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The Fight Team
September 15, 2023
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 🌍
Third Time Lucky?
Despite Luis Alberto Lopez being the defending champion, challenger Joet Gonzalez will be feeling the pressure in this IBF world featherweight title matchup.
Tonight, he’ll get his third shot at a featherweight world title, having lost his first two to Shakur Stevenson and Emmanuel Navarette respectively.
These are top opposition, and “Venado” Lopez will count himself in the same category in terms of world title credentials.
Fresh off of a devastating knockout of Michael Conlan, he’ll be looking to be the first person to stop Gonzalez as he makes a name for himself in an ultra-talented division.
Gonzalez, despite only being 29, will find world title opportunities hard to come by if he loses his third shot in 4 years, so the could be an urgency here that we haven’t seen before in his previous attempts.
Alberto Lopez won’t be in the mood to do the American any favours, as his road to the top of the division has been an arduous journey, taking out home town favourites in their own backyards on the way to his title win against Josh Warrington last year.
Expect fireworks tonight.
What to look for in the fight:
Traps. Lopez is a phenomenal counterpuncher and sets traps very well. Expect him to set up short, snappy uppercuts and hooks as Joet throws straight punches.
Open season. Lopez can leave himself quite open whilst he punches, as he tends to keep his hands quite low. This helps him generate power quickly but leaves him open for well-timed right hands. A long fighter like Joet will time and exploit it.
Revenge Or Repeat?
Not seeing Valentina with the UFC championship gold around her shoulder has taken some getting used to.
She lost her Flyweight title back in March, having made 7 consecutive defences of the crown she won in 2018. Her dominance was starting to get ridiculous, with questions as to whether she’d ever lose again.
Enter Alexa Grasso.
She pulled off a huge upset in submitting her, and will now need to prove that it wasn’t just a one-time fluke. Julianna Peña couldn’t repeat the feat against another modern-day great in Amanda Nunes, but Grasso will be more confident that her grappling skills and competency on the feet can help her make a successful defence.
Valentina is more well-rounded, and if she stays disciplined and alert over the 25 mins, she should be able to have enough to reclaim her title.
Tomorrow night, we’ll find out if Valentina Shevchenko’s legacy will take a bigger hit than it did in March, or if she has enough to bounce back from her first defeat in over 5 years to beat Grasso.
What to look for in the fight:
Mileage. Valentina is 35 and last time out she was showing signs of her activity and age starting to catch up with her. Look for the younger Grasso to look fresh compared to her in the later rounds, potentially resulting in another opportunity for submission.
Physique. Grasso’s lack of physicality compared to Valentina could make her easier to manipulate on the feet. Look for Valentina to impose her will early on the feet, avoiding unnecessary risks that lead to her being submitted last time out.
Sugar Sean Drops In
Teddy and Ken were joined on the podcast the newly crowned Bantamweight champion of the world, Sugar Sean O’Malley. They broke down his title fight strategy, his mindset leading up to it, thoughts on Israel Adesanya and much more.
Check out the full episode by clicking below.
Fight ⏰ for this weekend
Boxing: Lopez vs Gonzalez (Friday 15th/Saturday 16th)
🇺🇸 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
MMA: Grasso vs Shevchenko (Saturday 16th/Sunday 17th)
🇺🇸 Full Card: 10pm Eastern/ 7pm Pacific | Main Event: 12am Eastern/ 9pm Pacific
🇬🇧 Full Card: 3am | Main Event: 5am
🇦🇺 Full Card: 12pm Eastern/ 10am Western | Main event: 9pm Eastern/ 7pm Western