Knockdown Daily 1/6/23: Jake Paul Signs With PFL
Jake Paul's potential venture into MMA leads the headlines for Friday
Welcome to the Friday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Here are the top MMA headlines as we go into the weekend.
What’s New
Entertainer Jake Paul has signed a contract with the PFL, a move he has made with the hope to debut in MMA eventually.
Paul, a 25-year-old online entertainer and influencer, has competed in boxing bouts since 2018. He has overcome MMA opponents in his most recent boxing appearances, beating Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren in recent years.
Paul reached a multi-year contract with the PFL, per a report from Kris Rhim of The New York Times. He will be part of a new “Super Fight division” for the promotion, which will be separate from their year-round season format that most people are used to seeing.
Fighters involved in the “Super Fight” division will reportedly earn 50 percent of the revenue generated from the events in that they participate. These PPV events are expected to air on ESPN+ and DAZN.
Paul has already set his sights on former UFC talent Nate Diaz as his first opponent. He offered to face Diaz twice — once under boxing rules, then in an MMA bout afterward.
The “Power Slap League,” a side-project that is near launch from UFC President Dana White, has seen a slight delay following footage of him slapping his wife on New Year’s Eve.
The first episode of the product, which was expected to air on January 11th on TV channel TBS, has been pushed ahead to the 18th.
Rumors swirled Thursday about whether the show had been pulled amid the controversy surrounding White. Some made note of how both the 11th and 18th episodes of the show had been briefly pulled from the TBS schedule online. However, a TBS spokesperson informed The New York Post on Thursday that the show is still scheduled to premiere later this month.
Guram Kutateladze has been pulled from his January 21st bout against Thiago Moises at UFC 283, per a report from AgFight. It is not known at the moment why Kutateladze withdrew from the fight, or if Moises will get a new opponent for the date.
UFC is reportedly looking to put a bout between undefeated Casey O’Neill and former title challenger Jennifer Maia on their March 18th pay-per-view event in London, England, per Dama De Ferro MMA.
O’Neill currently has nine wins on her record, including four victories in the UFC. She only competed once in 2022 due to suffering a torn ACL.
UFC’s February 18th card has both gained and lost a fight.
Abus Magomedov has been forced out of his bout against Gerald Meerschaert due to visa issues, per Marcel Dorff. Magomedov was looking to build upon his UFC debut win from 2022.
Jamal Pogues will make his UFC debut in a heavyweight contest against Josh Parisian, as announced by his management team on Thursday. Pogues joined the UFC roster in August through a win on “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
Both coming off their first UFC victories, Canadian welterweights Mike Malott and Yohan Lainesse have been paired up for UFC’s February 25th show. News of the matchup was first confirmed by The Canadian Press.
Malott earned a first-round finish victory in his UFC debut back in April 2022, stopping Mickey Gall with punches. Lainesse bounced back from his sole pro loss at UFC 279, defeating Darian Weeks via split decision.
Preview
LFA 149: Bunes vs. Horiuchi
LFA will kick off their 2023 with a short card from the Gila River Resorts & Casinos in Chandler, Arizona, USA. They will crown a new flyweight champion in the main event, with the winner taking the place of Carlos Mota — the former titleholder who vacated his title to join the UFC roster last year.
Returning title challenger Yuma Horiuchi will meet experienced opponent Felipe Bunes in the main event of the evening. Here’s a full look at the card:
Preliminary Card
Bout 1: Grace DiFrancesco (0-0) vs. Kayla Reagan (1-1) (Amateur Strawweight)
Bout 2: Chance Ikei (4-0) vs. Shad Walters (4-3) (Amateur Bantamweight)
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Princeton Jackson (2-0) vs. Chris Brant (0-0) (Catchweight 165 lbs)
Bout 4: Cedric Katambwa (2-0) vs. Adam Garcia (1-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 5: Eric Fimbres (1-0) vs. Tony Charles (2-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 6: Marcus McGhee (5-1) vs. Luciano Ramos (8-7) (Bantamweight)
Bout 7: Felipe Bunes (12-6) vs. Yuma Horiuchi (10-5) (Vacant LFA Flyweight Championship)
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