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Family man Roger Alves looking to add to winning streak at Unified MMA 37

Following a three-year layoff, welterweight Roger Alves returned to fighting in May of 2018 with a win over Corey Atkinson at Unified MMA 33.

While he didn’t fight as well as he believes he could have, Alves is pleased to have picked up the victory and added to a now four-fight winning streak.

“I was a little rusty,” Alves told MMAWeekly.com. “I wasn’t too happy with that performance. The training camp felt very… I didn’t get everything out of it that I wanted. It’s good that I got it out of the way.

“I’m glad I fought Corey and got some of the ring rust out. It just added to my experience that I get over time.”

Now that he’s older, Alves has learned to balance his life outside of fighting and his training to be able to be a little more active than he has been recently.

“I have a family now and I have a job, so it’s a little harder to take fights,” said Alves. “The fact that I can still get fights makes me happy, I guess, and keeps me motivated. I’ll take what I can get at this point.

“I’m a little bit smarter with how I do things and how I take care of my body. You don’t have to necessarily work as hard; you’ve just got to work smarter. I think over time I’ve learned a lot of tactics and creative ways to make myself actually last in this sport.”

On Friday in Enoch, Alberta, Canada, Alves (4-1) will look to extend his winning streak when he faces Cole Campbell (2-2) in a main card welterweight bout at Unified MMA 37.

“I feel like I just have to keep my pressure; pressure Cole with my hands and my wrestling,” Alves said. “I feel pretty comfortable everywhere. I know he’s got a little bit of wrestling. I know he’s a decent Jits guy.

“I respect all my opponents unless they give me a reason to not respect them. Cole I hear is a good guy, so I hope we both go in there have a good fight and leave healthy.”

At 34 years old, Alves might not be in the best position to make a run at the big time, but nevertheless he’s going to enjoy his time in the sport as much as he can and see where it leads him.

“I just kind of go fight by fight and see where it goes and where it takes me,” said Alves. “I’m a little older now, so it’s a little harder for me to do a UFC run.

“Usually, when I set a goal for myself, it isn’t to just get to a point. My goal is generally usually to win. I enjoy this sport. I enjoy the training. It gives me something to work towards.”

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/family-man-roger-alves-looking-to-add-to-winning-streak-at-unified-mma-37

Low Down Podcast: UFC gets into the Cannabis Business & Files for IPO

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Join us on The Low Down to discuss the UFC delving into the world of cannabis partnering with Aurora through clinical research of Cannabidiol (CBD) products, athlete wellness and recovery. And, Endeavor — the parent company of the UFC that purchased the promotion for just over $4 billion — has filed paperwork to go public on the New York Stock Exchange.

Call in at 702-799-9984

Tune in to The Low Down podcast at 10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PT every Tuesday and Thursday to discuss the latest mma news. Call in at 702-799-9984 during the show. Following the live airing, you can playback The Low Down podcast any time you like, just like any of our other videos on YouTube.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/low-down-podcast-ufc-gets-into-the-cannabis-business-files-for-ipo

UFC gets into the cannabis business with Aurora

Aurora Cannabis Inc. (“Aurora” or the “Company”) (NYSE: ACB) (TSX: ACB), the Canadian company defining the future of cannabis worldwide, and UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, are excited to announce an exclusive, multi-year, multi-million dollar, global partnership that is expected to significantly advance further clinical research on the relationship between 100% hemp derived Cannabidiol (CBD) products and athlete wellness and recovery, with a view to accelerating CBD product development and education.

UFC boasts more than 300 million fans worldwide, with programming that is broadcast to over 170 countries and territories, in 40 different languages, to over one billion TV households. The UFC Performance Institute, the world’s first mixed martial arts multi-disciplinary research, innovation, and training center, opened in Las Vegas in 2017 has served more than 400 athletes over the past two years. The facility is a global leader in athletic performance research and provides support and educational services to athletes on health, well-being, nutrition, and injury prevention.

The research will be conducted at the UFC’s Performance Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada, in collaboration with UFC’s sports performance team, as well as with athletes who choose to participate in the studies. Clinical studies will focus on pain management, inflammation, injury/exercise recovery, and mental well-being. Aurora’s research will be led by Dr. Jason Dyck, Professor at the University of Alberta and a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Medicine. He also serves as an indendent director on the board of Aurora Cannabis, where he provides valuable oversight for the Company’s scientific efforts.

