Author: mmafighting
Francis Ngannou’s coach doesn’t think he has to choose between boxing and MMA. The PFL fighter has already proven he can be the best heavyweight in MMA, having captured UFC gold three years ago with a brutal knockout of Stipe Miocic. On Friday, he can move one step closer to becoming the king of the boxing world if he pulls off an upset against British star Anthony Joshua. This past October, Ngannou made his boxing debut and was one judges’ scorecard away from earning a decision against Tyson Fury, which would have turned the combat sports world on its head.…
Alexander Volkanovski is adamant that his next fight will be an immediate title fight rematch with Ilia Topuria. By all accounts, it’s hard to argue against “The Great” deserving a shot at redemption against his successor after a lengthy title reign that saw him defend the belt five times. However, Volkanovski, 35, is planning to rest and recover after two consecutive knockout losses. As a result, he’s got no problem with Topuria defending against someone else in the interim. He just strongly believes his next fight will be in a redemptive effort. Even Topuria’s coach Jorge Climent is in the…
At the Joshua vs. Ngannou weigh-ins, Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will step on the scales Thursday morning in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua and Ngannou will compete in the heavyweight division for the pay-per-view event. The Joshua vs. Ngannou fight card will feature three title fights. Check out Joshua vs. Ngannou weigh-in results below. Main card (DAZN, PPV.com at 1 p.m. ET) Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov Gavin Gwynne vs. Mark Chamberlain Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena Prelims (DAZN at 11 a.m. ET) Jack McGann…
UFC 299 is here and it is ridiculous. This Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., UFC 299 takes place headlined by a bantamweight grudge match between champion Sean O’Malley and former foe Chito Vera. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though at 299 is one of the most stacked cards in recent memory, with some people even suggesting it could be better than UFC 300 on paper. Plus, Francis Ngannou is boxing Anthony Joshua this weekend as well so with this amount of insane action, the No Bets Barred boys had to bring in a third chair.…
Dana White always touted that he would build UFC into the biggest sporting brand in the world, and while he’s not there yet, executives within the promotion believe they may have already taken down one of the four majors in the United States. That’s according to TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro, who addressed the tremendous growth UFC has seen over the past few years, especially in the aftermath of the global pandemic. UFC has continued to produce record revenue year after year, with dozens of sold out events, the addition of several huge sponsorships, and television ratings that apparently…
Petr Yan doesn’t think much of Sean O’Malley as UFC bantamweight champion. This Saturday, Yan faces Song Yadong on the main card of UFC 299, taking place at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The event is headlined by a bantamweight title fight between new champ Sean O’Malley and his longtime rival Marlon Vera. It’s a fight that some fans took issue with, as Vera lost a decision to Cory Sandhagen a year ago. Yan shares those feelings. “I think Marlon Vera got a gift, got gifted this title shot because he lost to Cory Sandhagen,” Yan said through a translator…
Dustin Poirier knows he’ll always be attached to Conor McGregor after their UFC trilogy. Lately, while Poirier prepared for his return against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299, McGregor has been stuck awaiting word about when he’ll actually fight again. Despite his declaration that he wanted to face Michael Chandler in June and then possibly finish a separate trilogy with Nate Diaz in September, McGregor said on Tuesday that the “lack of action” to get him back in the cage is causing him to lose enthusiasm about competing again. July marks three years since McGregor last competed in his third…
Marlon Vera doesn’t have a lot of kind words to say about Sean O’Malley. On Saturday, “Chito” challenges O’Malley for the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 299 in Miami. The two previously fought at UFC 252, with Vera scoring a first-round knockout after O’Malley injured his leg, and as the bout approaches, the heat between the two continues to grow. Speaking to reporters at the UFC 299 Media Day, O’Malley said he and Vera had been exchanging DMs ahead of the fight, and when it was his turn to field questions, Chito gave his side of things.…
Michael Page knew the UFC wanted him before they even entered negotiations. This Saturday, Page makes his UFC debut when he takes on Kevin Holland in the featured main card fight at UFC 299. The longtime Bellator welterweight was one of the biggest stars in that promotion, but made it no secret that he one day intended to join the UFC. And according to Page, the UFC did the same for him. Near the end of his Bellator tenure, Page’s contract allowed him to pursue other non-MMA fights, which notably led to his bare-knuckle contest with Mike Perry at BKFC…
A pair of title fights will headline Bellator’s next event in Paris with the card taking place at the Accor Arena on May 17. In the main event, Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will return to action to clash with Alexander Shabliy. In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Patchy Mix makes his first official title defense in a rematch against Magomed Magomedov. A new No. 1 contender will be determined in the middleweight division when Gregory Babene takes on Costello Van Steenis and Slim Trabelsi returns to his old stomping grounds in France when he faces Louie Sutherland in a…