Almeida will return to mixed martial arts on Sept. 12 in Krasnodar,
Russia, where he is scheduled to face former ACA heavyweight
champion Evgeniy
Goncharov. Valter
Walker, who trains with Goncharov, believes “Malhadinho” is in
for a rude awakening.

Evgeniy Goncharov's size and wrestling have Valter Walker
doubting Jailton Almeida at ACA 207

Walker recently shared his assessment of the matchup with Brazilian
journalist Laerte Viana, saying that Goncharov's size and wrestling
make him particularly difficult to handle in training. As such, he
questions Almeida's chances of getting takedowns, his primary route
to victory.

“I did three rounds with him yesterday. The guy is 40 years old and
weighs 130 kilograms [286 pounds], completely lean,†Walker said.
“I had a perfect entry on his leg, but he defended the take down
like a wall. Malhadinho stands out in the UFC by taking people
down, but how are you going to take down these 130-kilogram Chechen
wrestlers? I think they set a trap for Malhadinho, so he leaves
here traumatized and never wants to fight in Russia again.â€

Almeida exited the
Ultimate Fighting Championship after back-to-back losses and
looks to return to winning ways against Goncharov. Walker has since
risen as the top Brazilian heavyweight on the UFC roster, having
submitted his last five opponents.

Mark Robinson/Netflix

Tyson Fury is now turning his attention back to Oleksandr Usyk after talks to fight Anthony Joshua have fizzled out yet again.

Recently, Fury slammed Matchroom's Eddie Hearn, who represents Joshua, for creating issues in making the bout come to fruition. Hearn is now threatening legal action against Zuffa Boxing's lead man Dana White and TKO after claiming both parties tried luring Joshua to fight Fury behind his back.

Fury uploaded a new video on social media, and it appears he is done with entertaining the Joshua bout yet again. This time, “The Gypsy King†wants a third chance against Usyk,

“So, it looks like AJ has [expletive] his pants yet again,†Fury said. “After 11 years, he's finally [expletive] his pants yet again. So, this would only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Oleksandr, you, his trainer, and his sensei, and you know he's a weak-minded piece of [expletive], and he would never fight ‘The Gypsy King,' which you've had the guts to do twice, and you know how difficult it is in there.

“Listen, you got the decisions last time. Fair play to you. Good luck to you, but let's do it again. Let's run it back in November. The ball is now in your court, Oleksandr. Do you want to fight me this year in 2026, or are you calling it quits? Let me know because I'm now looking for a new opponent.â€

Many question how much interest there would be in Usyk vs. Fury 3. Usyk has defeated Fury twice, and while both fights were competitive, there wasn't much controversy with the results. Usyk also vacated his heavyweight titles, but he isn't committing to retirement just yet.

What do you make of the latest holdup preventing Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua from fighting each other? Sound off in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

Zuffa LLC

If Ilia Topuria gets an immediate rematch against Justin Gaethje, it would not surprise UFC commentator Jon Anik.

Topuria was battered in the first loss of his pro MMA career back in June. “El Matador†suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje via corner stoppage to conclude the UFC Freedom 250 broadcast. In the process, Topuria lost the UFC Lightweight Championship.

While Gaethje has said he doesn't think Topuria should get a rematch right away, does the UFC brass feel differently? In a video uploaded on the “Anik Bros†YouTube channel, Anik said he thinks there are real talks about a potential rematch between Gaethje and Topuria (via MMAFighting).

“I think there are internal conversations to potentially try to do Gaethje vs. Topuria 2,†Anik said. “A lot of people wonder aloud, ‘What is next for Ilia Topuria?' And there's certainly an obvious foundation for a fight between him and Paddy Pimblett. But if you have Ilia Topuria, as a fight promoter, would you not want to think about putting him back in a championship setting, given how big UFC Freedom 250 was?

“I think there's strong consideration there.â€

Gaethje has appeared to be more interested in getting a chance to avenge losses against Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira. At the moment, Oliveira doesn't have a fight booked, and Holloway is coming off the quick TKO win over Conor McGregor due to an injury.

“The Highlight†recently told SI that both of his hands are still injured and he won't be fighting again until 2027. That could leave the door open for Arman Tsarukyan to get a title fight if he's able to get past Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on Sept. 19. If Tsarukyan falls short, it would be one less hurdle for Topuria to get a rematch.

Do you think UFC will book an immediate rematch between Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria, or do you see the promotion going in a different direction? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM