So … Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg is actually on Verdict for you to make your pick. We plan on sharing the pre-fight data with the world this weekend.
Dana White says that Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk want to fight in the UFC
Is this for real? Dana White says it is. He spoke to Musk and Zuckerberg on Wednesday night, and they both told him they were dead serious about fighting each other. Zuckerberg has become a massive fan of combat sports over the past few years and regularly trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How likely is this to happen? It’ll come down to Musk. Zuckerberg has started competing in grappling competitions and would be the favorite to defeat Musk in a fight. Musk doesn’t train in any martial arts, but you can never put anything past him. He’s the real-life Tony Stark.
Rickson Gracie revealed that he has Parkinson’s disease
How long has it been? Rickson Gracie revealed to Kyra Gracie that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s two years ago.
How’s he doing? To no surprise, Rickson is dealing with this like a champion. The symptoms don’t bother him, and he attributes that to waking up motivated every morning and staying active.
Anderson Silva wants to have his retirement fight in Japan
Why Japan? Anderson Silva has a special place in his heart for Japan because it’s where he started his international career and won his first MMA title. His first professional fight outside of Brazil took place in Tokyo, Japan, when he was 26 years old.
Who, when, and where: This is still undecided, but Silva said he’s working on “something cool” for the fans. The most likely promotions are Rizin and Shooto. Rizin is the biggest MMA promotion in Japan, but he has an emotional connection with Shooto as that’s where he won his first title.
Henry Cejudo is fighting Marlon Vera
Where the fight is happening: August 19 in Boston at UFC 292, which is headlined by Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight strap.
The stakes: If Henry Cejudo loses, this might be the end of his career. He only wants to compete in championship fights, and losing to Vera means that he’s no longer at that level. If Henry wins, he’ll likely secure another title shot.
Sean O’Malley wonders if there should be a WUFC for Women’s fighters
His thoughts: Sean O’Malley questioned if there should be a WUFC, similar to the WNBA, that exclusively puts on women’s fights – the Women’s Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Could it work? Invicta FC is an all women’s fighting league and has produced a lot of the best women’s fighters of all-time. But removing women from UFC cards would stunt the growth of WMMA and it’s evolution.
Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2 will main event a September 16 card
It could be a UFC Fight Night: UFC 293 is taking place in Sydney, Australia on September 9. It’s highly unlikely that the UFC will run two pay-per-view events in back-to-back weeks. This would make this the first UFC Fight Night to feature a championship fight in the post-pandemic world.
What makes this special: September 16 is also Mexican Independence Day. If Alexa Grasso beats Valentina Shevchenko again that day, that would be huge for the Hispanic market.
Erin Blanchfield wants Julianna Peña for the UFC bantamweight title
Why it makes sense: Erin Blanchfield would be a breath of fresh air in a division that badly needs one. She would have been competing for the UFC flyweight title this year if Alexa Grasso didn’t choke out Valentina Shevchenko. Julianna Peña was supposed to fight Nunes in a trilogy fight but was forced out of the bout because of an injury.
When could it happen? Peña seems like she’s ready to go, and so does Blanchfield. With Nunes out of the division, nothing is blocking this fight from being made ASAP.
If you’ve made it up to here, thanks for reading. OverUnder drops every Friday.
Verdict is the mixed martial arts platform for fan engagement. Available on iOS and Android. Verdict’s mission is to increase engagement of the MMA viewing experience. Primarily, using innovative data collection methods that are shared with the community. We’re increasing transparency within the MMA community and its thoughts by aggregating crowd-sourced data and sharing it back. By leveraging a user focused design, we’re bringing fight data to the community’s finger tips.
