Combat sports delivered yet another thrilling weekend, packed with memorable matchups from UFC 313, ONE Fight Night 29, and OKTAGON 68. Here's a detailed look at the standout performances and results.

Each event this weekend not only crowned new champions and contenders but also provided fans with highlight-worthy moments, reinforcing combat sports' unparalleled excitement and unpredictability.

by Chris Cannon, M2MMA General Manager.

The boxing world has recently experienced a seismic shift with the announcement of a groundbreaking new promotion, spearheaded by Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority and Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White of TKO Group Holdings Inc.

Saudi Arabia's increasing investment and engagement in global sports markets is well-documented, from football to motorsports. However, boxing was actually among the first sports Saudi Arabia significantly invested in, hosting the "Clash on the Dunes" on December 7, 2019. This event featured the highly anticipated rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles where Joshua emerged victorious avenging his defeat to Ruiz Jnr and regaining his World Titles. My brother in law Freddie Cunningham, Manager of Anthony Joshua and CEO of 258 Management Ltd has talked frequently of the incredible development he and his team have witness over the years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since Anthony's first fight. The Riyadh Season, in particular, became a landmark initiative in the world of Boxing, bringing together rival promoters to stage blockbuster fights including epic unification clashes like Usyk vs Fury and recently the Beterbiev vs Bivol rematch The Last Crescendo. Riyadh Season has reached now far beyond the boarders of Saudi Arabia to historic venues such as Wembley Stadium in London and fostered an environment conducive to unprecedented collaboration between the sports foremost rival promoters such as Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, marking the most exciting era I've experienced in Boxing since the time of Mayweather, Pacquiao and De Le Hoya.

Turki Alalshikh meticulously assembled these pieces over several years, strategically cultivating relationships with leading promoters, sanctioning bodies, management companies and rights holders within sports. His efforts went beyond boxing, including successfully hosting many significant entertainment events under the Riyadh Season banner and even branching into MMA partnering with the landmark UFC Riyadh Season Noche event held in the Vegas Sphere, a sign of what was to come in the development of his relationship with Dana White and TKO. This diligent strategic network-building and industry influence has now culminated in the formation of this boxing promotion and the realization of what looks like a very well executed plan to lure Dana White into the world of boxing once again. "I am very happy today. I give the flag of boxing to the best man who can handle it." - Turki Alalshikh.

Dana White’s involvement adds further intrigue given his deep-rooted history in boxing. Long before his prominence in MMA, White initially started his career in the boxing industry, managing and promoting fighters at local and regional levels. His early experiences within the boxing world, including managing boxers and organizing small-scale boxing events, provided valuable insights that shaped his future promotional philosophy. Dana White’s ability to understand both the strengths and weaknesses of traditional boxing structures positions him uniquely to drive meaningful reform within the sport. “My big beef with boxing has always been nobody has ever invested back into the sport, yet you have all these promoters who take, take, take and never reinvest. Nobody in the history of the sport has invested more money into boxing in such a short amount of time as Turki has". - Dana White.

White’s transformative success with the UFC from niche status to global dominance underscores the potential of this new boxing initiative. His leadership could redefine promotional strategies, athlete compensation, and event marketing within boxing. Crucially, it may address several historical issues long prevalent in the sport. Boxing has traditionally struggled to organize bouts between top fighters due to rival promoters' and rights holder conflicts. White stated, "The best will fight the best" signaling a push toward a a unified promotional model, similar to UFC’s approach, and this could streamline negotiations significantly, enabling elite matchups to happen more regularly.

Moreover, boxing historically suffers from "record padding," where fighters and their teams protect undefeated records by avoiding high-risk bouts in a bid to develop a fighters reputation with no losses which previously has been so crucial to promoting to fights. In some ways it can be argued that perhaps this strategy of building a fighter can be beneficial in terms of skill and experience development, with the opposite sometimes levelled at the UFC where the matchmakers have been accused of throwing fighters in to the fire too quickly. This is in fact a separate debate for another day but without doubt, the fans want more competitive matchups more often and a push toward a promotion strategy similar to the UFC where losses aren't as career-defining and the matchmaking is done under one roof will provide this.

Another persistent issue in boxing from a fans perspective has been multiple champions across various sanctioning bodies within the same weight class. When you have 5 different fighters claiming to be the world champion, there is no doubt the weight of those titles is somewhat diminished and the fan base confused. The UFC's structure offers a potential blueprint to streamline this system, creating clear and undisputed championship standings and this has no doubt been a strong factor in the meteoric rise of the promotion. Many Combat Sports fans like myself who grew up watching boxing were no doubt drawn to the UFC as it provided what boxing was lacking in many areas and also provided greater relatability to casual sports fans across the spectrum.

The launch of this boxing promotion symbolizes more than a new organizational entry. In my opinion it is the biggest thing to happen to Combat Sports in my lifetime to date and I think there are some huge shifts ahead. There are so many more interesting talking points to be discussed on what happens next. I plan to write more on these topics over the coming weeks as more news and information starts to filter out such as how will Dana White manager his time between this promotion and the UFC and why has made this move? Where will key Promoters like Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren fit into this new organization? How will the Boxing and MMA community react to this news? As General Manager of M2MMA, I watch closely, eager to learn, adapt, and to ensure M2MMA thrives and plays a leading role within this rapidly evolving landscape. There has never been a better time for M2MMA's innovative approach to using AI technology to address the issue of traumatic brain injury in Combat Sports while providing a more integrated and enhanced fan experience.

 M2MMA is a revolutionary combat sports promotion that transforms the industry through cutting-edge innovation, advanced technology, and a steadfast commitment to athlete welfare. By integrating artificial intelligence, data-driven insights, and forward-thinking strategies, M2MMA enhances athlete safety, optimizes performance, and redefines the fan experience. Focusing on community engagement and fostering a dynamic future for combat sports, M2MMA stands at the intersection of technology and tradition, driving progress while honoring the sport's rich heritage.

The company is publicly traded on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) of NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "RLAB." 

RLAB/M2MMA is majority controlled by M2Bio Sciences, which is also publicly traded on the Over-the-Counter market under the ticker symbol (OTC Pink: MRES)

Stay tuned for more updates as the world of combat sports continues to deliver thrilling action and compelling stories.