A crossover superfight between PFL star Kayla Harrison and Bellator MMA featherweight champion Cris Cyborg has long been viewed as a pipe dream, but it appears there's a chance it becomes a reality.
On Tuesday, PFL CEO Donn Davis took to Twitter for a $4 million offer to Harrison and Cyborg in hopes of getting a fight agreement done.
Cyborg responded directly to Davis, questioning Harrison's credentials and the notion they should be paid equally:
Cyborg made an appearance on Wednesday's episode of The MMA Hour and announced that her next fight would be a boxing match against Simone Silva on Sept. 25 in her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil. Afterward, Harrison made an unscheduled call into the show and laid down a challenge pleading for a fight against the 37-year-old.
"We can do winner takes all, or we can do when she loses, she gets to keep her purse," Harrison said. "If she needs help getting the deal signed, I will call [PFL executives] Peter Murray ... and Donn Davis and ask them, whatever price she wants, I will speak to them on her behalf."
Harrison continued: "And I'll go through a full [U.S. Anti-Doping Agency] drug testing—I will be drug-tested every day from now until the fight, if she's worried about that. And she doesn't have to be drug-tested at all. The only thing I ask is that they allow elbows." When asked why she wants to be allowed to strike with elbows, Harrison responded, "So I can put one through her skull."
Harrison is going after her third straight $1 million featherweight tournament victory, as she is scheduled to face Martina Jindrova on Aug. 20 in the 2022 PFL Playoffs. Still, that hasn't stopped her from calling for a fight against Cyborg because she wants to test her skills against the best fighters in the world.
However, Cyborg recently said she hasn't been contacted by PFL. She said Wednesday that she does have interest in a fight against Harrison, but it's not particularly important to her.
"I've been in a lot of big fights in my career," Cyborg said on The MMA Hour. "I think she really needs one biggest fight for her career too. I'm happy with my career. I can finish my career and not fight Kayla. But it's going to be great if this fight happens. If people would like to watch the fight, it's going to be great. But just not on the internet, they have to make it happen."
After Cyborg announced her agreement to fight Silva, Harrison called her out in a series of tweets and also made reference to Cyborg's 2012 positive steroid test result. Cyborg then blocked her on Twitter.
Cris Cyborg is headed toward the boxing ring.
The MMA legend revealed she is planning to make her boxing debut once a contract is finalized.
“My team already received the contract, we’ve been back and forth working on the contract, I believe soon, we’ll finish and I’ll sign,” Cyborg said on The Catch-Up. “Then you guys are gonna know who and where is gonna be my next fight. I’m very excited to do my first fight in boxing. Very, very excited. It’s one of my dreams.”
Cyborg, the current Bellator featherweight champion, has not fought since defeating Arlene Blencowe in April. Her contract with Bellator expired this summer, allowing her to become a free agent.
The 37-year-old has been an MMA nomad over the course of her career, winning championships in Strikeforce, Invicta FC, UFC and Bellator. UFC is the only promotion she fought in more than five times.
There was talk of Cyborg potentially fighting Kayla Harrison of the PFL, but Cyborg says there have not been any discussions with the promotion. PFL previously blocked Harrison from fighting Cyborg in Bellator by matching her contract.
“We’ve never had any talks with PFL,” Cyborg said. “They never talk about this fight. I know it’s a lot of talks on the internet to make this fight happen with [Harrison], two different ways, but I’ve never had the opportunity to talk about anything.
Cyborg has no boxing experience. She has tried her hand at professional grappling and muay thai in the past, but boxing had never seemed like much of an option. That said, most of Cyborg's career victories in MMA have come via knockout with her fists.
Corey Anderson was about five seconds away from being $1 million richer.
The MMA fighter thought he had defeated Vadim Nemkov and won both the light heavyweight title and Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix, which came with a $1 million prize, after referee Frank Trigg stopped the fight at 4:55 in the third round.
He told ESPN's Marc Raimondi that multiple people inside the cage told him he'd won the fight.
But instead of going to the cards, it was ruled a no-contest because of an illegal bumping of heads that left Nemkov with a nasty cut on his left eyebrow. Had it gone into the fourth round, the stoppage could have then gone to a technical decision.
