if he is to keep his job beyond the next international break. (Mirror), external

Manchester United are lining up midfield replacements for Denmark international Christian Eriksen, 32, as well as Brazil international Casemiro, 32. (Football Insider), external

United are also clear favourites to sign Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 27, if he leaves Barcelona next summer. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Real Madrid are considering a January move for 18-year-old England youth international Josh Acheampong, with Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham also interested in the Chelsea right-back. (Independent), external