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Alexander Volkanovski struggles to keep Mauricio Ruffy down, coach says

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Alexander Volkanovski struggles to keep Mauricio Ruffy down, coach says
Joe Lopez has seen major improvements in Mauricio
Ruffy’s grappling since the Brazilian joined Alexander
Volkanovski’s team.

Ruffy is preparing for the biggest test of his
Ultimate Fighting Championship career when he faces Arman
Tsarukyan in the co-main event of UFC
331 on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. Tsarukyan’s wrestling prowess
is a key factor in the matchup, but Lopez believes his fighter has
made significant strides in that area.

Mauricio Ruffy's defensive wrestling improves ahead of Arman
Tsarukyan fight at UFC 331

Ruffy made the move from the Brazilian gym
Fighting Nerds after losing to Benoit St.
Denis in September 2025, joining Volkanovski's team in
Australia. Speaking to Submission Radio, Volkanovski's head coach
Lopez said Ruffy’s development has been particularly noticeable in
defensive wrestling and his ability to escape dangerous
positions.

“Well, it's just chalk and cheese,†Lopez said. “You can just see
how he's improving, you know?â€

Ruffy has since earned victories against Rafael
Fiziev and Michael
Chandler, finishing both lightweights. Lopez claims that even
Volkanovski struggles to keep Ruffy down in the gym. He added that
the Brazilian has improved his positioning while defending
takedowns and prioritizes keeping the fight on the feet rather than
chasing submissions.

“For this fight here, that's one of our specialties is our
defensive wrestling and our scrambles and not accepting the
position,†Lopez added. “Honestly, he's picking it up. When he
first came, he was still really stuck in his jiu-jitsu type thing
where he attached himself to the person. Now, he's not. He's
training his escapes, getting out, putting his body in the right
position, putting his hands in the right position.â€

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MMA

Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua rejected ‘many millions more’ for Tyson Fury fight

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Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua rejected ‘many millions more’ for Tyson Fury fight
Eddie Hearn is standing firm on where he believes Tyson Fury
vs. Anthony
Joshua should take place.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and Zuffa Boxing co-founder
Dana
White recently claimed Hearn was preventing the fight from
coming to fruition, citing disagreements over whether the bout
should be held in the United Kingdom or the United States. Hearn
recently addressed the same, revealing that he and Joshua remain
adamant that the fight takes place in the U.K.

Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn double down on staging Tyson
Fury fight in Britain

The Matchroom Boxing chairman has emphasized that the focus should
simply be on honoring the existing agreement for the fight.

“Dana White has tried to get involved in a fight that he has
nothing to do with,†Hearn told iFL TV. “All we have ever done is
say, ‘We've signed our contract. Just honor the contract that we've
signed.'â€

Hearn claimed Joshua was offered more money to move the fight to
the U.S. but remained committed to staging the bout in Britain. He
believes public support for a U.K. venue has only strengthened
Joshua's stance and says discussions are now focused on moving
forward with the original plan.

“Anthony Joshua could have taken many millions more to do the fight
in America,†Hearn added. “We want the fight in Britain. The
support that we've had on social media, my social media, A.J.'s
social media, has made us double down on our principles on this.
We're not trying to hurt the fight.â€

Principality Stadium in Cardiff has emerged as a leading U.K.
option, while Wembley has also been discussed. Ultimately, Hearn
emphasized that Joshua will make the final decision regarding the
fight's location.

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MMA

Aljamain Sterling wants Jean Silva fight to decide UFC No. 1 contender

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Aljamain Sterling wants Jean Silva fight to decide UFC No. 1 contender
Aljamain
Sterling wants to fight Jean Silva
to determine the next challenger for
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight gold.

Silva submitted Jose
Delgado in the third round of the main event of
Noche UFC 4, then called for a shot at the winner of the
upcoming Alexander
Volkanovski vs. Movsar
Evloev championship bout set to headline
UFC 333. Sterling, however, believes Silva needs to go through
him if he wants a title shot.

