Author: quyen1

Charles Oliveira has accused his UFC 300 opponent Arman Tsarukyan of ‘talking bulls***’ about him.

Tsarukyan claims he will finish the Brazilian former lightweight champion and accused him of being a one dimensional fighter.

The pair will go toe-to-toe at the historic event in Las Vegas this weekend and Tsarukyan said: ‘Charles is good at one thing – taking his opponent’s back and choking him out from that position.

‘But overall he’s nothing special. Yes, he has some tricks when pulling guard, but nothing extraordinary.’

Oliveira was asked about those dismissive comments and said his rival was talking ‘a bunch of s***’.

Charles Oliveira (top) has responded to his UFC 300 opponent’s criticism

Arman Tsarukyan accused Oliveira of being a predictable, one dimensional fighter

‘If I only have that, and I have 16 submissions on my [UFC] record, I guess they were all from the back, right?’ Oliveira told MMA Fighting.

‘And I guess the knockouts I have weren’t knockouts, they were submissions. It’s too much bulls*** they talk.

‘It was said that I’m a quitter, but I was knocked down, walked forward and knocked them out. I also heard I’m not hungry, that I don’t want it anymore. He doesn’t know how bad I want to become champion again.

‘You have to chill before you say anything because you’re not talking about anyone, I’m the No. 1 in this division.

‘I have the record for most submissions, most bonuses. If you look at my history, you’ll see you’re talking c**p.’

Oliveira is coming off a win over Beneil Dariush, having bounced back from his comprehensive defeat by Islam Makhachev.

Islam Makhachev has been sensational as lightweight champion and needs a new challenger

Oliveira lost to Makhachev but desperately wants a change to avenge the defeat

Tsarukyan has only lost one of his last nine and also put Dariush away in his most recent fight, setting the stage perfectly for the second fight on the main card at T-Mobile Arena.

Both men will feel they could be next in line for a title shot with a victory, though Dustin Poirier is also in the hunt, while Justin Gaethje will feel a statement win over Max Holloway should cement his place at the top of the queue.

Former UFC contender Tyson Pedro has confirmed his first boxing bout since retiring from MMA, and revealed a part of his switch to the sport that took him completely by surprise.

Pedro will be taking on Australian heavyweight champion, Kris Terzievski, for the vacant WBC International Bridgerweight title, in an exclusive Stan pay-per-view fight on June 12 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.

Terzievski, who famously beat NRL legend turned boxer Paul Gallen, is a tough opponent – but Pedro says that’s what he wants.

 

‘Would you respect me if I took a walkover?’ Pedro asked Daily Mail Australia.

‘I think if I had done that in front of the Australian boxing fans they would have taken the p**s out of me because I was taking the piss out of them.’

UFC star Tyson Pedro (pictured) has confirmed his first boxing bout since retiring from MMA

Pedro will take on Australian heavyweight champion, Kris Terzievski (pictured right; Aussie boxing great Danny Green middle)

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Pedro, who has dreamed of being a WBC boxing champion, admits he’d never heard of the bridgerweight division until fairly recently.

The division, introduced by the WBC in 2020, is a ‘bridger’ between heavyweight and crusierweight – with a top weight limit of 224 pounds (101kgs).

‘I hadn’t heard of it… but when we spoke to Mauricio Sulaimán (president of the WBC). He said bridgerweight was the go.

Pedro has spoken to Paul Gallen about fighting Terzievski, but isn’t sure his advice would be overly helpful.

‘I couldn’t really take tips from Paul because Paul is such a different fighter to me,’ Pedro explained.

‘I can ask him how hard he hits – but you can also ask Paul how hard I hit. We’ve sparred rounds.’

Pedro, who was a standout amateur boxer in his youth, says the return to the ring is going smoothly.

‘Using the different energy systems has been very noticeable,’ he explained.

Pedro (pictured with his dad John) says he took such a tough opponent because people wouldn’t respect him if he hadn’t

Pedro will step into the ring on June 12 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion

‘The shorter rounds are more explosive, and it suits my style.’

Boxing legend Danny Green hailed Pedro’s courage to take on such a tough opponent.

‘Tyson could not have picked a harder target for his return to boxing from UFC,’ he said.

