🥊 A Changing Of The Guard?

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.

Teddy Atlas and co-host Ken Rideout breakdown the past weekend of fights with Vergil Ortiz Jr TKOing Michael McKinson, Michael Conlan beating Miguel Marriaga and the UFC Fight Night filled with finish after finish. Teddy also discusses the upcoming Teofimo Lopez vs Pedro Campa fight and Teddy speaks…

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  • 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 🌍

Time To "Takeover" 140 lbs?

Teofimo Lopez's stunning upset against pound for pound supremo Vasily Lomachenko was meant to be the crowning moment that launched him into boxing superstardom.

Instead, an upset defeat to George Kambosos Jr has driven him out of the 135 lbs division and towards new challenges at 140 lbs.

Josh Taylors decision to pursue a rematch with Jack Catterall has meant a dispersal of titles (WBA & WBC) in the division, and Lopez will have taken this into consideration before leaving lightweight.

Rumours of Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis looking to compete in the division might also have played a role in the decision, and a fight with either could be on the horizon should Lopez get past his first super-lightweight test on Saturday.

Mexican contender Pedro Campa will be looking to spoil any plans "The Takeover" may have of conquering 140 lbs.

Campa likes to take the middle of the ring and walk his opponent down. He's aggressive and strong, but lacks the boxing ability and IQ of Lopez. A powerful counter-puncher like Teofimo should, in theory, at least, make him pay big for his toughness.

In this sense, he's custom made for Lopez to deliver a big statement on his super-lightweight debut, and once he's felt the weight out for the first half of the scheduled 10 rounds, he could look to close the show.

However, very few were expecting him to slip up against Kambosos Jr, and as exceptional as the Aussie was that night, there was a lingering sense that Lopez had underestimated his opponent and subsequently paid the price.

He can't afford to underestimate anyone at a new weight, even someone who is being considered a "tune up". Anything can happen when strong fighters go at each other in 10 oz gloves, and a punch can change the course of a fight.

Any plans to become a 2 division champion would be out of the window for the foreseeable future should Lopez not pull out the win, preferably within the distance.

This motivation, combined with his undeniable talent and youth (he is 1o years younger than Campa), should see him pick up a KO win and move onto bigger and better things in his new division.

Crossroads Clash At Bantamweight

There was a time, not too long ago, when Dominick Cruz was not just the UFC bantamweight champion, but also the consensus No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Having captured the UFC Bantamweight title twice, with victories over Demetrius Johnson, Uriah Faber (2x), TJ Dillashaw and Joseph Benavidez (2x), Cruz was primed to go into 2017 as one of the best mixed martial artists of recent times.

Then came a unanimous decision loss to Cody Garbrandt, after which Cruz was sidelined for almost 4 years with various injuries. His comeback against Henry Cejudo for the championship saw him lose by a controversial stoppage, but in all likelihood the time out of the octagon would have been too much for him to overcome.

He's since rebounded with back to back wins, but it seems unlikely that he'll ever reach the pinnacle that he did in 2016 when he came back from 2 years out to beat TJ Dillashaw for the belt.

Then again, we do love a good comeback story, almost as much as the UFC loves encouraging its long time veterans to go for one last roll of the dice title run.

Jose Aldo skipped the queue a few years back against Petr Yan, and Frankie Edgar did so against Max Holloway back in 2019. Even Cruz himself was arguably fast tracked to challenging Triple C for the 135 lbs strap, so whose to say a third win on the bounce wouldn't put him back in contention?

Marlon "Chito" Vera stands in the way of Cruz's dream journey to a title shot.

Vera currently holds the record for most finishes in the UFC bantamweight division at nine, as well as the most submission attempts (15). He’s also tied for third place in most wins at 135 pounds (11). It’s hard to believe “Chito” has been in the UFC for nearly eight years, racking up 19 fights during that span.

It wasn't until he took Sean O'Malleys "0" back at UFC 252 that he really burst onto the scene. Despite dropping a decision immediately after to Jose Aldo at UFC Vegas 14, he's swung the momentum for a title run back his way with three straight wins, including his highlight reel KO of former champion Frankie Edgar.

Contrasting Chito's kind of activity levels to Cruz's, it could spell trouble for the former 2x champion.

However, Chito has struggled in the past with effective octagon generalship and fight IQ, and Cruz brings this in spades. His striking is unorthodox and he has a brilliant understanding of when to shoot for takedowns during rounds in order to score points and favour with the judges.

The younger Vera may look to make it a short night and test Cruz's chin like it hasn't been in years. He'll be in no mood to put Cruz in prime position for a fairytale title shot, as extending his win streak to 4 will cement him as a top contender for the winner of Sterling vs Dillashaw in October.

Whatever happens, it'll be another great addition to the Bantamweight storyline of the last 12 months, that have seen it go from a division that was going to be dominated by a certain Petr Yan, to one that is wide open again.

Roll on Saturday.

Fight ⏰ for this weekend

Boxing: Lopez vs Campa (Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th)

  • 🇺🇸 Full Card: 9pm Eastern/ 6pm Pacific | Main Event: 11pm Eastern/ 8pm Pacific

  • 🇬🇧 Full Card: 2am | Main Event: 4am

  • 🇦🇺 Full Card: 11am Eastern/ 9am Western | Main Event: 1pm Eastern/ 11am Western

UFC: Vera vs Cruz (Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th)

  • 🇺🇸 Full Card: 7pm Eastern/ 5pm Pacific | Main Event: 9pm Eastern/ 6pm Pacific

  • 🇬🇧 Full Card: 12am | Main Event: 2am

  • 🇦🇺 Full Card: 9am Eastern/ 7am Western | Main Event: 11am Eastern/ 9am Western

Don't forget to tune in to the latest episode 🎧

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