The Hall at Live Casino
Shogun Fights
March 30, 2024
The East Coast’s Premier MMA Organization
The brain-child of John Rallo, Shogun fights regularly packs several of the largest venues in the region including Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, The Theater at MGM National Harbor and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Ft Lauderdale. A hotbed for celebrities and UFC stars, Shogun events will continue to be a Baltimore mainstay for a time to come.
With a successful (albeit short) MMA career and stint as a celebrity bodyguard under his belt, working with the likes of Tommy Lee and Sylvester Stallone, Rallo focused on opening a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy after receiving his blackbelt from Renzo Gracie himself. During this time he worked towards legalizing MMA in the state of Maryland, eventually passing legalization in one session – an unheard of feat with new legislature. With the arena wide-open, Rallo has spent years promoting shows and building a roster of packed talent, with several fighters going to the UFC, Invicta, Bellator, Dana White’s Contender Series and PFL amongst others.
John Rallo Owner / Operator
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PAST FIGHT CARDS
Shogun XXI Fight Card
Saturday, April 06, 2019 at Royal Farms Arena – Baltimore, MD Official Fight Card
ViewShogun XX Fight Card
Saturday, October 06, 2018 at Royal Farms Arena – Baltimore, MD Official Fight Card
ViewShogun XIX Fight Card
Saturday, June 23, 2018 at The Theater at MGM National Harbor – Oxon Hill, MD
ViewShogun Fights: Florida Fight Card
Saturday, March 17, 2018 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, FL
ViewLATEST MMA NEWS
- Georges St-Pierre explains advantages he’d have in Khabib Nurmagomedov matchup: ‘I would have beat him’by Alexander K. Lee on March 28, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Georges St-Pierre | Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Georges St-Pierre believes he’d have had as good a chance as anyone to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov. It’s feat that no fighter was able to claim during Nurmagomedov’s 12-year career as “The Eagle” went 28-0 on the way to winning and thrice defending the UFC lightweight title. St-Pierre—a long-reigning UFC welterweight champion who also briefly held the promotion’s middleweight belt—has long been a dream opponent for Nurmagomedov, but the stars never quite aligned for the two to square off. That hasn’t stopped St-Pierre from being asked about how a fight with Nurmagomedov would go, and on a recent episode of Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman’s Pound 4 Pound podcast, “GSP” expressed confidence that he could hand Nurmagomedov a loss. “I think Khabib could have beat me, I’m not saying I could have beat Khabib all the time,” St-Pierre said. “I was confident enough to take that fight that I was thinking that if I take that fight I’m going to beat him that day at that particular place, that doesn’t mean I will beat him all the time. But I was confident, maybe I’m wrong. “I think I would have beat him because if he would have come to put pressure on me, I would have put him down. I would have had the confidence to try to go for it.” St-Pierre is neck-and-neck with Nurmagomedov when it comes to “greatest of all time” talk. The French-Canadian star lost just twice in his career, successfully defending the UFC welterweight title nine consecutive times against some of the biggest names of his generation and then returning from a four-year hiatus to add a middleweight title to his collection in 2017. Like Nurmagomedov, St-Pierre became known for his suffocating and punishing grappling offense. It’s in how their wrestling tactics differ that St-Pierre sees an opening to press the advantage in their hypothetical matchup. “Khabib, he’s got a very good overhand right,” St-Pierre said. “He’s very good at measuring distance and at creating a dilemma in the mind of his opponent between a takedown and an overhand right. He’s very, very good, he’s at his most dangerous when he puts you with your back against the fence because he’s a master at chain wrestling. My style is different. My style is more in the middle. I’m very good at using fakes and creating distraction to get at your legs. I’m more that dynamic guy, I call it proactive and reactive takedowns from the center. But Khabib is better when he’s got his opponent, his back against the fence. “So my strategy if I would have gone against Khabib would have been to keep the fight as much as I can in the middle and not be afraid to go to take him down. I think that I would have maybe been the first guy that he fought or one of the only guys that would have tried to put him down, and I’ve put down everybody that I’ve fought.” For St-Pierre, the key to beating Nurmagomedov is to be pushing forward and staying offensive, a tactic that’s likely much easier on paper given some of the luminaries that Nurmagomedov has neutralized including Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier. It’s fighters like Gaethje that St-Pierre feels could have upset Nurmagomedov if their approach had been different. “I think most guys that fought Khabib were afraid of Khabib’s takedowns, so they