‘Tyson was an amateur NSW Intermediate Champion before he moved to MMA. Terzievski is the current Australian Heavyweight Champion and number 5 in the WBC rankings. He is experienced, clever, cagey and tough.

‘He’s a Southpaw which makes him awkward and he has a wealth of experience in the boxing ring.

‘I couldn’t convince Tyson to take an easier fight first up. He’s up for the challenge and wants to make clear to the boxing world that he’s the real deal.

‘He is here to shake things up in Australian boxing and only wants the toughest challenge. He has proven he has the X factor and he has the skill, power and motivation to win this contest.’

RAW after WrestleMania delivered plenty for expectant fans who hoped to see returns and debuts in the new Triple H-led era.

The show featured The Rock promising to return to the company to face Cody Rhodes and John Cena emerging a surprise tag team partner for the Awesome Truth.

Fans were also treated to a pair of debuts from NXT in champions Ilja Dragunov and Roxanne Perez before announcing that the WWE draft will go down on April 26 and 29 later this month.

Jey Uso also emerged as the number one contender to Damien Priest’s newly won WWE world heavyweight title, but he had a little help from CM Punk.

Speaking of CM Punk, let’s get into what happened after the show went off the air:

CM Punk spoke to the crowd moments after costing Drew McIntyre the main event

CM Punk talks to the crowd

It’s quite wild to see CM Punk doing the ‘send them home happy’ promo for WWE these days – hard to imagine a year ago! But, here we are.

Punk thanked the fans and the city of Philadelphia for a record-breaking WrestleMania weekend.  He talked about how he used to live and work in the city before making it to WWE.

He put over Jey Uso who was stood alongside him in the ring, but the most interesting thing he said came right at the end.

‘One thing before I go, I’m gonna sign these [shoes] and we’re going to throw them to two lucky people. I promise you this Philadelphia: The next time I’m back here I’m gonna have my boots on.’

Pat McAfee leads Happy birthday sing-a-long

In another off-air moment (although before the end of the show), Pat McAfee sang happy birthday to his co-commentator Michael Cole.

The funny thing is, it is not Cole’s birthday. Nor is he 60 like McAfee sings!

Cole is actually 55. McAfee is known to do this on occasion, but the crowd still joined in on the fun.

We’ve heard so much about a new era in WWE this weekend and true to form, the company made the RAW after WrestleMania enjoyable once more.

 Triple H opened the show and told the fans about how just about every record possible was broken at WrestleMania 40.

The company saw their 17th sellout in a row with the RAW after WrestleMania in Philadelphia and the fans in attendance got what they have to come to expect from the show that resets the year.

Two callups from NXT, one former world champion confirmed to return and WWE legends to compliment a current roster that is on fire.

Let’s get into the biggest takeaways:

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Triple H has his first WrestleMania weekend in the books and it was certainly a success

The Rock is coming for Cody Rhodes…at some point

The Final Boss finally made his way to the ring after Triple H had helped Cody Rhodes bask in his glory to open the show and insisted that while he must leave to film a movie, he will be back for one reason.

‘The Rock has gotta go away for a little while now,’ the Hollywood A-lister declared. ‘The Rock doesn’t want to leave either. When the Rock comes back, whether you’re champion or not champion – The Rock is going to come back for you.’

The Rock is going to film ‘The Smashing Machine’ almost immediately, but one has to think later this year, we will get Rock vs Rhodes. Especially if the plan will be Rock vs Reigns at the next WrestleMania.

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The Rock has made it clear that when he returns, he’ll be chasing Cody Rhodes

John Cena makes an appearance

The 16-time world champion ensured he kept his record of having a match every single year in WWE since his 2002 debut.

Cena turned up to help out R-Truth and The Miz in a tag-team match against The Judgement Day and secured the victory with his whole team landing Attitude Adjustments at the same time.

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John Cena finally ave R-Truth the feel good moment he always wanted

Two NXT debuts

Brand champions Ilja Dragunov and Roxanne Perez made their first RAW appearances and were victorious, too.

Dragunov beat Shinsuke Nakamura and Perez defeated Indi Hartwell to introduce themselves to the RAW audience, but the crowd sounded like they knew full well who they are.

