The highly anticipated rematch between super middleweight champion Fedor Chudinov and Felix Sturm will take place on February 20th, 2016 at the Koenig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany according to an official announcement by Sturm Box Promotions.

A Rescheduled Rematch

The bout was originally scheduled last December but was moved to a 2016 date. Chudinov and Sturm first fought last May 9th, 2015 for a vacant super middleweight title. Chudinov claimed a split decision win over Sturm in the latter’s hometown in a closely fought back and forth battle that saw Chudinov dominate a tiring Sturm in the final few rounds of the contest.

While Sturm hasn’t fought since that loss, the undefeated Chudinov will be making the second defense of his world title. He retained his 168-pound title with a wide unanimous decision win over Frank Buglioni last September at England’s famed Wembley Stadium. Chudinov will be fighting in Germany for only the second time in his career as he’s fought has of it in his native Russia. Only 28 years old, Chudinov has 10 KOs in 14 wins.

Fifth World Title

Sturm, meanwhile, is 0-2-1 in his last three bouts. The former IBF, WBO, WBA and WBA (Super) middleweight champion lost his IBF middleweight title to Sam Soliman in May of 2014 and then engaged in a split draw with countryman and former middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz six months later before losing to Chudinov. The 36-year old Sturm is looking to get back on the winner’s side badly and win a fifth world title. He once made 12 consecutive successful defenses of the WBA middleweight title from 2007-2012 before losing to Daniel Geale via split decision.

Who Takes This?

Chudinov is the favorite in this fight at -205 while Sturm a live underdog at +350. He beat Sturm handily in their first fight, despite one judge scoring it 116-112 in favor of Sturm. He controlled most of the fight, except for a few exchanges in the 6th and 7th rounds where Sturm dominated. However, the veteran has Chudinov where he wants: in Germany. Although he lost the first time out, he is good in making adjustments and will likely be able to do so in the rematch. Chudinov has the power that could topple and even just bother Sturm and he may be too quick for the older man. But Sturm has proven to be stubborn – especially in Germany – so this should be an exciting fight to look forward to.

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will return from a one-year suspension on February 27th, 2016 to face long-time middleweight contender Michael Bisping at the main event of UFC Fight Night 83 at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Not Just A Big Test

Silva, considered by most as the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time, was suspended following failed multiple drug tests in connection with his January 31st, 2015 bout against Nick Diaz. Silva won that bout but the decision was changed to a no-contest following the failed drug tests from both fighters. Silva has maintained his innocence and put the blame instead on sexual-boosting drugs he was on.

After a record 10 consecutive title defenses of the UFC middleweight title, the 40-year old Brazilian legend is 0-2-1 in his last three bouts. He got knocked out by Chris Weidman in 2013, and then broke his leg in their rematch the following year before beating Diaz last January. Silva is looking at Bisping as a “big test” before getting a title shot, but in reality, it may be the fight that will determine the fate of his long and glorious career.

Long Wait is Over

Bisping, meanwhile, has waited for this opportunity for a long time. He’s fought 24 times under the UFC promotion (the 6th most overall) yet because of his up-and-down career, he’s never gotten a title shot. And with Silva ruling the UFC’s 185 pound weight class since both fighters entered the UFC together in 2006, their paths never crossed. But with the circumstances very different now, Bisping is more than content to fighting Silva even though if it won’t be for the title anymore.

Bisping has won three of his last four bouts, with his only loss coming at the hands of newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in November 2014. A win over Silva puts him back on the hunt for that ever-elusive title shot. At age 36, this may be his last legitimate shot at UFC glory and his countrymen will be there to cheer him on.

Who Takes This

Silva opened as the early -225 favorite, while Bisping a slight +175 underdog. But make no mistake about it, Bisping won’t be a walk in the park. He’s coming off decision wins over the younger C.B. Dollaway and Thales Leites and beat up Cung Le before losing to Rockhold. It remains to be seen if we’ll ever see the same Anderson Silva again after back to back losses to Chris Weidman. He may be the Greatest but what is left of it? Should the old Silva show up though, this promises to be an exciting stand-up bout.

The IBF heavyweight title bout between Vyacheslav Glazkov and Charles Martin has been added to the January 16th, 2016 Showtime event that will feature Deontay Wilder’s title defense against Artur Szpilka.

Warriors Boxing, which promotes Martin, won the IBF purse bid last week over Glazkov promoter Main Events. Warriors Boxing then made a deal with Lou DiBella to add the second heavyweight title bout to the January 16th card.