were fighting on their heels and they were getting backed up to the wall,” St-Pierre said. “Three guys that fought Khabib did very well: Gleison Tibau, very, very close fight, if you watch that fight it’s very, very close; Michael Johnson was my training partner… If you watch the early minute of the fight, he’s doing a fantastic job until he lost his confidence because Michael Johnson is incredibly gifted, very, very talented, but when things start not going his way, the floodgate opens. I think that’s one of the mistakes he did and if he would have started the second round as good as he did in the first he would have had a better performance. “Another guy who did well is Gaethje, Gaethje in the beginning did very well. Kick, punch, he did very well until similar story, things start to not go well and then everything falls apart.” Most recently, St-Pierre shot down the possibility that he could have had a grappling match with Nurmagomedov last December, noting that Nurmagomedov was not on a list of opponents offered to him. St-Pierre did not end up competing on the Dec. 14 UFC Fight Pass Invitational card. An MMA fight is well out of the realm of possibility now given that both fighters appear to be happily retired, but there was a time when it made all the sense in the world to St-Pierre. “You have to always think of what you can gain and what you can lose,” St-Pierre said. “It would be a fight that everybody at the time wanted because Khabib had a perfect career. Nobody ever beat him and he retired on top. At the time, that was the fight that everybody wanted to see. So if it would be a time that I would have made a comeback for one fight, right after I retired, it was that time. “But I always told myself—now I’m 42 years old—when I hit the four-zero, it’s finished, there’s nothing that can make me come back. It’s finished. So I was about 38, 39 when that happened. Even his own people told me, some of the people told me, ‘Hey, I think he’s going to ask for you.’ Then when he retired, I think everybody got surprised.”
- Renato Moicano fires back at Paddy Pimblett callout: ‘He’s a free paycheck’by Damon Martin on March 28, 2024 at 3:00 pm
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Just days after Renato Moicano booked a marquee matchup against Jalin Turner at UFC 300, he heard his name mentioned in a callout from rising British star Paddy Pimblett. The always outspoken Scouser posted a video discussing the timeline for his UFC return following a win over Tony Ferguson this past December, and that’s where he mentioned Moicano as his ideal opponent. “That is who I want next. Renato Moicano, ‘Money’ Moicano, you owe me money, lad,” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “I’m coming for you, little sausage.” Of course, Pimblett had impeccable timing given the announcement of Moicano’s UFC 300 fight against Turner in April, but that didn’t surprise Moicano one bit. “Every time that somebody good has a fight, he calls them out,” Moicano told MMA Fighting when addressing Pimblett’s message. “He knows that fight is not happening now. I don’t want to focus too much on Paddy Pimblett, but I will beat Jalin Turner and then we will see. We will see if he’s going to fight me or what he’s going to do. Let’s see. Only time will tell.” Pimblett sits at 5-0 with three finishes thus far in his UFC career, including a win over one-time UFC interim lightweight champion Ferguson, but he hasn’t faced anyone currently occupying a spot in the top 15 lightweight rankings. Drawing a foe like Moicano would be his first, so the callout makes sense if Pimblett wants to take that next step in his career. Moicano suggests that perhaps Pimblett should learn to walk before he’s ready to run into the brick wall that is the upper echelon of the UFC lightweight division. “I think he’s a regular fight, in my opinion. He’s not good, he’s OK,” Moicano said of Pimblett. “He knows how to fight. He could get better. He’s still young. He could get better. But don’t get me wrong, he’s not an elite UFC level fighter. He’s not. That’s why he’s not in the top 15. “In my opinion, he lost to Jared Gordon. He had a lot of trouble against Tony Ferguson. Tony Ferguson is 39 years old, crazy motherf******. It’s just crazy.” That being said, Moicano hasn’t seen anything from Pimblett to make him believe the 29-year-old prospect would serve as a serious threat to him in a fight. That’s why Moicano isn’t opposed to the idea of fighting Pimblett after he gets through Turner at UFC 300. “This is only about hype and popularity,” Moicano said. “Maybe he can get his spot. That’s not up to me, that’s up to the UFC. After I beat Jalin Turner, if they offer me good money, or even do a co-main event in the London pay-per-view or something like that, let’s see how it goes. “I’m all about the money. If they offer me good money to fight Paddy Pimblett, why not? He’s a free paycheck.” While some fighters almost get offended when potential opponents call them out, Moicano actually understands why Pimblett is seeking him out in an attempt to climb into the lightweight rankings. Ultimately, Moicano will leave the matchmaking up to the UFC, but he cautions Pimblett about accepting the wrong fight — otherwise the hype built up around him will die a quick but agonizing death. “I think stylistically, I am good matchup for Paddy Pimblett too,” Moicano said. “Imagine if he fights Jalin Turner. I don’t think it’s going to be an easy fight for him. Because if I am tall, Jalin Turner is taller. It’s all about game. If they put Paddy Pimblett against the wrong guy in the top 15, he’s going to get murdered. “So maybe I can take it easy on him so they can use him for other shows still. Maybe that fight makes sense. But like I said, I am only thinking about UFC 300 and the Jalin Turner fight first.”
