Cage Chronicle's Newsletter!

UFC Vegas 81 🥊🔥

UFC Vegas 81 kicked off with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, as Andre Petrowski and Michel Pereira entered the octagon. Pereira wasted no time, delivering a first-round KO that if you were making popcorn you would have missed. The fight started with both fighters playing the 'feint and fake' game, like a couple of fighters with commitment issues.

Pereira decided he'd had enough of the charades and sent a sweet body kick Petrowski's way. Then, BOOM! He unleashed a right hand that hit Petrowski like a 'Do Not Disturb' sign at a hotel. Ground and pound followed, and it was all over faster than you can say 'wrestling.' Sorry, Cage Chronicle's readers, you didn't even get a chance to unleash your inner armchair wrestler.

Up next was the much-anticipated bantamweight clash between Adrian Yanez and Jonathan Martinez, and boy, did Martinez put on a show. It was nothing short of a masterclass in tactical brilliance. Martinez had Yanez scratching his head.

Martinez's secret sauce? He deftly blocked Yanez's lead hand (the left) with his own lead hand (the right). Like a chess grandmaster, he made sure Yanez couldn't even think about starting his boxing combos with a jab. And when Yanez dared to step in, Martinez had a simple yet ruthlessly effective answer – the calf kick. He hacked away at Yanez's leg, leaving him limping and questioning his life choices in the first round.

In the second round, it was déjà vu for Yanez as Martinez continued his relentless assault on that calf. The fight was ultimately stopped after one last savage calf kick, sealing Martinez's second win via leg kick. The Cage Chronicles team saw this coming a mile away. In our Thursday analysis newsletter, we predicted Martinez would make a beeline for those legs, and boy, did he ever.

The main event of the night had all the elements of a thrilling drama, starring the experienced Edson Barboza against the rising star Sodiq Yusuff. It played out like a classic underdog story, with Yusuff taking the role of the betting favourite, but Barboza had a few surprises up his sleeve.

The fight kicked off with Yusuff charging at Barboza like a bull in a china shop. He came so close to finishing Barboza in the first round that we thought he was auditioning for a superhero role. But Barboza, demonstrating the grace of an elephant on a tightrope, managed to slip away from Yusuff's clutches.

As the rounds unfolded, Yusuff's energy seemed to dwindle, while Barboza turned into a body shot specialist. He even attempted a spinning heel kick that made contact, leaving Yusuff to practice his chicken dance skills.

Ultimately, the judges declared Barboza the winner, and the crowd couldn't help but crack a smile. Despite Yusuff's dominating 10-8 round in the first, Barboza emerged as the victor.

Cage Warriors 161🤼‍♂️🏆

Shifting our focus across the pond to Dublin, we found ourselves in the midst of a thrilling Cage Warriors show, featuring a host of homegrown talent. The night promised high-stakes action, with the coveted Featherweight title hanging in the balance.

In the co-main event, we witnessed an intriguing battle between Irish fighter Ryan Shelley and the Dutch contender, Jordy Bakkes. The outcome of this fight took an unexpected turn when the Dutchman secured a surprising submission victory in the second round. The match had been closely contested, with Shelley appearing to hold the edge in the striking department.

However, the momentum shifted in the second round when Shelley attempted a clinch sweep that didn't quite go as planned. Bakkes seized the opportunity, smoothly transitioning into the mount position, and shortly thereafter, he cinched in an arm triangle submission for the win. It was a turn of events that caught many off guard, as the Irishman was expected to shine on his home turf. I guess you could say Shelley's clinch sweep turned into a "Dutch treat" for Bakkes!

The main event of the night had all the makings of a fiery showdown, featuring the Irish sensation Paul Hughes against the Belgian contender Jan Quaeyhaegens on home turf. Hughes lived up to the hype and then some, delivering a lightning-fast victory in the first round, and what a knockout it was! If the UFC isn't knocking on his door, I'd be surprised; they'd probably be chapping at it like persistent Jehovah's Witnesses.

The fight played out pretty much as expected for Hughes. Jan started by applying some pressure with his boxing, but Hughes kept his cool and started chopping away at the Belgian's legs as he moved forward. Then, just as Jan decided to step up his boxing game after they broke from a clinch, BOOM, Paul Hughes unleashed a counter left hand with the flair of a Conor McGregor-esque move, and down went Jan in spectacular fashion. It was a knockout that left everyone's jaws on the floor. The future is indeed looking dazzling for this Irishman!

Misfit Boxing 🥊🔥

Well, well, well, another influencer boxing event for the books! This weekend, the "partners in prime" took to the ring for their respective matches against Dillon Danis and Tommy Fury, and it was a rollercoaster of great and downright embarrassing moments for all involved.

Let's kick things off with the co-main event, featuring YouTuber Logan Paul and Ju-Jitsu specialist Dillon Danis. This one was, well, let's just say, an embarrassing spectacle for both fighters. The fight turned out to be a snoozer, with Logan Paul seemingly on his way to an easy victory, as expected, given that Danis isn't a boxer. But then Danis decided to play by his own rules and attempted to get Paul in a guillotine choke. Yes, you read that correctly – a guillotine choke in a boxing match. Talk about thinking outside the box!

Unsurprisingly, Danis's guillotine choke attempt didn't quite pan out, and as he tried to pull guard, Paul managed to escape and, believe it or not, he started delivering ground and pound shots. That's right, ground and pound in a boxing match. And if that wasn't bizarre enough, when Logan Paul pulled off this move, Danis tried to attack him and even threw a punch at Logan's security personnel, who were inexplicably in the boxing ring. This whole scene somehow resulted in Danis getting disqualified, and, well, we're all just as perplexed as you are by this boxing match turned royal rumble.

Now, let's shift our focus to the main event, which surprisingly resembled more of an actual boxing match compared to the co-main event antics. However, the Prime duo didn't both come out with victories this time, as KSI found himself on the wrong side of a controversial outcome. Many believed the fight should have gone in KSI's favor, but the Cage Chronicle's team had a different view, seeing it as a draw between the two influencers.

Ultimately, though, the victory went to Tommy Fury, leaving KSI visibly shocked and frustrated after the bout. He claimed that the match had been rigged in favor of Fury simply because of his famous last name. It seems that in the world of influencer boxing, drama and controversy can be just as big of stars as the fighters themselves.