Vacant Title

Glazkov was the mandatory challenger to newly crowned unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. who won the heavyweight titles by upsetting Wladimir Klitschko last month. But Fury was unable to make a deal with Glazkov after Klitschko opted to exercise his rematch clause. This forced the IBF to strip Fury of the title and order Glazkov to face the next highest-ranked and available contender for the vacant belt, and that was Charles Martin.

Easier Route

The 31-year old Glazkov, who lives in Florida but is originally from Ukraine, earned mandatory challenger status with a disputed win over Steve Cunningham last March. Incidentally, he was supposed to be Wilder’s original choice as opponent for the same fight card but backed out during the latter stages of the negotiations when the opportunity to win another heavyweight title against a lesser quality foe in Charles Martin came along. Glazkov is undefeated at 21-0-11 with 13 KOs. He was a bronze medalist in the super heavyweight division during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Untested KO Artist

On the other hand, Charles Martin should already be in tip top shape for this match as he was supposed to fight 2012 US Olympic team member Dominic Breazeale last December 12 but pulled out a few days prior to the fight when the IBF title shot came along. Martin is unbeaten in 22 fights with 20 knockouts. He’s stopped his last 12 opponents and is the current WBO-NABO heavyweight champion. But although Martin packs power, he is virtually untested and has not faced top level competition yet.

Wide Open Field

After Fury ended the heavyweight monotony by dethroning Klitschko, boxing’s heavyweight division has become a wide open field. While Wilder isn’t universally recognized as the world’s true heavyweight champion, he does have a legitimate WBC belt. With Glazkov and Martin disputing the IBF version of the title, a third heavyweight champion will emerge. Additionally, there is a fourth heavyweight title holder in interim WBA regular heavyweight champion Luis Ortiz who defended his title with an impressive KO win over Bryant Jennings last weekend. The presence of four champions paves way for unification matches and it won’t be a surprise if the winner between Wilder-Szpilka and Glazkov-Martin will be the first of those.

After much hype and speculation, MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko finally has an opponent for his return to the cage. Rizin Fighting Championships officially announced that Emelianenko will face former kickboxing champion Jaideep Singh in his highly anticipated comeback on New Year’s eve at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

Emelianenko’s comeback fight will be the featured match of the 2nd night of Rizin’s two day kickoff event. The first night will feature a heavyweight tournament which will be participated by Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.

Fedor’s Ties With PRIDE

The 39-year old Emelianenko has not fought since beating Pedro Rizzo via knockout in 2012 and announcing his retirement afterwards. Earlier this year, Emelianenko was teasing a possible return to MMA and he was thought to be going to the UFC or Bellator. But he surprised a lot of people by signing with the newly established Rizin Fighting Championships in Japan which is headed by former PRIDE boss Nobuyuki Sakibara. Emelianenko was the face of PRIDE during its heyday and was its heavyweight champion from 2003-2007.

Fighting A Kickboxer

Singh is an Indian former kickboxing champion who has lived in Japan since he was a child. He has fought 51 times as a professional kickboxer but only twice as an  MMA fighter. His most recent MMA bout was a 2nd round TKO win over unknown 44-year old Carlos Toyota under the DEEP Promotion in Japan. To help him prepare for his bout with Emelianenko, Singh has is training alongside Chute Box founder Rudimar Fedrigo.

A Longshot

While the odds aren’t in for this bout yet, Singh is a long shot to defeat Emelianenko. Fedor is one of the most revered MMA fighters of all-time. He has shared the cage with the greatest of the greats and owns victories over Gary Goodridge, Mark Coleman, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Hunt, Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski. Known as the Last Emperor because of his dominating reign as PRIDE Champion and #1 Pound for Pound Fighter in the sport, Emelianenko has an MMA record of 34-4 with 10 KOs and 16 stoppages. On the other hand, Singh has fought just twice as an MMA fighter and doesn’t have enough experience to meddle with a legend.

Although it was expected that Emelianenko will be given a tune-up fight of sorts before he will fight a big name, nobody thought a lion like him would be fed a poor kitten in his highly anticipated cage return.

The last time King Kong was in New York, he fell to his death from the Empire State Building. On Saturday the “Real King Kong” goes to New York again, hoping to win a piece of boxing’s heavyweight title.

Return of King Kong

Cuban Heavyweight prospect Luis Ortiz battles American Bryant Jennings for the interim WBA heavyweight title. With Wladimir Klitschko already dethroned by Tyson Fury, the heavyweight division has suddenly become an open field. Ortiz and Jennings hope to take one step forward and challenge either Fury or Deontay Wilder for the more lucrative heavyweight belts.