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Roxanne Perez is one of the most exciting young talents in the world

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Ilja Dragunov is confirmed to be in the WWE draft that takes place at the end of the month

New number one contender for Damien Priest’s world title

Jey Uso will be the man to challenge Priest for his newly won World Heavyweight title after winning a fatal-four-way in the main event.

Drew McIntyre had the match won, but CM Punk ruined his chances for the second time in as many days to give Uso the opening as he defeated the Scot, Bronson Reed and Ricochet.

Sheamus is returning 

A video package aired for the return of Sheamus, The Irishman hasn’t been seen on WWE since last summer thanks to an injury and the stable he had with Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland has since disbanded.

Sheamus is a former four-time world champion. In fact the only belt he is yet to win is the Intercontinental belt, currently on RAW with Sami Zayn.

The WWE Draft is coming 

But that could soon change! The WWE Draft is coming back at the end of the month.

The shakeup will commence on SmackDown on April 26 and will finish on RAW on April 29. The NXT brand will also be involved.

John Cena turned up in the now legendary main event of WrestleMania 40 on Sunday night, but he decided to stay for one more night in Philadelphia.

The 16-time world champion spends more time in Hollywood than in the ring now, but he made one last pit stop at the RAW after WrestleMania before heading back to the silver screen.

Old rivals R-Truth and The Miz found themselves in a handicap match with the Judgement Day’s Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh after Truth teased their partner was someone ‘you can’t see.’

Wink, wink. Cena’s famous catchphrase is ‘you can’t see me’ and Truth has said for years how his hero growing up was John Cena… despite being six years older than him.

With the brand new RAW tag team champions taking a beating, Cena’s music hit, he ran down to the ring and he got the hot tag to send the Wells Fargo Center wild.

Cena instantly turned the tide. All three men ended up in the ring doing Cena’s five knuckle shuffle before doing stereo Attitude Adjustments. All three of Miz, Cena and Truth pinned members of the Judgement Day at the same time to grab the win.

Speaking earlier in the day on the Pat MacAfee show, Cena insisted he is trying to have one final run in the ring next year.

‘I have to leave for Europe to finish a movie that we started filming before the strike called Heads of State with Priyanka Chopra and Idris Elba, straight from that to [filming] Peacemaker 2.

‘That will take us to just about Christmas. I’m crossing my fingers and toes and my heart that maybe, just maybe, I can tell the Hollywood world to pump the breaks for a while and come back to my family for one last run.

‘I’m trying, I hope [so], we’ll see what happens,’ said Cena.

 With his outing on RAW, Cena has now had a WWE match every single year since 2002.

The Rock made his presence felt during RAW after WrestleMania as he interrupted new Undisputed WWE champion, Cody Rhodes, at the top of the show.

 The first hour of RAW was commercial free and a combination of Triple H, Rhodes and The Rock ate up around 50 minutes of that.

After The Game opened the show to thank the fans for making the greatest WrestleMania of all-time (by any metric he kept reminding us), WWE’s leader brought Rhodes to the ring.

 After relishing in finishing his story with Roman Reigns, the former champion’s cousin, The Rock, entered the fray to let Rhodes know his story with him has just begun.

The Final Boss was barely able to talk for the first 10 minutes of his confrontation with Rhodes. The Philadelphia crowd told Rock to ‘shut the f*** up’ and called him an ‘a**h***’ every time he tried to speak.

After weeks of beat downs, The Rock told Cody Rhodes he will return to WWE for him again

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 When the 51-year-old attempted to trade titles with Rhodes, the Well Fargo Center chanted ‘this is awkward’ and booed every time Rock moved the microphone to his mouth.

When they did manage to get down to business, Rock confirmed he will be taking time off from WWE to go shoot a new movie, believed to be ‘The Smashing Machine’.

But, he will be coming back. And when he does, he will be coming for Cody Rhodes whether he has the title or not.

The crowd were on The Rock’s back for the whole segment, but he handled it well

“The Rock has gotta go away for a little while now. The Rock doesn’t want to leave either. When the Rock comes back, whether you’re champion or not champion – The Rock is going to come back for you”

To close the segment, The Rock handed the American Nightmare an item from his pocket.

The Rock said: ‘You don’t even have to open your hand to know what this is. Don’t you ever break my heart again. If you smell what the Final Boss is cooking.’

 It’s worth noting The Rock was getting positive ‘Rocky’ chants when he first came out. The crowd for the RAW after WrestleMania are famously rowdy.

