Welcome to this week’s edition of The Fight With Teddy Atlas Newsletter, your one stop shop for all things combat sports related, brought to you by Teddy and The Fight team.

Every Friday we bring you:

• A combat sports news digest with all the headlines you need to know from Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts.

• Highlights from the podcast and across the fight world.

• Fight times and information you need to know ahead of time.

• How to’s and tips for Boxing from Teddy himself.

Fight News From Around The 🌍

• Ngannou won't fight in the UFC beyond the end of his contract after the Gane fight.

• Charlo vs Castaño undisputed rematch set for March 19th in LA.

• DC casts doubt over Jon Jones winning the Heavyweight title.

• Terence Crawford sues Bob Arum & Top Rank over alleged racial bias.

• Shawn Porter: "Canelo deals with Artur Beterbeiv easily". 

• IBF Cruiserweight champ Mairis Briedis calls out Jake Paul with a tattoo.

• Mark Hunt rules out ever fighting again. Focused on legal fight with the UFC.

New Opponent, Same Objective

And so it begins.

2022 kicks off with world title action right away, with Long Islands very own Joe Smith Jr making the first defence of his 175 lbs title.

He'll be facing the late replacement Steve Geffrard, who comes in one a weeks notice following original opponent Callum Johnson's positive COVID-19 test.

It's a chance of a lifetime for Geffrard to really throw a spanner in the works of the Light Heavyweight scene and derail any possibility of an immediate unification with division ruler Artur Beterbiev, or even a rematch with WBA champ Dmitry Bivol.

Smith Jr, one of Boxing's hardest hitters, exploded onto the scene when he became the first (and only) man to stop the legendary Bernard Hopkins inside the distance, knocking him out of the ring and into retirement.

Post-Hopkins, his career has fluctuated. He has put in devastating performances against top operators like Eleider Alvarez and Jesse Hart, cementing himself as a true fan favourite with his pressure and aggression, as well as devastating power.

On the other hand, he can be outboxed, as was proven by Dmitry Bivol's virtual shutout against him in 2019 and Sullivan Barrera's win against him just after the Hopkins fight in 2017.

Even in his WBO title win against Maxim Vlasov, there were legitimate arguments that Vlasov had done enough to win on the cards. But even then, Smith Jr's power swayed the judges, as he visibly hurt Vlasov several times, as he has with every opponent he's faced.

That's his X factor. Whoever steps into the ring with him will get hit extremely hard. Whether they adapt and are able to manage that aggression is a different question.

Arguably the weakest of the 3 champions in division (not to mention a certain Mexican looming over it), Smith Jr will be looking to build a case towards moving up in that list and towards being the top dog.

Fea

The Return Of The UFC

Throughout 2021, the UFC rarely disappointed in terms of providing week after week of great match ups and pure entertainment. In that sense, they definitely earned their 3 week break over the holidays.

They're kicking off the new year in real style, with a brilliant striking matchup in the Featherweight division between tough contender Calvin Kattar and up and coming kickboxing sensation Giga Chikadze.

On paper, this looks like the age old up and comer vs tough veteran matchup that the UFC has lifted slightly from boxing in recent years. Chikadze is an entertaining striker whose route to a shot at the champion Volkanovski looks more clear cut with a win over Kattar.

When you take a closer look however, it's a bit more complicated than that.

Yes, Kattar was beaten for pretty much every minute of every round against Max Holloway in his last fight almost exactly a year ago. It's the kind of fight that leaves a mark on you for the rest of your career, and it could very much show against a dangerous opponent like Chikadze on Saturday.

But he is still a very accomplished MMA striker in his own right. There is zero shame in losing to a generational talent like Max Holloway, and it doesn't mean that he has lost the hunger and desire to stage a title charge.

Much like Chikadze, he has yet to get a shot at Featherweight gold, and he wont be looking to give it up anytime soon. His fight IQ and understanding of distance on the feet is excellent, and his kickboxing is underrated.

Chikadze will be looking to impress and is arguably under more pressure to perform given his recent stoppages against veterans like Edson Barboza and Cub Swanson.

He has all of the ability to replicate those destructive performances against Kattar, and become the first man to stop him inside the distance.

But Kattar's toughness could bring the Georgian back down to earth and force him to dig much deeper. Kattar has been to those deeper waters and hasn't drowned, and he'll look to test Chikadze as the fight progresses. His mixture of striking acumen and durability might give him a better chances than people think.

In Case You Missed It...

We had the pleasure of being joined by the third member of the podcast broadcast team, the one and only Dustin Poirier. He spoke to Teddy and Ken a few weeks back about his title fight against Oliveira and the huge opponent he has lined up next.

Fight ⏰ for this weekend

Boxing: Smith Jr vs Geffrard (Saturday 14th/Sunday 15th)

• 🇺🇸 Full Card: 10pm Eastern/7pm Pacific | Main Event: 12pm Eastern/ 9pm Pacific

• 🇬🇧 Full Card: 3am | Main Event: 5am

• 🇦🇺 Full Card: 2pm Eastern/ 11am Western | Main Event: 4pm Eastern/ 1pm Western

MMA: Kattar vs Chikadze (Saturday 14th/Sunday 15th)

• 🇺🇸 Full Card: 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific | Main Event: 10pm Eastern/ 7pm Pacific

• 🇬🇧 Full Card: 12am | Main Event: 3am

• 🇦🇺 Full Card: 11am Eastern/ 8am Western | Main Event: 2pm Eastern/ 11am Western

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Thanks for being with us and see you next week #BANG💥