“Since the day we opened the Performance Institute, our primary goal was to offer UFC athletes the best possible training, nutrition, and recovery services,” said UFC President Dana White. “This partnership with Aurora is an extension of that goal, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with Aurora to find new ways to improve the health and safety of athletes who compete in UFC.”

Terry Booth, CEO of Aurora added, “This global partnership places focus squarely on the health and well-being of UFC’s talented and highly trained athletes. The Aurora-UFC research partnership creates a global platform to launch targeted educational and awareness campaigns, while creating numerous opportunities to accelerate our global CBD business.”

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-gets-into-the-cannabis-business-with-aurora

Endeavor, parent company of the UFC, files to go public

Endeavor — the parent company of the UFC that purchased the promotion for just over $4 billion — has filed paperwork to go public on the New York Stock Exchange.

Rumors have bene swirling for months that Endeavor planned to take the company public but now the filing has been done with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

While there’s no official word on the type of capital that Endeavor hopes to raise with the initial public offering (IPO), the Hollywood Reporter stated that organization previously known as WME-IMG is looking to add approximately $500 million in capital with the company’s evaluation at more than $6 billion.

“As the entertainment industry moves toward a closed ecosystem model with less transparency, our clients and business need more insight, resources and solutions than ever before,” Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel wrote in a letter than came along with the filing. “We believe being a public company will only further accelerate our ability to look around corners and open up new categories and opportunities for those in the Endeavor network.”

Included in the paperwork to go public, Endeavor disclosed financial information about the company for the first time ever. According to the filing, Endeavor generated $3.61 billion in revenue in 2018 with a net income of $231.3 million. Following adjustments, the net income was brought to $100.1 million with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization at $551.1 million.

The filing also disclosed the salaries for Emanuel and Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell, who both made $5 million last year with $1 in salary and another $4 million paid out in bonuses.

In addition to owning the UFC, Endeavor boasts one of the most impressive talent agencies in all of Hollywood as they represent hundreds of actors, directors, writers, musicians and authors not to mention Endeavor Content, which sells the rights films and television series such as the Oscar nominated film ‘La La Land’ as well as the AMC series ‘Killing Eve’.

Endeavor is also the owner of the PBR rodeo series as well as the Miss America Pageant, which was purchased from President Donald Trump after he previously owned the entity.

The UFC is a major asset in the Endeavor portfolio after the $4 billion purchase as well as the 7 year television rights deal that was signed with ESPN just recently.

Once the company goes public, stockholders will be privy to more financial information about the company than ever before, although as a privately held company previously nothing had to be revealed.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/endeavor-parent-company-of-the-ufc-files-to-go-public

M-1 champion Bruno Silva inks deal to fight at UFC Fight Night in South Carolina

M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Bruno “Blindado” Silva (19-6-0, M-1: 2-0-0) has relinquished his title belt and signed a mixed-martial-arts promotional contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Last summer, Mubadala Investment Company and UFC announced the formation of UFC Russia. to promote MMA and organize new events in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

M-1 Global is a partner responsible for scouting and signing Russian athletes to prepare them to fight in the UFC. M-1 Challenge champions such as Silva have a unique opportunity to sign contracts with the UFC.

Silva accomplished the two goals he had set before he turned 30: to be crowned a world champion and become a UFC fighter.

“I just signed with the UFC,” an ecstatic Silva announced, “I am very happy, and I want to thank M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein. You have all my gratitude and respect. I also want to thank Lusen and Adrian Bakos, our partners in Russia, who walked side-by-side with us. Thank you to everyone in Russia who supported me and always treated me well. I love Russia and M-1. They changed my life. You have all my respect and gratitude. Russia and M-1, I love you!”

The 29-year-old Silva (19-6-0, M-1: 2-0-0), fighting out of Brazil, shocked the MMA world in his M-1 Global debut, when he knocked out Russian star Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko in the opening round at M-1 Challenge 93, last June 1 in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Silva, a heavy-handed Brazilian puncher, followed the Shlemenko shocker with an impressive title defense, stopping Artem Frolov on punches in the fourth round last November at M-1 Challenge 98, also in Chelyabinsk, to capture the M-1 Challenge middleweight title.

“Thank you M-1 Global for giving me an opportunity to demonstrate my work,” Silva concluded. “My fights in Russia were the biggest challenge of my life and I feel great gratitude and respect to Russia.”

Silva’s UFC debut is scheduled for June 22 at UFC on ESPN+ 12 versus another new UFC signee Deron White (5-0-0) in Greenville, South Carolina.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/m-1-champion-bruno-silva-inks-deal-to-fight-at-ufc-fight-night-in-south-carolina