- John Kavanagh questions Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul: ‘I don’t think someone approaching 60 needs to be fighting’by Alexander K. Lee on March 28, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Mike Tyson is stepping back into the ring for what is sure to be one of the most watched fights of his storied career. But not everyone thinks it’s a good idea for the heavyweight legend to be fighting. John Kavanagh, head of SBG Ireland and longtime coach of UFC star Conor McGregor, is one critic of the upcoming July 20 fight between Tyson and Jake Paul, which takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The boxing match is scheduled to air live on Netflix. It is not yet known if the bout will be an exhibition or a professionally sanctioned bout — all of Paul’s fights have been pro bouts since 2020 — but Kavanagh is hoping that it’s the former to minimize the risk of Tyson suffering a serious injury. “I don’t know whether there’s a wink and a nod behind the stage,” Kavanagh said on The MMA Hour. “Is Tyson going to be 60, 58? Full force blows to the head at 58. No, it’s not a good idea, no matter who you are. You don’t need to be doing that. If it was kind of an exhibition, and they’re kind of sparring, great. Because I was asked about not necessarily just Mike, but this kind of YouTube boxing stuff, and my take on it now rather than being snobby about it is I just love anything that gets more kids involved in sports. Great if it’s combat sports, boxing wrestling, mixed martial arts, whatever the case may be. And if Jake Paul is doing a good job of filling local boxing gyms — that’s a little bit of what we’re trying to do — brilliant. “I’m not into the whole whatever else he’s doing, particularly in that bout — I don’t think someone approaching 60 needs to be fighting. It would appear Jake hits hard, he’s knocked out a few guys. So I just hope that it is what it is, it’s kind of an entertaining thing, and they move around the ring and kind of spar. As long as it’s that, thumbs up.” At 58, Tyson is more than 30 years the elder of the 27-year-old Paul, which has prompted a fair share of criticism since the booking was announced. Still, there is some optimism that Tyson can dial back the clock and add Paul to his unmatched reel of knockouts, optimism that has been bolstered by training footage that “Iron Mike” recently released. There’s also the possibility that the bout will be a glorified spar, with neither man going all-out for the knockout. It’s a scenario Kavanagh believes could be enough to satisfy viewers. “I just think the majority of those people are not going to be really high-level boxing aficionados,” Kavanagh said. “Like, what are they really watching for? They want to see a good press conference, maybe a bit of shoving and shouting, whatever else they put on. They’ll want to see a spectacular event, you know, lighting and fireworks, great walkouts. “But once it goes click, they don’t really know what they’re looking at or they’re not going to have massive interest. I think as well their stomach wouldn’t be able to see really hard fighting. I guess the point I’m making is the majority of people watching this is going to be for the entertainment side of it, so put on an entertaining show.” Paul is coming off of a pair of first-round knockouts over journeymen boxers and a unanimous decision win over former UFC star Nate Diaz. He is 9-1 as a pro, which also includes a win over MMA legend Anderson Silva and a vicious knockout of former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Tyson retired from pro competition in 2005 but has made a couple of exhibition bout appearances since then, most recently fighting fellow boxing great Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020. The two battled to a split draw after eight rounds of action. Though there are plenty of ways Tyson vs. Paul could go viral for the wrong reasons, Kavanagh hopes the interest around the matchup could at least lead to a few positive outcomes. “Look, he could go out there and spark Jake, but there’s a reason why there’s not too many people approaching 60 fighting professionally,” Kavanagh said. “I suppose George Foreman was up there, late 40s. He had that style where he didn’t have to move much, but Tyson, there’s a lot of moving. “As a gym owner, I think this generates a lot of interest in the sport of boxing, and if this gets a couple of thousand kids to go to the local gym, and maybe a few kids that never heard of Mike Tyson to appreciate him, look back at him in the 80s and 90s — I’m trying to drag the positivity out because I just certainly wouldn’t like to see something like [Woodley], a hero of ours, getting badly knocked out.”