An Amateur Standout

Although he is a virtual unknown in the U.S. market, Ortiz made an auspicious New York debut with a 3rd round KO win over Matias Vidondo last October 17. With that win, Ortiz re-captured the interim WBA interim heavyweight title. He first won that title with a quick 1st round stoppage of Lateef Kayode in September 2014 but he was stripped of the title and later suspended after failing a post fight drug test. On Saturday night. the man known as the Real King Kong returns to New York, hoping for another huge win. Ortiz is unbeaten at 23-0 with 19 KOs. According to Cuban records, he had an amtateur record of 343-19. Despite an impressive amateur career and a long stint in the Cuban National team, he never won a big boxing tournament as an amateur.

Comeback Win

While Ortiz has been racking up victories, Jennings is looking to bounce back from a one-sided loss to Wladimir Klitschko last April 2015. Before losing to Klitschko, Jennings won his first 19 professional bouts, knocking out 10 opponents. The 31-year old Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native owns victories over notable foes like Andrey Fedosov and Arthur Szpilka, who will face WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on January 16. Against Ortiz, Jennings isn’t just eyeing the WBA interim belt but he’s also looking for the comeback win after the Klitschko loss.

Who Takes this?

Because this is a heavyweight bout, the bigger puncher is the favorite. In this case, it’s Ortiz by just -175 but Jennings is just a slight +125 underdog and that’s because overall, he has the better skill set than Ortiz and has the better movement. But make no mistake though, Ortiz has fast hands and quick reflexes. He also has the kind of power Jennings only dreams he has. But Jennings says he’s become better since losing to Klitschko and that he’s learned a lot both on and off the ring. He believes that he is the smarter boxer between the two and by that he may be implying that he’s not going to brawl with King Kong. Should he succeed in fighting from a distance, Jennings could be looking at an upset win over Ortiz. Experts are picking Ortiz to win by KO or TKO.

With just six weeks to go before his scheduled January 16th, 2016 title defense, WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder was concerned about not having an opponent yet. Well Wilder now has one in Polish heavyweight, Artur Szpilka.

Stepping In

Known for his come forward style of fighting, the 26-year old southpaw has racked up four consecutive victories since losing to heavyweight contender Bryant Jennings in January of 2014. One of those victories was a UD win against countryman and perennial gate keeper Tomasz Adamek in one of the biggest fights in Polish history.  With a good Polish population around the Barclays and New Jersey, Szpilka was the best choice after Wilder’s original foe Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov abandoned their negotiations after an “easier route” to the heavyweight title presented itself.

Glazkov was the IBF’s mandatory challenger for newly crowned unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury but with Fury due for a rematch with Wladimir Klistschko, the IBF stripped Fury of the title and ordered Glazkov to fight Charles Martin for the vacated IBF heavyweight title.

No Credible Foe

The fight will be Wilder’s third title defense since winning the heavyweight title from Bermane Stiverne in January of 2014. He knocked out Eric Molina and Johann Dupaupas in his first two title defenses and is looking to add yet another KO victim to his impressive resume. Wilder is unbeaten in 35 bouts and has knocked out all but one of his former opponents. He is the last American boxer to win a medal in the Olympics, earning a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Games.

The problem with Wilder though is that he has been spoon fed with low quality foes,as PBC founder and Wilder advisor Al Haymon has preferred to slowly break him against good competition.Having said that, Szpilka may be the biggest opponent he has faced  to date.

Who Takes This?

Wilder is a huge -1800 favorite versus Szpilka who opened at +800. While Szpilka  also has an outstanding record of 20-1 with 15 KOs, Wilder is the bigger punches. With Spilka owning an aggressive offensive game, Wilder’s big right hand will be waiting to say good night. There is no doubt that Wilder not only has the bigger punch, he has a more complete game. But Szpilka’s motivation is to become the first Polish heavyweight champion in history and with a good Polish audience cheering him on, he does have the puncher’s chance to beat Wilder. Other than that, Wilder’s expected to take advantage of his aggression and win with another KO.

Barring any unfortunate event in the next couple of days, the most anticipated fight in UFC history is finally here. Featherweight champion Jose Aldo Jr. faces interim Featherweight champion Conor McGregor for the undisputed UFC Featherweight title at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.

The two protagonists were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 189 last July but a rib injury suffered by the champion during training pushed the fight back. McGregor went on to fight Chad Mendes for the interim title and the brash Irishman knocked out Mendes in two rounds to claim his piece of the world title. But now that Aldo is fully healed, the UFC’s inaugural Featherweight champion looks to add an 8th consecutive title defense at the expense of McGregor.

