Daniel Dubois makes the first defense of his WBO heavyweight title Saturday afternoon at London’s O2 Arena, and the man across from him is the one who nearly took his head off five months ago. Fabio Wardley gets his rematch on DAZN PPV, with the main event expected to start around 5:30 p.m. ET. MMA Fighting is running round-by-round updates of the main event and undercard results as the card unfolds. As of this writing, no fights have gone in the books.
Both men made weight Friday. Dubois came in at 253.9 pounds. Wardley hit 248.3, six pounds heavier than he was for the first fight, which still leaves the champion as the bigger man by a little over five. Bloody Elbow noted this is the 27th professional fight of Dubois’ career.
How the first one went
May 9 was violent. Wardley put Dubois down inside the opening 10 seconds, dropped him again in Round 3, and had him in real danger early. Dubois survived both, bled through the middle rounds, and kept coming until referee Howard Foster waved it off in Round 11. That TKO gave Dubois the WBO belt and made him a two-time heavyweight champion after his earlier run with the IBF strap. It landed on plenty of Fight of the Year shortlists.
Wardley has spent fight week talking like a man who rewatched those knockdowns a hundred times. At Thursday’s final press conference in Manchester, he predicted a short night for everyone.
“Adjustments will be made, a more clinical performance will be done, and I will capitalize on the moments I had early on the fight the first time around,” he said, before adding: “Once I sniff blood he’s gone. He’s getting out of there.”
He also told MiddleEasy that early success led him into defensive mistakes in May, and that he accepts the referee’s stoppage. A Wardley win would potentially set up a trilogy. A Dubois win puts the rivalry to bed at 2-0.
The undercard
Frank Warren stacked eight fights ahead of the main event. The co-feature has Louie O’Doherty facing Michael Gomez Jr. for the British and Commonwealth lightweight titles, with both lads right around 134 pounds. Undefeated heavyweight prospect Adam Olaniyan came in roughly 27 pounds heavier than Dan Garber (250.15 to 223.15), and Bakhodir Jalolov carries about 12 pounds over Solomon Dacres (255.1 to 242.8). DAZN is billing Nelson Birchall vs. Levi Giles as a 50/50 at 135. Also on the card: Fawas Aborode vs. Rashid Omar, Leighton Birchall vs. A. Chazaro, Aaron Noriega vs. Leonardo Baez, and Wardley-managed middleweight Issiah Hamilton-Allen against Jensen Irving.
Results will be added here as they come in.
Quick take
Dubois’ chin is what decided May, and that is exactly why I’d be nervous backing him. A fighter who has to climb off the canvas twice to win wasn’t in control of that fight. He survived it. Wardley put on six pounds and, by his own account, he’s done waiting around after he lands. If he catches Dubois clean early again and actually follows up this time, Howard Foster won’t need to wait until Round 11.