- UFC 305 lands in Perth, Australia on Aug. 17by Damon Martin on March 28, 2024 at 1:42 pm
Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images The UFC is returning to Perth, Australia for another pay-per-view card in August. UFC 305 will take place on Aug. 17 from the RAC Arena as the promotion goes back to Australia for the first time in 2024 after two events landed there this past year. UFC 293 was the most recent event to take place in Australia with that card happening in Sydney, which featured a shocking upset in the main event when Sean Strickland dethroned Israel Adesanya to become middleweight champion. Prior to that, UFC 284 happened in Perth, Australia this past February when Alexander Volkanovski came up short in his bid to become a two-division champion when he fell to Islam Makhachev in a back-and-forth battle that ended up as one of the best fights in 2023. Now the UFC returns to Perth with a long list of local options available for the card. Adesanya actually hasn’t fought since he dropped the title in Sydney last year and there have been rumors swirling that he will face current middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis in his next outing. It remains to be seen if du Plessis would travel into enemy territory to defend his belt against Adesanya. Volkanovski would be another top option as he seeks to reclaim the featherweight title after he suffered a second-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria back in February. Another local favorite could end up on the card as Jack Della Maddalena remains undefeated in the UFC after he pulled off a spectacular third-round comeback to beat one-time title challenger Gilbert Burns in March. No fights have been announced for UFC 305 but it probably won’t take long for the promotion to start matchmaking for the card in anticipation of the Aug. 17 date.
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker set as UFC Saudi Arabia main event, 4 more fights announcedby Damon Martin on March 28, 2024 at 1:41 pm
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Khamzat Chimaev faces Robert Whittaker in a middleweight No. 1 contender’s bout to headline the inaugural UFC card in Saudi Arabia on June 22. UFC CEO Dana White announced the main event along with four more fights booked for UFC Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night. The event airs on ABC in the United States. Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev June 22nd on ABC#UFCSaudiArabiapic.twitter.com/vVCPnqtsUi— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 28, 2024 In addition to Chimaev vs. Whittaker, Sergei Pavlovich returns to action against Alexander Volkov in a heavyweight co-main event. Kelvin Gastelum also faces Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight showdown, while Johnny Walker returns to action against Volkan Oezdemir. The final announced Saudi Arabia fight pits Shara Magomedov — better known as Shara Bullet — against Ihor Potieria in a light heavyweight matchup. The event marks the start of a new relationship between the UFC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which extends the promotion’s reach in the Middle East following a longstanding partnership with Abu Dhabi as well. The main event sees Chimaev compete for the first time since edging out former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a back-and-forth battle this past October. Chimaev maintains a perfect 13-0 record, including seven consecutive wins in the UFC. He’ll face his toughest test to date when he faces a former middleweight champion in Whittaker, who is coming off an impressive victory over Paulo Costa in his last outing. More fights are expected to be announced for UFC Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks.
UPCOMING EVENT
Countdown to Shogun Fights XXVIII
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