Best Pound For Pound Fighter

Regarded by many as the best fighter, pound for pound, in MMA today, Jose Aldo is known for his aggressive striking and vicious leg kicks. Aside from being one of the best strikers in the game, Aldo has a solid ground game and is capable of submitting the high-level grapplers. Aside from his offensive arsenal, Aldo has a 91% takedown defense which allows him to keep the fight on his feet most of the time. 14 of Aldo’s wins have come by KO but three of his last four bouts have been won by decision.

Taken MMA By Storm

McGregor has taken the sport by storm since his arrival two years ago. The Notorious King has talked his way to the top of the rankings but he’s backed up his mouth with a powerful left hand and an awkward striking style. McGregor’s unique striking is a mix of boxing and Muai Thai and he uses a wide stance that’s hard to figure out. 16 of his 18 wins have come via knockout and 5 of his 6 UFC bouts have been by stoppage.

Who Takes This?

Surprisingly, the challenger McGregor is the slight favorite at -145 while Aldo is an underdog for the first time at +115. While Aldo owns the best leg kicks in the business, McGregor’s skills and southpaw stance are likely to neutralize that advantage. Aldo hasn’t faced too many southpaws before and in his most recent one against Chan Sung Jung, Aldo broke his foot after the Korean Zombie checked his leg kick.

Aside from being a southpaw, McGregor is an excellent counter-puncher who could land his straight left after Aldo throws a leg kick. The Notorious one is a prolific striker whose movement and power could be a stylistic match-up problem for Aldo. Experts are calling a McGregor KO win within three rounds.

Unified world light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev is planning two big bouts with Adonis Stevenson and Andre Ward for 2016. But before those two, he will be facing Canadian Jean Pascal a second time on January 30th, 2016 at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

The two fighters met at the fight venue last week for the  kick-off press conference announcing the rematch.

Same Venue, Same Outcome?

The Bell Center is the same venue where Kovalev knocked out Pascal in the 8th round of a one-sided but very exciting bout which featured fierce exchanges between the two world champions. Canada is home to Pascal but Kovalev, according to his promoter Kathy Duva, loves to fight in his opponent’s backyard because he loves to disappoint the crowd.

Pascal though, promised the outcome of the rematch will be different. He believes he knocked down Kovalev in the first fight but the referee called it a slip. Pascal’s promoter also said that his fighter put Kovalev in trouble several times during the first bout and with the addition of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach to their team, Jean Bedard of Interbox believes Pascal can turn the tables on his unbeaten opponent.

About Redemption

Kovalev refused to engage in a trash talk, preferring to let his punches do the talking. Along with Gennady Golovkin, the Krusher  is one of the most feared punchers in the sport with 25 of his 28 wins coming by knockout. In his most recent bout, Kovalev disposed of challenger Nadjib Mohammedi in three rounds. On the other hand, Pascal’s last bout was a controversial unanimous decision win over Yunieski Gonzalez in a fight where he struggled to find his rhythm.

Pascal though said that the rematch isn’t about their most recent bouts or the first fight between him and Kovalev. It’s about redemption. While he agrees that Kovalev was the better man last March 14th, he said he knew where he went wrong and he knows how to fix it, especially with Freddie Roach in his corner this time around.

Big Plans

Kovalev isn’t looking past Pascal but has tasked Main Events to plot his entire 2016 fight plan. Should he beat Pascal, his team is looking at a June 2016 bout against Adonis Stevenson. And should the Krusher get past Superman, a big money fight with American Andre Ward looms in the fall.

The Stevenson bout is one that has been talked many times but has not happened because of Stevenson’s adviser Al Haymon, whose fighters are banned from HBO and because of Stevenson’s reluctance himself. But Duva says a framework has been agreed upon as long as Kovalev beats Pascal next month.

Who Takes This?

While the first bout was exciting and Pascal had Kovalev in “trouble” during some moments in the fight, it was a pretty much one-sided affair in favor of Kovalev. Pascal doesn’t have the same arsenal that Kovalev possesses and he gets in trouble when his opponent puts pressure on him. Yunieski Gonzalez showed that in Pascal’s last fight. Kovalev isn’t just a knockout artist, he’s also an excellent boxer who comes forward and throws a lot of punches. He knocked out Pascal in their first bout and he’ll knock him out again in the rematch.

