Hasim Rahman Jr. won’t be getting his chance to hand Jake Paul his first loss in boxing after all.

Largely considered the first “real” boxer that Paul was set to face, Rahman’s shot at fame and fortune fell through this past weekend when it was announced the bout was canceled due to weight issues on Rahman’s side. The bout was scheduled to take place at 200 pounds with every pound Rahman went over meaning he’d be forced to forfeit 25 percent of his purse, according to him.

Most Valuable Promotions have since come out stating that Rahman’s camp informed them within the week that he planned on fighting at 215 pounds and didn’t want to fight at any weight lower, resulting in his removal. The match was to take place the Saturday night in Madison Square Garden.

Thus begs the question why go through all this hassle and build-up only to plant a flag in such a fashion? For former three-time UFC title challenger, Chael Sonnen, he believes fear is the ultimate factor.

“There is a lot on this, where do you want to start to unpack this?” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I begged Jake Paul, I begged Jake Paul to listen to me, he must not respect enough of what I said, he hears it though, he shared that with me. I begged him. Jake, don’t do the Tommy Fury thing. Not only does Tommy not want that fight, neither does the community of boxing, they’re setting you up.

“They’re setting you up because they, the community, are just as scared as the boys in the locker room that you’re as good as you’re saying you are. The community does not want to accept that an outsider, who did not start this as a second generation the day he came out of the womb, can be a main event and a box office draw. They just don’t want to, they’re going to talk you into Tommy Fury and the second you say yes, they’re going to start tearing you down so that your loss looks magnificent, and your victory looks small. I begged him … he went after Tommy anyway and Tommy does what we promised, what would happen [and that’s pull out].”

Considering the conclusion to this brief saga with Rahman, it’s highly unlikely Paul will look to rebook the matchup. The question now just remains as to whether or not Paul goes back to facing more of a “celebrity” type of opponent or another MMA star.

In Paul’s first five matches as a professional boxer, he’s defeated the likes of a fellow YouTuber, a former NBA player, and two former welterweight MMA champions, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.

“‘Top’ Rahman Jr. tried to pull a scumbag move,” Sonnen said. “That’s on him, that’s a part of his strategy, some people aren’t going to like it, I don’t like it any time you don’t honor your deal.”

---

Congrats. James Krause announces his MMA retirement: ‘I’m at peace with it’

Encounter. Brandon Moreno on Deiveson Figueiredo face-to-face at UFC 277: ‘I decided to put all the angry, all the hate out of me’

Moving On. Roberto Soldic parts ways with KSW, signs with ONE Championship

---

The MMA Hour.

UFC Vegas 59: Santos vs Hill – August 6 | Fight Promo

Thiago Santos vs Anthony Smith | FREE FIGHT | UFC Vegas 59

AFTERMATH | Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe II | BELLATOR MMA

Laura Sanko MMA Demo | Suloev Stretch

Aljamain Sterling’s Full Breakdown of UFC 277 | The Weekly Scraps Ep 186

---

Frenemies.

I wish more champs did this.

Damn, Luke.

Class.

Life.

Let’s.

Tease.

The snoring was A+.

Hmm…

Oh…

The ever-rare sliding Sugiyama.

Fighters, man.

Comeback trail.

The champion has a name…

---

Phil De Fries (21-6, 1 NC) vs. Ricardo Prasel (13-3); KSW 74, Sept. 4

Muhammad Mokaev (8-0, 1 NC) vs. Malcolm Gordon (14-5); UFC 280, Oct. 22

Andrei Arlovski (34-20, 2 NC) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (19-9-1); UFC Fight Night, Oct. 29

---

I still can’t get over Seika Izawa’s performance from Sunday morning. She remains unreal.

Thanks for reading!

---

Last Week’s Results:

Friday: 76% of 633 total votes answered « No » when asked, « Will Conor McGregor return in 2022? »

Thursday: 72% of 528 total votes answered « Derrick Lewis » when asked, « Who wins this weekend? » Sergei Pavlovich defeated Lewis via first-round TKO (punches) at UFC 277.

Wednesday: 67% of 557 total votes answered « Brandon Moreno » when asked, « Who wins this weekend? » Moreno defeated Kai Kara-France via third-round TKO (body kick and punches) at UFC 277.

Tuesday: 61% of 641 total votes answered « Amanda Nunes » when asked, « Who wins this weekend? » Nunes defeated Julianna Pena via unanimous decision in the UFC 277 main event.

Monday: 57% of 783 total votes answered « Yan-O’Malley » when asked, « What UFC 280 fight are you more interested in? » At bantamweight, the title will also be on the line that night as the champion, Aljamain Sterling, defends against T.J. Dillashaw.

Today’s exit poll:

---

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.