It was a weekend of explosive finishes, emotional redemptions, and technical excellence across the boxing and Muay Thai world. From roaring knockouts in the UK to razor-thin rematches in Thailand, here’s a deeper look at the standout stories that defined the weekend.

This weekend reminded fans why combat sports remain one of the most emotionally charged and unpredictably thrilling domains in athletics. Whether it was Whittaker’s tearful redemption, Clarke’s power surge, or the artistry of Thailand’s finest, each performance was a testament to perseverance, timing, and the refusal to be counted out.

Stay tuned for more fight previews and post-event analysis as the global fight calendar heats up.

April 18, 2025

By Chris Cannon, M2MMA General Manager

When Alexander Volkanovski stepped back into the cage at UFC 314 and reclaimed his title, it was a reminder of everything we love about sport. Grit, redemption and resilience. But while the spotlight was on him, the story was much bigger. Behind that moment stood a team. Coaches, nutritionists, psychologists, manager and family. People who believed in him, lifted him, and helped him put the pieces back together. Just like Oleksandr Usyk once said: “I don’t just have professional coaches and trainers, I have professional soldiers.”

The truth is, no athlete wins alone. Every punch thrown, every cut survived, every belt raised. Those moments are built on months, even years, of guidance, planning, and care from a team working behind the scenes. At the elite level, athletes surround themselves with experts: head coaches, assistant coaches, strength and conditioning specialists, physiotherapists, sports psychologists, nutritionists, data analysts, recovery specialists, media advisors, and financial consultants. It’s not just about building the body. It’s about protecting the mind, planning for the future, and ensuring that everything outside the arena is working as smoothly as what’s happening inside it.

But while champions have access to this level of support, the vast majority of athletes do not. Most athletes, especially those still climbing the ladder, train alone or with minimal resources. They juggle side jobs to afford training camps. They rely on friends or family to help with meals, travel, and emotional support. They enter competition without a corner team of specialists, just a coach and maybe a friend. And they do it all while trying to survive in a system that often sees them as expendable.

I’ve seen this firsthand. During my 15-year career as a professional golfer, I was fortunate to have access to some of the world’s best coaches, strength and conditioning experts, and sports psychologists. Many of them gave their time to me for free, and I’ll always be grateful for that. But even with that support around me, there were times I didn’t lean on it. I made the mistake so many athletes make—I thought I had to figure it all out on my own. I believed being strong meant doing it solo. And part of the reason I hesitated to lean on the help I had was because money was tight. It felt like a catch-22—I knew I needed to invest more into my support structures to improve, but I also couldn’t justify the cost when I wasn’t earning enough. That mindset held me back. Looking back, I know now that real strength is knowing when to reach for help and finding ways to prioritize that help, even when it feels out of reach. You have to find a way to invest in your team, even when it feels financially impossible. Because that investment, when done right—pays off. It’s what gives you the edge, the confidence, and the clarity to perform at your best and sustain your career in the long run.

Without access to proper support systems, performance levels are reduced and that’s not the only consequence. Without proper support, many athletes struggle in silence, facing long-term consequences that extend beyond sport. Mental health crises, chronic injury, and financial instability. Without nutritional and recovery guidance, injuries compound. Without long-term planning or financial mentorship, even talented athletes can be derailed by a single setback. And perhaps most critically, without a qualified medical team to screen for brain trauma, the risk of long-term damage from concussions increases dramatically. As recent research has shown, the likelihood of musculoskeletal injury actually doubles post-concussion due to subtle changes in balance, cognition, and reaction time. Changes that often go unnoticed without the right tools and expertise. These athletes aren’t just being asked to compete. They’re being asked to gamble with their futures, often unknowingly.

This issue is particularly pronounced in combat sports. Unlike many team sports in the U.S. that benefit from the collegiate system, sports like MMA and boxing do not exist within that structure. As a result, athletes in these disciplines often miss out on the critical support systems built into college athletics—access to sports psychologists, athletic trainers, structured mentorship, and academic support. Without that early exposure to a team-based environment, many fighters develop independently and remain isolated throughout their careers. Furthermore, because these sports aren’t widely represented in academic athletics, there’s been a historical lack of university research focused on them, especially around brain trauma, long-term health, and performance optimization. It leaves a gap not only in athlete support, but in the very knowledge that could help protect them.

At M2MMA, we believe that every athlete deserves more than a platform to perform—they deserve a system that supports their full journey. We’re building infrastructure that mirrors what champions already receive, but making it accessible at every level. From career development and mental resilience programs to financial literacy, biometric tracking, and injury prevention tools, we are reimagining what it means to support an athlete.