The crowd were almost certainly having fun with The Rock, and he seemed to relish it.

Mike Tyson already looks in fighting shape three months before his exhibition with Jake Paul.

Tyson, who reigned as undisputed heavyweight champion in the late 1980s, is set to climb back into the ring at 58 for a controversial exhibition bout against Paul, 27, on July 20 in Texas.

Given his age and the impressive one-punch knockout power his younger opponent has displayed in recent years, many have accused the promoters behind the contest for putting ‘Iron’ Mike’s health at risk.

Though while he may be nearing his 58th birthday, Tyson has still got himself in tremendous condition more than three months out from his showdown with the YouTuber-turned-boxer.

At a meet-and-greet event for Fiterman Sports Group in Chantilly, Virginia over the weekend, the fight icon went shirtless to show off the ripped physique he has already built ahead of his return to the ring.

Mike Tyson already looks in fighting shape three months before his exhibition with Jake Paul

Tyson went shirtless at a meet-and-greet in Virginia to show off his ripped physique

While posing for photos and signing autographs a chiseled Tyson even boasted a six pack – and there was a motive behind his decision to go shirtless.

‘I don’t need a shirt,’ he said. ‘I have to show them what they are betting on!’

He then added: ‘I want to show off how good I look, how in shape I am!’

As well as posing alongside fans, Tyson also took a picture with fellow boxing legend Roberto Duran, who was also in Chantilly for the event.

Duran, 72 and one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the sport, was recently given a pacemaker after doctors noticed he had an ‘obstructed artery’ in his heart.

The former four-weight world champion wrote alongside a photo of himself and Tyson on Instagram: ‘Here I am sharing with my friend that I love very much @miketyson Next time I’ll go shirtless.’

Tyson last competed in an exhibition back in 2020, when he faced another legend of the sport in Roy Jones Jnr.

The ex-heavyweight king also posed alongside fellow fight icon Roberto Duran at the event

Tyson and Paul shocked the boxing world last month with news they will fight in Texas in July

His clash with Paul will be contested over two-minute rounds as opposed to the usual three minutes in professional boxing, while both men will be wearing 16-ounce gloves instead of the traditional 10-ounce.

‘I’m 58, and what? I’m getting billions of views from just talking about fighting,’ Tyson told Reuters.

‘Everybody, even most of the athletes, they’re jealous… You couldn’t sell out an arena. Who at 58 can sell out an 80,000-seat arena? Why do you think he wants to fight me and not anybody else?

‘All the boxers want to fight him. But if he fought them, the only people that will come are the people that like him. Their parents might not even come watch them.’

Tyson Fury sat ringside as Anthony Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou in the second round.

Fans have come up with a Tyson Fury theory after seeing Anthony Joshua knock out Francis Ngannou.

On Friday night, all eyes were on the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as former heavyweight world champion Joshua took on ex-UFC star Ngannou.

Leading up to the fight, many people felt it would be a close fight after Ngannou took Fury all the way last October.

The Cameroonian felt he should’ve won after knocking Fury down but ultimately lost via decision.

Against AJ, Ngannou was floored in the first round and was eventually dispatched in devastating fashion during the second round.

Reacting on social media, one fan said: “This explains why Tyson Fury didn’t train for his fight against Ngannou.”

Another tweeted: “Anyone who thought AJ was losing last night should never watch sport again. Blatantly obvious Tyson Fury didn’t train a day for his Ngannou fight.”

A third fan added: “Tyson Fury did not train for that Francis fight, man.”

Someone else wrote: “All I can see is that Tyson Fury didn’t train for his fight. AJ saving the face of HW boxing.”

A fifth commented: “Pretty sure Tyson Fury didn’t train for Francis fight cause obviously Tyson is levels upon levels better than Joshua.”

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As reported by talkSPORT, Fury said after Joshua’s victory over Ngannou: “I’m sure Oleksandr Usyk will have something to say something about that. I had a s*** performance against Ngannou.

“AJ did absolutely fantastic and lit him up with a right hand. If he fights me after I beat Usyk twice then it will be a different game.”

Joshua said: “I’m going back to my cage and when they let me out, I’ll fight again.