Daniel Jacobs defends his WBA (Regular) Middleweight title against Peter Quillin on Saturday, December 5th, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Bragging Rights

More than just the middleweight belt, these two fighters will be battling for Brooklyn bragging rights. Raised in Michigan but now residing in Brooklyn, Peter Quillin is an undefeated former middleweight champion. On the other hand, Jacobs was born, raised and lives in Brooklyn, making this fight a backyard bout between two of Brooklyn’s finest boxers and its top two middleweights today.

Quillin won the WBO middleweight title by defeating Hassan N’Dam in 2012. He went on to defend that belt three times before relinquishing it in September of 2014 after refusing to fight mandatory challenger Matvey Korobov and choosing to seek a bigger fight. Quillin then made his PBC debut in April where he figured in a Split Draw with now WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee. After a tune-up bout against Michael Zerafa last September, Kid Chocolate is finally getting the big fight he was looking for.

Miracle Man

Quillin’s opponent is boxing Miracle Man, Daniel Jacobs. The 28-year old former NABO and NABF middleweight champion won the vacant WBA title with a fifth round TKO of Jarrod Fletcher in August of 2014 at the Barclays Center. He’s since defended the belt twice against Caleb Truax and Sergio Mora but more than his ring accomplishments, Jacobs’ personal story is bigger. Jacobs is a cancer survivor, suffering osteosarcoma, before becoming a world champion. Known for his punching power, Jacobs has 27 KOs in 30 wins against just a single defeat at the hands of Dmitry Pirog in 2010 during his first world title shot.

But Jacobs isn’t just a pure slugger. He is a savvy ring veteran who had an impressive 137-7 amateur record before turning pro. With his extensive amateur background, Jacobs’ ring experience and punching power are his main weapons against Kid Chocolate.

Who Takes This?

With a week to go before the fight, the betting lines in this bout are so close. Quillin is the slight favorite at -175 while the champion Jacobs the underdog at +135. With the lines that close, this appears to be one of those pick’em fights.

That description could be true inside the ring as neither is a dominant force inside the ring although both are two of the best in the middleweight division. Expect both fighters to be cautious to start the bout, with mutual respect prevailing over the desire for a quick finish.

Having said that, Jacobs was dropped by Sergio Mora in his most recent bout before Mora quit due to injury. Quillin was also knocked down by Andy Lee during their title bout so one big punch here could end the night quickly. But given Quillin’s overall skills though, he will most probably utilize his ring movement to control the fight from a distance and win the fight on points.

A clash between Top 10 heavyweights Josh Barnett and Ben Rothwell has been added to the UFC on Fox 18 card on January 30th, 2016 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The Rothwell-Barnett fight adds quality to a fight card that already features a welterweight attraction between Tarec Saffiedine and Jake Ellenberger and which will be headlined by top ranked light heavyweights Anthony Johnson and Ryan Bader.

Left Out

The 34-year old Rothwell was left out in the cold after a scheduled October 24th bout against Stipe Miocic was called off after Miocic suffered an injury during training. Miocic was later re-booked to a high profile bout with streaking former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski at UFC 195 on January 2nd, 2016 with the winner likely to get a title shot.

Instead of getting another opponent, Rothwell was pulled out from the Dublin event and was put on hold for a couple of weeks before this bout was announced by the UFC last week. While on hold, Rothwell was calling out former champion Junior Dos Santos, in the hopes of accelerating his rise in the ranks. However, the UFC booked the #7 ranked heavyweight against another former champion who is one rank higher than him in the Heavyweight ladder.

One Last Shot

The #6 ranked UFC heavyweight, Josh Barnett is looking for one last shot at glory. At 38, the former UFC heavyweight champion and current Metamoris Heavyweight champion is at the tail end of an illustrious career. Barnett, the former King of Pancrase Openweight champion, has fought only thrice since his return to the UFC in 2013. He beat Frank Mir by TKO at UFC 164, decisioned Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night Japan last September and suffered a 1st round TKO loss to Travis Browne in between the two victories.

Barnett won the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 36 in 2002 by defeating Randy Couture. However, he was stripped of the title for failing a drug test. He spent the next six years fighting in Japan, making appearances for Pancrase, K-1 and Pride FC where he became one of its staple fighters. Barnett also appeared in Metamoris 4 and became the first man in 16 years to submit Dean Lister in a submission grappling contest.

This should be a crossroads fight for the 38-year old Barnett, who has been competing  in the sport for nearly 20 years. On the other hand, the younger Rothwell has won three fights in a row and a victory over Barnett should also put him in a position to claim for a title shot just as the winner of Miocic-Arlovski will.