Because the truth is, support isn’t just about winning more fights. It’s about extending careers, improving wellbeing, and ensuring that when the final bell rings, the athlete walks away in the best shape possible, physically, mentally and financially for the next step in their lives.

We’re not here to build highlight reels. We’re here to build people.

And while the champion may stand alone in the ring, they never get there alone. At M2MMA, we’re making sure every athlete has a team in their corner.

If you believe in that mission, whether as a coach, a business leader, or someone who once fought their own battles—we’d love to hear from you. Because together, we can build the future of combat sports.

April 20, 2025

By Chris Cannon, M2MMA General Manager

“In the jungle, feelings get you killed. Only action keeps you alive.” This line from 50 Cent is raw, unapologetic and deeply true for anyone who’s ever stepped into the arena. In professional sport, just like in the jungle, hesitation is the enemy. Doubt, fear, insecurity, they may be human, but they’re not useful when the lights come on. In moments of pressure, there’s no room to wait for motivation or emotional clarity. You move, or you fall.

It's a mindset that 50 Cent himself has embodied throughout his life. From surviving nine gunshot wounds to building a business empire across music, entertainment, and consumer goods, his story is proof that success comes from decisive action, not emotional hesitation. He didn’t make it out because he felt good. He made it because he kept moving, kept executing, and never let fear or doubt dictate his direction. His quote isn’t just metaphorical, it’s autobiographical. And it’s a philosophy that holds true whether you’re stepping into a recording booth or into the cage.

This mindset was also never clearer than in Alexander Volkanovski’s return to the top. After back-to-back knockout losses, he had every reason to hesitate. Every reason to doubt himself. Every emotion imaginable, crashing in. But he didn’t give in to the noise. He acted. He prepared. And when the time came, he stepped back into the cage and reclaimed what was his.

The same could be said for Rory McIlroy’s emotional triumph at The Masters. After a decade of heartbreak and near-misses at Augusta, he had every reason to question whether he’d ever complete the career Grand Slam. The weight of expectation was heavy. The pressure to finish the one thing missing from his storied career had become a mental burden. But instead of waiting for the perfect moment or perfect feeling, he did what great athletes do—he acted. He trusted his process. He stepped onto one of the world’s most unforgiving stages and delivered.

And what happened after? Both McIlroy and Volkanovski, athletes known for their composure, broke down. You could see the emotion pour out of them once the job was done. That release was powerful, not because they lost control, but because it showed how they’d kept it together when it mattered most. They didn’t suppress emotion—they harnessed it and focused it the direction of their goals. That’s the difference between being ruled by emotion and being in control of it. In those post-victory moments, you saw just how much it had cost them to stay focused. And how much sweeter it felt because they had.

This is the harsh reality of elite sport: no one cares how you feel when it's time to perform.

Playing professional sport taught me this truth. There is a famous saying in golf. "There are no pictures on the score card." In other words, all that matters is your score. Not how you felt, but simply how you scored. The same goes for life. You have to show up, and you will be judged on your actions, not your feelings. I learned that when the pressure is on, when life throws setbacks or uncertainty at you, you have to put the emotions aside and do what needs to be done to achieve the stated goal. You will be knocked down. Over and over. There is only one response. You get back up and go again. That doesn’t mean emotions aren’t real, or valid. It means that to survive, you must act despite them. Champions don’t win because they feel good. They win because they’ve trained themselves to move forward even when they don’t. To push through when the mind screams “slow down.” To execute when everything inside is uncertain.

The psychology of performance isn’t about removing emotion, it’s about mastering it. Turning fear into focus. Turning pressure into presence. And when necessary, tuning it all out and just doing the job.

This quote “feelings get you killed” isn’t about becoming numb. It’s about becoming precise. Emotion can fuel your preparation, your reason, your mission. But in the arena, execution is king. Discipline beats motivation. Systems beat sentiment. Action beats anxiety.

That’s why at M2MMA , we’re not just building athletes, we’re building frameworks for performance. Mental preparation, cognitive recovery, resilience training, emotional regulation. These are not buzzwords. They’re survival tools. Our approach aligns with the principles of Positive Psychology not the soft, feel-good version, but the applied, high-performance kind. It's about helping athletes tap into their strengths, develop grit, and maintain clarity under pressure so they can perform not just better, but more consistently when it matters most.

Because the moment comes for every athlete. The noise builds. The pressure rises. The fear creeps in. And in that moment, the question is simple:

Will you freeze, or will you act?

In the jungle, in the cage, in the boardroom, the answer must be the same.

Only action keeps you alive.

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.