"I jump on the cage, I get excited," Anderson said. "My mom is crying. My family in the crowd is jumping up and down. All of a sudden, I jump down from the cage and you see the [$1 million] check walking down the stairs. All of a sudden, the ref comes back and tells me there's [five] seconds left and you have to go all the way to the end of the third round to be declared the winner."
Anderson said he was the one who told Trigg of the clashing of the heads that caused the cut, which came while he was in the top position and went to hit Nemkov with an elbow while Nemkov took his legs out simultaneously. The ref initially ruled that the cut came from a legal blow.
"I know [Trigg] would have kept it going," Anderson said. "But the sportsman in me was like, 'Let him know that wasn't from me—I didn't hit him, I accidentally headbutted him.' ... That was just me being a good person."
Anderson will still have the opportunity to win the $1 million prize he thought he already earned, with the grand prix championship and prize money still up for grabs in a rematch. Anderson told Raimondi that he's been informed the rematch would happen once Nemkov's eyebrow heals, and that his opponent didn't suffer a broken orbital bone.
The hope to stage the rematch before the end of the summer. And Anderson is trying to keep the feeling he had when he thought he was the champion fresh in his mind.
"The motivation is like that's what it should have been," he said. "I need that. I've already seen it, I've already tasted it, I've already felt it. I had that excitement from being the champ. Now, I have to really feel it. I know how it feels to believe you're the champ. Now, I have to go out there and actually be the champ. I need that feeling."
For the time being, however, Nemkov remains the light heavyweight champion and is ESPN's No. 6-ranked fighter in the division. Anderson (16-5 with the one no-contest) comes in at No. 3 behind UFC champion Glover Teixeira and the UFC's Jan Blachowicz.
Anderson, who fought in the UFC from 2014-20, beat Teixeira in 2018 but lost to Blachowicz two years ago in his final UFC bout.
Cris Cyborg has unfinished business with Amanda Nunes.
The Bellator women's featherweight champion told TMZ Sports she'd relish the opportunity to avenge her December 2018 loss to Nunes.
The 36-year-old made her professional debut in May 2005, and she'll be just shy of her 17th anniversary in the cage when she fights Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 on April 23. The Brazilian star told TMZ Sports she set a goal of trying to hit 20 years before she hangs up her gloves.
That gives her some more time for the stars to align regarding the Nunes rematch.
Nunes only needed 51 seconds to knock Cyborg out at UFC 232. Cyborg later said the defeat provided a silver lining since she may not have signed with Bellator when she did if she had beaten Nunes.
As long as the two are fighting in separate promotions, a return bout obviously isn't going to happen. Cyborg's Bellator deal may be nearing an end, though, which could set the stage for a return to the UFC.
Considering how the sides parted ways in 2019, however, UFC president Dana White may not be rolling out the red carpet.
Jake Paul is one of the most talked-about figures in combat sports, and now he's drawing interest from a prominent mixed martial arts organization.
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker recently said he's open to doing business with the 25-year-old boxer, if and when he wants to transition to MMA.
"If Jake Paul is serious and wants to do it, we're here," Coker told TalkSport (via TMZ Sports). "We're already talking about [it]."
Coker said that Paul has expressed a desire to compete in MMA once he has 10 fights in the boxing ring. He has an undefeated record of 5-0 with four knockouts, including victories over former UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
Coker said that talks have already begun with Paul, considering he competes under Showtime Boxing and Showtime is Bellator's broadcasting partner.
"You know, when I say talking about it, he's with Showtime boxing and he did the fight with T-Wood. There's dialogue," Coker said. "I think he wants to do 10 boxing fights and then come over to MMA."
While the door is apparently open to Paul in Bellator, the boxer has also been putting himself on the UFC's radar by igniting a feud with the promotion's president, Dana White. Paul put out a diss track against White in January, and he also invested in the UFC's parent company Endeavor in his continued advocacy for increased fighter pay.
Paul's next boxing opponent is not yet known, but he's remained involved in the combat sports world. He's been acting as the lead promoter for Amanda Serrano ahead of her scheduled fight against undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor on April 30 in Madison Square Garden.
The high of Adam Piccolotti's victory at Bellator 274 on Saturday has been short-lived, as he received a suspension from the Association of Boxing Commissions on Wednesday.
ABC president Mike Mazzulli told MMA Junkie's Nolan King that the lightweight fighter will have to sit out the next four to six months, and he will have to receive clearance from a nephrologist (kidney specialist) prior to his return.