Aljamain Sterling proposes December showdown with Jean Silva in
UFC featherweight title race

Sterling, who has won his last bouts, had initially suggested a
November matchup with Silva at Madison Square Garden. The former
bantamweight champ is also open to fighting “Lord†in December, so
the latter has ample time to heal and prepare.

“Even if it's a Fight Night, I don't give a f*ck,†Sterling said on
his YouTube channel. “December, run that sh*t. Run that sh*t. Run
that sh*t. All I'm saying is, I want to give him the fair
opportunity to heal, be ready, be the best version of himself, and
I would love to have that fight. I want to fight the fights that
make the most sense; the biggest names, the fights that get me
somewhere. Not just taking random fights just to say I fought this
guy. Bro, I don't give a f*ck. I'm 37. It's time to sh*t or get off
the pot.â€

Sterling also believes the timing works well for the division,
particularly with Volkanovski and Evloev scheduled to collide in
October.

“So, the most common-sense thing, in my personal opinion, is to let
us figure it out and see who wins,†Sterling added. “We both stay
busy, stay active and get a clear-cut No. 1 contender for the
title. I know they had the ‘Beware of Dog' signs, but I got
something for that. I like to think my style is the ultimate
equalizer. Just like they talk about power, I got something
else.â€

Sterling is coming off wins over Brian
Ortega and Youssef
Zalal. He's now 3-1 since moving up to the featherweight
division, with his lone defeat at 145 pounds coming in a Fight of
the Night against Evloev in 2024.

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MMA

Julian Fernandez finds "BKB more challenging and rewarding" than BKFC, having fought for both

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Julian Fernandez finds "BKB more challenging and rewarding" than BKFC, having fought for both

Julian Fernandez is unbeaten in the world of bare-knuckle boxing and has noticed key differences between his efforts in BKFC and his current BKB path. The former Mexican national boxing champion has made waves in gloveless combat as BKB's undefeated titleholder in the wake of debuting in the sport initially with BKFC.

Obviously the competitive spaces are different, but when asked for other noticeably divergent aspects there were to competing for the two powerhouse bare knuckle boxing companies, Fernandez said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker] (via interpreter work from BKB's Mel Valenzuela),

“When you're fighting for BKB, when you're going in there, you're going to fight. You're going to exchange, you're in the middle. In BKFC, the ring is bigger. There's more opportunity to run around and kind of dodge some of the fighting… He's saying it's a big challenge to fight at BKB, the three-minute rounds.â€

“He's saying that you must master the angles. He said that it can be to your advantage or if you don't know how to manage those angles, it can be to your detriment. So managing the angles, learning how to work with them, make them work for you, and the three-minute rounds make BKB more challenging and rewarding at the same time.â€

The BKB champ has several plans in his back pocket for a clash with a multi-division BKB champ on Saturday's card in Tijuana

Touching on the dynamics of collecting so much intel from Bare Knuckle Boxing's Mighty Trigon despite having a ledger loaded with quick first-round finishes, Fernandez stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker] (via interpreter work from Mel Valenzuela),

“By the grace of God, he's been able to finish his fights early but that he always prepares for six rounds for every fight. He's ready to go the distance and part of that is managing the angles. He's always got a plan A, plan B, and plan C, should they be needed. But that to this point, it's a testament to his preparation, the fact that he's not gone further than the first round.â€

When asked if the contender for his super cruiserweight title this weekend at BKB 59, Dan Podmore, can become the first man to encroach into the second stanza with him, Fernandez quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker] (via interpreter work from Mel Valenzuela),

“He doesn't know how well [Dan] Podmore is prepared for this and he sounds like he doesn't care. He knows that he's prepared. He prepares hard to finish the fight in the first round, but he can go six rounds if he has to. He doesn't like to give any prognostications, right? [laughs] He doesn't want to guess. All he knows is that he's prepared he comes out strong, goes for the knockout early, but is prepared to go six rounds.â€

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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