“When I saw the fight with Tyson Fury I thought ‘I want some of that’. [Ngannou] is a great champion and this doesn’t take anything away from his capabilities.”

He added: “I told him not to leave boxing. He’s two fights in and he’s fought the best.”

Muhammad Ali and Cus D’Amato have left an indelible mark in the boxing arena. While ‘The Greatest’ is celebrated for his unique style and charisma, D’Amato is a legendary boxing coach on the same periphery. He is the trainer of legendary figures like Mike Tyson and is renowned for his boxing coaching.

Muhammad Ali and Cus D’Amato: a unique intersection

Cus D’Amato’s influence on the boxing world is supremely profound. Further, his knowledge of boxing was extensive, covering fighters from the earliest days to his time. Despite his conservative appearance, which was more akin to a senator or congressman, he was a true boxing genius. His strategies and techniques have left an everlasting impact on the sport.

As Ali once said “Cus D’Amato can be seen from a great distance especially when the sun is shining because his head shines. Cus D’Amato, the genius of boxing. He is the bible of boxing, plus he’s ugly.”

However, Ali’s boxing style was an amalgamation of speed, timing, and resilience. His superior reflexes and unorthodox defensive style often left his opponents puzzled. Ali’s ability to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” was a testament to his speed and footwork. Further, his defense, although unconventional, was impregnable, making him one of the best defensive boxers in the sport.

But, what were the radical methods of Cus D’Amato’s trainings that nurtured legends?

The unconventional training methods that made ‘Iron Mike’

D’Amato’s training methods were innovative and effective. He threw out the regular playbook, pioneering the modern-day fighting style we see now. Famously, in boxing, you’re supposed to have your hands up, protecting yourself at all times. However, he did the exact contrary, and baited his opponents with calculated traps.

He threw unorthodox punches from the hip. He marched to the beat of his own drum. As D’Amato himself once said, “The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs.” Additionally, D’Amato laid extreme emphasis on the power of the mind over body.

The relationship between Muhammad Ali and Cus D’Amato was a meeting of two great minds in the world of boxing. Their shared respect and mutual understanding of the sport’s mental aspect have left an indelible mark on boxing’s history. As Ali once said, “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”

Credits: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Carlos Sainz’s girlfriend Rebecca Donaldson featured in the Australian fashion magazine, Russh recently. Donaldson, a renowned model based in Scotland, often makes headlines for brands, and this was no exception. However, her heartfelt gesture for Sainz this time around, during her interaction, grabbed all the attention!

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The Scottish model and entrepreneur discussed several aspects of her life and this was when she made a sweet revelation. When asked what she was reading, or listening to at the moment, she replied, “Does Duolingo count? I’m learning Spanish at the moment.”

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Donaldson is dubbed as the biggest fan of the Spanish F1 driver from Ferrari, who is reportedly her boyfriend too. So, it’s not out of the ordinary for her, coming from an English-speaking country, to try and learn Spanish.

Even though she is all up for Spanish, going back to her homeland is something she does not say no to. Like many of us who regard home as a safe haven, it’s the same for her, who enjoys going back to Scotland, her comfort space.

Notably, Rebecca Donaldson is often traveling to different parts of the world due to her profession, but her support for Sainz also brings her to the F1 paddocks. Just like her last year’s visits to Mexico City and Las Vegas, she also visited the Australian GP where the #55 driver won.

Rebecca Donaldson stood with Carlos Sainz during his mega win

Carlos Sainz had all the support in the world in Melbourne from his girlfriend Rebecca Donaldson, whom he has been dating since 2023. In the said Australian GP, Sainz won the third F1 race of his career, bringing delight to both Donaldson and him.

Rebecca was spotted standing near the podium during the celebration when Sainz celebrated his win. This win in Melbourne marked an important occasion for him, who had appendicitis surgery just the race before in Saudi Arabia.

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Most importantly, it arrived just in the nick of time, a month after the 29-year-old lost his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton. Currently, Carlos Sainz is in the form of his life and his excellent run of form saw him in podiums in all three races he took part in.

This was no less than a fitting redemption for Sainz after the Italian team decided to retain Charles Leclerc instead of him. Apparently, he has been outperforming Leclerc since the start of 2024. The former McLaren driver can only continue this form of him and help himself with the best possible seat for 2025 and beyond.