Piccolotti had posted and then deleted an Instagram video that showed him vomiting green and yellow liquid during his weight cut leading up to Saturday's fight.
Piccolotti wrote in the caption for the video that he "continued throwing up 20-plus times through the night" during his weight cut. He was seen crawling out of a portable sauna before vomiting. His trainers helped him off the floor to get back into the sauna to cut more weight.
"I reviewed the video and determined the process was unnecessarily dangerous," Mazzulli said. "We're always concerned for fighter safety and weight cutting. Hopefully this will be a learning experience [for Piccolotti]. Fortunately, he didn't die."
The suspension was put in place by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation, but Mazzulli said it will be upheld by the other commissions across the U.S. and Canada, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi.
"I'm concerned about his kidneys," Mazzulli said. "Something has to be done about these unnecessarily dangerous weight cuts."
Piccolotti defeated Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision in Saturday's bout to improve to 13-4. His victory will not be affected by his suspension. The 33-year-old has won four of his last six fights.
All three of Piccolotti’s cornermen — Raul Castillo, Mauricio Calvo and Matthew Aragoni — also were suspended four to six months by the Mohegan Tribe.
Cris Cyborg said she's open to a marquee bout against Kayla Harrison after scoring a knockout victory over Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator 271 on Friday night.
Cyborg stopped Kavanagh with a hard right hand midway through the first round with Harrison in attendance.
"Kayla, thank you for coming to the fights," Cyborg said, per Steven Marrocco of MMA Fighting. "I really appreciate you here. If you want to fight me one day, it's going to be a great fight, but [Harrison's manager] Ali Abdelaziz have to talk to all the promotions to make this happen."
The former UFC women's featherweight championship improved her career record to 25-2 with one no-contest. She's 4-0 since making the move to Bellator in January 2020, when she defeated Julia Budd to win the Bellator women's featherweight world championship.
Her only loss since her debut defeat in 2005 came in December 2018 when she dropped the UFC title to Amanda Nunes.
Meanwhile, Harrison is off to a 12-0 start to her MMA career after winning judo gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
The 31-year-old Ohio native most recently won the 2021 PFL women's lightweight tournament with a submission victory over Taylor Guardado in the finals last month.
Harrison confirmed to Simon Samano and Danny Segura of MMAJunkie after attending Friday's card she's aiming for a fight against Cyborg, potentially in 2022:
Listen, she's one of the greatest of all time. I don't care which way you slice it. You can't deny her her greatness, and I've made it no secret that I wanna go down as the greatest. So, in order to do that, you've got to beat the greatest, and she's one of those people. So, for me, the greatest compliment I can give to Cris Cyborg is that I want to fight her. That's the greatest honor I can say, is that I wanna share the cage with you for 25 hard minutes. I would be over the moon to have an opportunity to fight her.
Given both fighters' interest in the bout, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the long-awaited matchup come together early next year.
When 13-fight UFC veteran Yoel Romero learned that his time with the promotion was over, he did what he always does in times of strife: He trusted that it was all part of God's plan.
"Everything in life has a beginning and an end," the 44-year-old Cuban told Bleacher Report on Wednesday some eight months after his UFC run concluded. "I remember when I came to the UFC and when I left. I knew that one day it would have to end and that life would continue.
"It doesn't matter the reason or the motives. The ways of God are filled with mystery. We have to accept what God puts in front of us and be grateful."
Free agency can be dangerous for fighters. Good opportunities are few and far between, and the risk of being lost in the shuffle is ever-present. Romero and his team navigated the wilderness of free agency with astounding ease, putting pen to paper with Bellator MMA—arguably the second biggest promotion in the sport—less than two weeks after his UFC contract went through the shredder.
"When you do something very, very well and you really dedicate yourself to it, you'll be sought-after," Romero said, looking back on the day he officially became a Bellator fighter. "To be honest, I don't think I did anything wrong in the UFC. I knew I was going to find work. I knew my work and my talent would be in demand, and Bellator became home.
"I felt happy," he added. "It was almost as if God was saying 'don't worry, you're in my arms.'"
Despite spending the entirety of his UFC career competing as a middleweight, Romero elected to begin his Bellator career in the 205-pound light heavyweight division. Not long after he was signed by the promotion, ESPN reported that he'd been matched up with former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony "Rumble" Johnson—one of a few fighters in MMA history capable of matching him in terms of knockout power.
