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👀 Look Who's Back
The Fight Team
March 03, 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 🌍
Next In Line
Former world champions Brandon Figueroa and Mark Magsayo face off Saturday night for the interim WBC featherweight title, with the winner right in line for a shot at Rey Vargas’ full title.
Figueroa is coming up in weight, having held the WBA & WBC titles at super bantamweight. He eventually lost his undefeated record to Stephen Fulton in a unification clash that was razor close. He'll be looking to put himself straight into contention for a crack Vargas, who is coming off a defeat to O'Shaquie Foster at super featherweight.
Magsayo has been at the weight his entire career and will be itching to get another crack at the full champion, who defeated him by split decision in July of last year. Having scored a major upset in defeating the (then) longest reigning world champ in boxing Gary Russell Jr, he will be confident in his ability to beat the much less defensively sound Figueroa.
It's a fight that's gone somewhat under the radar in boxing circles, but stylistically both guys are hard hitters for their weight and work best at close quarters. This should make for a very fan friendly affair to determine the next challenger for the WBC title.
What to look for in the fight:
Pace. Figueroa and Magsayo are both close quarters fighters, but Figueroa has demonstrated a greater ability to maintain a high pace for 12 rounds. Whilst the first half of the fight could see an even exchange, look for Figueroa to maintain his output down the stretch.
Body. Magsayo has a habit of head hunting, and he'll likely find success with it early. But look for the taller, longer Figueroa to invest in the body and slow his more explosive opponent down.
A Legend Returns
After 3 years out of the octagon, one of the most talented (and controversial) figures in MMA history in Jon Jones returns to challenge for the vacant heavyweight title against former interim champion Ciryl Gane.
After becoming UFC Light Heavyweight champion aged only 23 back in 2011, it always looked like the only person capable of defeating Jon Jones was himself. Baring a handful of fights such as the Dom Reyes and Alex Gustafsson bouts, he has never really seemed close to losing in the UFC, and was close to totally dominant in the octagon for the best part of a decade.
Various legal issues and controversies have always been the biggest threat to his legacy, and are part of the reason for his 3 year absence from the UFC. On Saturday, he'll get the chance to partly right the wrongs and silence those who doubt his greatness by joining the illustrious club of two division UFC champions.
Standing in his way is Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane.
The Frenchman was signed just three fights into his MMA career and he quickly racked up wins over Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov and Derrick Lewis in less than 12 months, earning an interim title and a shot at the then champion Francis Ngannou. Whilst he came up short against the champ, his subsequent beatdown of Tai Tuivasa propelled him back into the title conversation and reminded the division that with Ngannou out of the UFC, he is the most dangerous heavyweight on the planet.
Jon Jones, as great as he is, will be made to earn his greatness at UFC 285 in what is gearing up to be an amazing fight.
What to look for in the fight:
Speed. Interestingly enough, it might be the bigger man in Gane that has the speed advantage against an older, potentially rusty Jon Jones. Ciryl Gane has fought 6 times since Jon Jones' last fight, so he will most likely be fresher and sharper in the first few rounds.
Geography. Gane struggled on the mat against Ngannou, who is nowhere near as seasoned of a grappler as Jon Jones. In his last few fights before his layoff, Jones' game has depended on smart clinch work or poking away at range. If the latter might not be as effective against a crafty striker like Gane, look for him to work on the inside and take Gane down as early as he can.
Other great fights on the card:
Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso
Geoff Neal vs Shavkat Rakhmonov
Mateusz Gamrot vs Jalin Turner
Derek Brunson vs Dricus Du Plessis
Fight ⏰ for this weekend
Boxing: Figueroa vs Magsayo (Saturday 4th/Sunday 5th)
🇺🇸 Full Card: 10pm Eastern/ 7pm Pacific | Main Event: 11pm Eastern/ 8pm Pacific
🇬🇧 Full Card: 3am | Main Event: 4am
🇦🇺 Full Card: 2pm Eastern/ 12pm Western | Main event: 3pm Eastern/ 1pm Western
MMA: UFC 285 (Saturday 4th/Sunday 5th)
🇺🇸 Full Card: 10pm Eastern/ 7pm Pacific | Main Event: 12am Eastern/ 9pm Pacific
🇬🇧 Full Card: 3am | Main Event: 5am
🇦🇺 Full Card: 2pm Eastern/ 12pm Western | Main event: 4pm Eastern/ 2pm Western