Former two-division ONE Championship titleholder de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his anticipated entry to promotion when he takes on all-time middleweight finishes and submissions record holder Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) at the UFC Apex (ESPN+).
“Finally, after all these years of talking about the top guys, to finally be close to getting them is very cool,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 247 media day. “The most important this is Gerald first. It’s a very cool matchup. It’s cool that it’s here. … Let’s see what I can do.”
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At 34, time is of the essence for de Ridder. He said he feels fresh and healthy after lots of time off during his final years under the ONE Championship banner, and is keen to “make up for lost time” now that he’s in the UFC.
In order to get the opportunities he wants, though, de Ridder knows he can’t scrape by with a win. He needs to do something emphatic against Meerschaert, and that is exactly his intentions.
“A win is not enough – the top dogs finished Gerald and I want to prove I’m one of them,” de Ridder said. “To be honest, if I can ever get close to one of the records he holds, it would be amazing. So cool to see him fight, I’ve always watched his fights and that’s a great thing for this fight as well. There’s so much tape to study. He has so much fights. He has a really difficult style.
“The ways he finishes fights, there’s a few things he’s very dangerous at, there’s a few things he does that I think I can really capitalize as well. But it’s a great matchup. I’m very happy that they’ve given me him for my first fight because he’s a veteran, he’s a real name and I think if I can put a stamp on this one, I have some leverage to start calling out some bigger names.”
For years, UFC CEO Dana White has teased adding boxing to his promotional portfolio. Despite recent bullish comments on diving into the sport, the UFC owners do not currently share the same vision.
In September, during a Q&A before Callum Walsh’s boxing fight against Przemyslaw Runowski, which aired on UFC Fight Pass, White said he was working toward “big announcements” with his boxing involvement.
“If you know anything about me and you go back and look at anything that I’ve ever said, I never say anything that I don’t do – ever,” White said. “I’ve never said (something I don’t do), and we’ve been kicking the whole boxing thing around for a long time. You’ve never heard me commit and say, ‘I’m in.’ I’m in.”
Aside from the UFC, White has been busy in recent years with different ventures. He has launched Dana White’s Contender Series, which offers regional MMA fighters the opportunity to earn a UFC contract, and a slap fighting league named Power Slap.
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Wednesday, during a quarterly earnings call, TKO Group Holdings president and CEO Mark Shapiro shared his thoughts on White’s desire to jump into boxing.
“First of all, some off-the-cuff comments from Dana White do not translate into a strategy that we’re communicating to the street,” Shapiro said in a quote transcribed by MMA Fighting. “Dana says a lot of things and has a lot of passions and that’s why we love him. He’s also the best promoter the sport of MMA, and frankly if it was boxing, has or will ever see.
“What I can tell you is boxing at its best is confused and fragmented. At its worst, it’s broken. We think the sport presents an interesting growth opportunity for us. Dana White, and I should mention (WWE president) Nick Khan, have deep expertise and longstanding relationships in what they call the sweet science, otherwise known as boxing. If we were to get involved in boxing, we would expect to do so in an organic way, not (mergers and acquisitions) way. So, i.e., we’re not writing a check. If we launched the vertical at any time, we kind of see it as doing it with a partner that would fund it and pay us to operate.”
White has occasionally sported Zuffa Boxing t-shirts over the years. He is currently a backer of Walsh, a 12-0 boxer from Ireland, perhaps his most significant step toward the sport yet. The UFC boss admits that part of Walsh’s allure is his Irish background, which reminds him of the early days of Conor McGregor, who became a megastar in MMA.
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Despite White getting behind a rising talent, the UFC owners do not appear ready to launch a boxing venture on their own. The group seems willing to explore potential partnership options, but according to Shapiro, it is not part of their immediate plans.
“Nothing to announce today, but this is one area we’re going to continue to explore,” Shapiro said. “We’ve talked about a dearth of leagues that are out there. Obviously, we’re acquiring (Professional Bull Riders), there’s not much else. We don’t necessarily need to add anything to our model, but boxing is ripe for a fix.
“We’re blessed to have two experts in the field, and if an opportunity presents itself or we can chase one down that does not put much risk or any risk for that matter on us financially, then we’re going to pursue it. In terms of models and leagues and how we’d structure it, etc., etc., that’s way down the road. Once we have something, if we have something, you’ll be the first to know.”
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes practiced as usual Wednesday and plans to be ready for this weekend’s game against the Broncos, two days after tweaking his left ankle while throwing a touchdown pass in a win over the Buccaneers.
Mahomes was rolling to his right and thinking about running for a first down as the Chiefs were trying to rally in the second half against Tampa Bay on Monday night. He suddenly saw Samaje Perine coming open and flicked a pass to him in the end zone, just as his ankle caught in the soggy turf of Arrowhead Stadium and sent a sharp pain rocketing through it.
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Mahomes lay on the sideline for a moment before he was helped partway across the field, then trotted without any assistance the rest of the way to the Kansas City sideline. He was examined there but did not miss a play, eventually helping the Chiefs to another touchdown in regulation and the winning drive in overtime for a 30-24 victory over the Bucs.
“It’s doing good,” Mahomes said of his ankle Wednesday. “Obviously went on a little bit of a roll. It’s a little sore. But I’m able to move around and looking forward to getting out in practice and seeing how I can push it as the week goes on.”
Mahomes has plenty of experience nursing ankle injuries.
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The most high-profile one occurred during the playoffs two seasons ago, and he needed every bit of help recovering in time to face the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Mahomes tweaked it again in the first half but returned to lead the Chiefs to victory.