The fight had fans drooling like dogs in a steakhouse. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Bellator revealed there was an undisclosed issue with Romero's pre-fight medicals, and he was pulled from the matchup.
The fans were gutted, but Romero, as ever, was the picture of stoicism, confident that it was all a part of God's plan.
"That's something we prepare ourselves for mentally," Romero said of the foiled Rumble scrap. "Sometimes things are canceled. We were ready for that.
"I put it in the hands of God and now we're here."
Here, for Romero, is San Jose, California. The Sunny Californian city will host the Bellator 266 event Saturday, which will be topped by a fight between Romero and fellow UFC veteran Phil Davis.
Davis parted ways with the UFC in 2015 and has stepped into the Bellator cage 12 times since, notably ruling over the light heavyweight division from 2016-2017. Romero relishes the opportunity to battle such an established and respected foe in his first fight with the promotion.
"This division is stacked with big names, and I expected that, eventually, I'd end up matched up with Davis," Romero said. "It was already in our schedule. It's a big fight. He's a great fighter—one of the biggest names in this division—and we're ready for him.
"We both have good wrestling," Romero added. "I don't think it will just be wrestling, or just striking, we're going to mix it all up. That's what I think will happen.
"It's going to be like a chess match."
The Bellator light heavyweight division is ruled by Vadim Nemkov, a protege of the great Fedor Emelianenko and a man many consider the best fighter in the division—regardless of promotion. Nemkov is tied up with Bellator's Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, but if Romero can get by Davis, he'll be well-positioned for a shot at the champion's belt when the tournament concludes.
Romero sees Nemkov as a "very good, very complete" fighter and is also interested in dropping back down to middleweight to challenge that division's reigning champion, Gegard Mousasi, but he noted that "the most important thing is not who you're fighting, but the victory."
"To be the champion is just as important as winning at the Olympics, competing in wrestling world championships, or being UFC champion" Romero said. "Being the Bellator champion is just as important."
Romero's Bellator fights—including his imminent showdown with Davis—will air on Showtime. The network, which is steeped in combat sports history, recently dipped its toes in the celebrity boxing pool, promoting boxing matches involving YouTube stars Jake and Logan Paul. Romero is interested in boxing in theory, but he isn't holding his breath for a fight with either of the Paul brothers—as lucrative as those opportunities might be.
"As soon as I left the UFC, about a week after, the [Paul brothers'] managers and my managers talked," he said. "They suggested the fight, but when it came down to it, the Paul's managers let us know that they didn't want the match. They would rather fight Ben Askren."
One way or the other, Romero has a smorgasbord of exciting options in front of him, from the light heavyweight division to the middleweight division and beyond. It could even be argued that the 44-year-old has too many options to fit into the remaining years of his career, but he isn't planning on slowing down anytime soon.
"I would like to surpass Bernard Hopkins," Romero said, drawing inspiration from the former two-division boxing champion, who famously fought into his 50s.
While the future looks bright for Romero, a great many things—from Bellator title fights to lucrative boxing matches—would seem to hinge on the outcome of his looming fight with Davis. He hopes he'll win that fight, but as always, he is leaving it up to God.
"It's going be a very exciting fight that will keep fans in their seats," he said. "And God willing, Yoel Romero's hand will be the one that is raised."
The man involved in a bar fight with Joe Schilling last weekend plans to pursue charges against the MMA fighter, his attorney told TMZ Sports.
"I cannot believe [Schilling] thought it was OK to just haul off and crack somebody twice like that," Robert Solomon said. "[Schilling] is lucky we're not dealing with a manslaughter case."
Schilling knocked out Justin Balboa, 31, after Balboa lunged at him in a Florida bar Sunday. Video of the incident made rounds on social media this week.
The video shows Schilling attempting to walk around Balboa, before Balboa lunges in Schilling's direction and he responds by punching Balboa twice. Balboa appeared to say something to Schilling before being hit, but he did not throw a punch. Schilling is claiming self-defense and said Balboa had been bothering other patrons throughout the night.
A witness told police Balboa "had possibly made an improper remark" about Schilling's fiancee.
Solomon said he plans on filing a lawsuit on Balboa's behalf against Schilling, who was 4-6 in his MMA career. He last fought in Bellator in 2019.
