RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – One of the biggest MMA stars in recent years, Jorge Masvidal, is gearing up for a return to the cage, and American Top Team coach Mike Brown was pleasantly surprised to see how good he looked when he returned to the mats.

Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC) recently expressed his desire to make a comeback to MMA after retiring last April. He hasn’t been completely removed from combat sports, though. In July, he boxed against the man he fought in the inaugural BMF title fight, Nate Diaz.

Despite spending a majority of the past year focusing on boxing, Brown says Masvidal is already in shape to compete in MMA, and that includes the grind of wrestling, which is typically the most grueling aspect of the sport.

“I was actually surprised when Jorge came back to the gym, how good of shape he was in,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “He was actually in really good shape, and he had obviously been training, and I’m talking wrestling shape. He was jumping right in and wrestling with the best guys.

“He didn’t get out of shape. He’s focused, and he’s ready. He has that itch and wants to do it again. He’s obviously a big star. There’s a lot of matchups that I’m sure people want to see. There’s a lot of fights I would like to see.”

Masvidal called it a career the first time after losing four consecutive fights. He failed to top then-champion Kamaru Usman in back-to-back title fights, lost a Fight of the Night against Colby Covington, and then came up short against Gilbert Burns.

“Gamebred’s” path to a title shot would be long, especially considering how much the welterweight division has changed in such a short period. But that’s fine with Brown, who would rather him take fights against other established stars than up-and-coming contenders.

“I’d like to see him in a more exciting, like a BMF-type fight,” Brown said. “Nothing like (a title contender fight), I don’t know, like a (Justin) Gaethje type of guy. I always like the Diaz brothers, that would be great. Nate for the third time, whatever, you know?

“There’s 20 fights that would probably excite me with Jorge. He’s exciting, man. He’s always fun to watch. He’s the man.”

Masvidal, 39, saw his popularity grow astronomically after his five-second flying knee knockout of Ben Askren in 2019. He followed that up by becoming the winner of the first-ever BMF title fight by stopping Nate Diaz. Although he hit a rough patch of results, Brown is excited to see him get back to action.

“I say it all the time: I think he’s got more weapons than anybody in the sport. He’s got so much technique, so much skill and can do so many different things. He’s fun to watch, and he’s also good on the mic as well.”

Blackpool manager Steve Bruce will miss Saturday’s match against Barnsley following the death of his baby grandson.

In a statement, the club said four-month-old Madison’s passing was “sudden and unexpected”.

“Everyone at the football club sends their love to Steve and his family,” Blackpool said.

“We ask that their privacy is respected.”

Millwall sent “unconditional love and support” to their former striker Matt Smith, who is Madison’s father and Bruce’s son-in-law.

Smith made 91 appearances for Millwall, and also played for Leeds United, Fulham, QPR and Salford City before retiring in August.

Bruce, 63, joined the Tangerines on a two-year deal in September after nearly two years out of football management.

The former Newcastle United and Aston Villa boss has helped the Seasiders into 10th place in League One, losing just one of his six league matches in charge.

Alex Bruce, Steve’s son, will not be in attendance for Salford’s League Two match against Crewe Alexandra on Saturday.

Salford City said “our love and full support” was with their assistant manager following the death of his nephew.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – PFL: Battle of the Giants ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where PFL: Battle of the Giants (DAZN pay-per-view, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at The Mayadeen.

Francis Ngannou (17-3) is back in MMA for the first time since January 2022, and for the first time in the PFL, when he meets Renan Ferreira (12-3) for the heavyweight superfight title. And Cris Cyborg (27-2) and her Bellator title take on Larissa Pacheco (23-4), the reigning PFL women’s featherweight winner, for the women’s featherweight superfight title.

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

The UFC and PFL go head-to-head on Saturday, with the PFL putting on arguably the most important event in company history with Battle of the Giants, headlined by the MMA return of Francis Ngannou as he battles fellow knockout artist Renan Ferreira. While the stakes are certainly higher in Saudi Arabia, the UFC is bringing a fascinating middleweight main event between Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira.

Ahead of Saturday’s doubleheader, MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and Mike Heck preview both events, discuss the burning questions surrounding Ngannou vs. Ferreira, the returning Cris Cyborg facing Larissa Pacheco, Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards 2, and A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes. Additionally, they’ll discuss the Hernandez vs. Pereira five-rounder at the APEX, the heavily-favored Kyler Phillips facing perennial ranked bantamweight Rob Font in the co-main event, answer your questions, and much more.

Catch the PFL: Battle of the Giants and UFC Vegas 99 preview show above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards meet Saturday on the main card of PFL: Battle of the Giants at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards PFL Super Fights preview

Eblen (15-0) hopes to stay undefeated by defending his Bellator middleweight title for the third time when he rematches Edwards (13-3). The last time these two met, it was competitive until Eblen found the knockout just 21 seconds into the third round. … Since that fight, Eblen won a split decision against 2023 PFL champion Impa Kasanganay this past February. … Edwards rebounded from his title-fight loss with a unanimous decision win over Aaron Jeffery this past March.

Johnny Eblen (15-0) vs. Fabian Edwards (13-3)

Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards expert pick, prediction

Their first fight, which went down in September of last year, was a very competitive contest that saw Eblen sustain a potentially fight-ending cut before emphatically finishing Edwards in the following frame.

Since then, both fighters have had to dig out hard-fought wins, but I believe that the fighting dynamic between these two has remained the same.

Edwards, for as talented as he is, is not urgent enough when it comes to both striking output and getting his back put to the fence.

For that reason, I have a hard time picking against a tactically flexible fighter like Eblen who will – at least in theory – always have the wrestling option in his back pocket.

The official pick is for Eblen to pitch a shutout on the scorecards with a unanimous decision win.

Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards odds

The oddsmakers and the public are heavily favoring the sitting champion, listing Eblen (-480) and Edwards (+330) via FanDuel.

Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards start time, how to watch

As the featured bout, Eblen and Edwards are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view in the U.S. and DAZN pay-per-view internationally.

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