“We won’t have to back off,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of the two-time NFL MVP. “He manages it. He stays on top of it.”
That process began immediately after Monday night’s game, then continued at home — every day made more important by the fact that Kansas City is facing the Broncos on a short week Sunday. Mahomes was in the practice facility early Tuesday to watch game film and get additional treatment, and he was ready for the first practice of the week Wednesday.
“You can only do so much,” Mahomes said. “It was pretty late getting some stuff in the training room after the game, getting some stuff to take home. Stuff you can put on overnight to reduce swelling. You come in early in the morning — it was a long day of watching film and getting treatment, and preparing yourself for a short week.”
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In other injury news, Reid said wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster still would not practice as he nurses a hamstring injury that has kept him out of most of the past three games. Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton also was out with a bruised knee.
Omenihu tore the ACL in his right knee in their AFC title win over Baltimore and had surgery in February, and he has spent the entire season on the physically unable-to-perform list. Pacheco has been out since Week 2, when he fractured his fibula in a win over Cincinnati and landed on injured reserve following surgery.
The Chiefs have been able to overcome a host of injuries — including devastating ones to Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown that thinned out their wide receiver corps — by making some savvy moves in the front office.
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Kansas City traded for Patriots defensive end Joshua Uche just before the deadline, and he made his debut as a pass-rushing specialist in Monday night’s win over the Buccaneers. The Chiefs also signed Kareem Hunt after Pacheco’s injury, and their one-time star has delivered: He has logged at least 21 carries in each of the last four games, scoring touchdowns in all of them, and has twice eclipsed 100 yards, including the winning two-yard TD plunge in overtime against Tampa Bay.
The three-time All-Pro wide receiver practiced just two days before playing a limited role in a win in Las Vegas. Then, he logged a full week of work and showed out Monday night, catching eight passes for 86 yards and two scores against the Bucs.
“You just continue to get him more and more comfortable in the offense,” Mahomes said. “We move him around and let him do what he’s special at, and that’s catching the football and winning those one-on-one matchups.”
Fresh off the heels of UFC Edmonton, the world’s leading MMA promotion heads back to the APEX for a historic event: UFC Vegas 100, headlined by a welterweight matchup between Neil Magny and Carlos Prates. And No Bets Barred is back to break it all down.
Host Jed Meshew runs solo this week to break down this legendary event with all his favorite plays. Topics discussed include Prates’s incredible run through 2024 and whether Magny can pull off the upset yet again, how much does former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt have left in the tank, the return of “Brazilian Killer” Nicolas Dalby, and the debut of Jed’s boy, former two-division ONE Champion Reiner de Ridder.
And speaking of ONE, they also have an event taking place this weekend with ONE 169 going down on Friday, headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Anatoly Malykhin and Reug Reug. Jed also breaks down the big fights from ONE, plus the latest edition of “THE CLIMB” and more on this week’s episode.
Tune in for episode 107 of No Bets Barred.
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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.
Watch Match of the Day pundits Theo Walcott, Stephen Warnock and Julien Laurens analyse Real Madrid’s poor form since the arrival of summer signing Kylian Mbappe after their 3-1 defeat to AC Milan in the Champions League.
LAS VEGAS – Carlos Prates is on the verge of UFC stardom, or so it seems to some.
If activity is any indicator, the UFC thinks so, too. Prates (20-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is booked for his fourth promotional fight in 10 months, Saturday when he headlines UFC Fight Night 247 against Neil Magny (29-12 MMA, 22-11 UFC).
The bout is Prates’ first UFC main event and he’s excited about the opportunity.
“I had a fight against Randy Brown on Nov. 16 in New York,” Prates told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. I was really happy with that opportunity to fight in Madison Square Garden on the same day as Jon Jones. But he said something that he’d fight me Dec. 7. I did not understand why. Then, the UFC gave me the fight against Neil Magny on the main event and I was really excited.”
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Initially, Prates admits the prospect of fighting at Madison Square Garden far outweighed any other possibilities he could think of. But the moment his manager Lucas Lutkus told him of the offer on the table, his attitude changed in an instant.
“I was in the gym,” Prates said. “(Lutkus) said, ‘You aren’t going to fight Randy Brown, but you have a new opponent one week before.’ I was like, ‘No way. I don’t want to fight one week before.’ He said, ‘Oh, it’s the main event against Neil Magny.’ I was like, ‘Of course. Let’s go. Let’s go. It’s a really good opportunity.
“… It’s better. I think Randy Brown is an easier fight than Neil Magny. He is much easy money. But you know the main event, we get the bonus to fight the main event, more money and also the main events are the biggest shows in the world. I think it’s a better change.”
The rise up the welterweight ladder has been a quick one for Prates, who will likely enter the UFC rankings if he wins Saturday. Prates credits his finishing abilities for the fast ascent.
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“I asked for the fight because I finish the fights really fast,” Prates said. “I think it’s the main reason, you know? I always finish the fight, and then I fight in two months or something like that. I ask to fight somebody when they do an interview in the octagon.”
Should he win, Prates thinks he’ll be two or three fights away from a UFC title shot. He wants to fight in February at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia, then compete twice more to round out the year – a bit slower of a pace, but a necessary one to heal up some nagging injuries.
“I have been training so hard, and to be honest, I’m going to fight Neil Magny on Saturday, and then I’m looking for a fight in Australia in February,” Prates said. “Then, I’ll take a little break to take care of my body, my health. It’s good also that I’m keeping training and fighting. It’s good also. But now it’s time to, like I say, to think with my brain, not with my heart.”
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