MMA & Boxing Today: Ryan Garcia Concerns Fans, UFC Fighter Shockingly Retires
MMA Knockout's Zain Bando is back with the latest happenings across the combat sports universe, as is the case every Monday morning.
A light UFC weekend meant boxing took center stage to begin the month of March and will likely be the case nearly every weekend throughout the entire month.
But that doesn't mean MMA didn't have its fair share of drama either.
Without further ado, let's get to the news for Monday, March 4.
Ryan Garcia delivered an unexplainable press conference spree
Ahead of their title fight April 20 in Brooklyn, New York, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney met with assembled media in New York and Los Angeles to deliver insults at one another, as is routine in the Sweet Science these days.
When imagining a "normal" set of press conferences, they were anything but. Garcia, known for his flashy and flamboyant social media presence, told the world that he had never done cocaine.
His body language and demeanor were concerning, however. Garcia appeared to slur his words, speak in half-sentences and not conduct himself like he normally does, as in brash, confident and cocky.
The fight is over a month away, and if the last 72 hours have taught us anything, Haney will have a chance to potentially deliver the easiest layup of his entire career if he gets past Garcia.
Don't be surprised if this fight gets postponed somehow either, especially given the fact that there was initial confusion on whether or not it could get moved to Las Vegas instead of New York.
But, nonetheless, the fight will probably happen, and there might be more questions than answers by night's end.
Ryan Garcia celebrates with a crown after securing a victory.
MVP and DAZN see a near-perfect night ruined in Puerto Rico
Jake Paul and Amanda Serrano (kind of) took part in a one-of-a-kind DAZN boxing event in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While Paul dominated Ryan Bourland in less than a round to earn his second consecutive win, a night that looked so promising for the sport of boxing quickly turned sour.
Before the main event was set to take place, it was announced by Ariel Helwani, who was doing the post-fight in-ring interviews for the DAZN commentary team, that Serrano would be unable to compete due to eye complications after getting her hair done in the days prior.
While the crowd booed, Most Valuable Promotions and DAZN did its best to fill sudden lost air time, even though the proverbial damage had already been done.
MVP released a statement shortly thereafter detailing why Serrano vs. Nina Meinke was halted at the last minute.
“Amanda Serrano has unfortunately been declared medically unfit by the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission to fight tonight due to an eye injury she sustained yesterday," the statement read. "She is devastated that she won’t be able to perform in front of her hometown fans, but despite wanting to go out and put on a show, the Commission said there is no way she can fight with her eye in its current condition.
The decision equally affects Nina Meinke and MVP will be paying her fight purse in full. MVP and Amanda would like to apologize to everyone in attendance and the company will provide full refunds for all those seeking it. Details to follow on the ticket refund process."
Paul said he wants to give the Puerto Rican fans what they deserve and redo the event at a later date, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will come together again.
Amanda Serrano holds her belts in New York City after fighting Katie Taylor.
Marc Goddard does his due diligence at UFC Vegas 87
Referee Marc Goddard did his best "baby in timeout" impersonation when it came to the end of the heavyweight main event between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Gaziev, which took place Saturday at UFC Vegas 87.
The fight had a brief pause, followed by an eventual stoppage from Goddard just before the start of Round 5.
Gaziev complained of being unable to see out of one of his eyes. Goddard was noticeably confused before telling the ringside doctor, "I want to know what he [Gaziev] said to that corner." It was then determined Gaziev was unable to continue, giving Rozenstruik the TKO stoppage victory.
The heavyweight carousel rolls on, as Jon Jones' return to the Octagon remains unknown.
(via Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Tyson Pedro announced his retirement after a loss to Vitor Petrino
Tyson Pedro's UFC career came to an end Saturday in Las Vegas, losing to Vitor Petrino by decision in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 87.
Pedro, who finished with a 10-5 record in MMA and a 6-5 UFC mark, cited spending more time with his family and not earning adequate pay as the reasons for hanging up the gloves.
Pedro, 32 lost two of his last three before calling it a career, as he competed against the likes of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Ovince St. Preux during his eight-year promotional run.
(via Zuffa LLC)
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