Author: mmafighting
Francis Ngannou is pretty damn good at this whole fighting thing. Tyson Fury found out firsthand how dangerous Ngannou truly is this past Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The all-time great heavyweight boxer may have technically won the boxing-MMA crossover clash via split decision but the combat sports world has crowned a new king. Ngannou’s whole voyage into the boxing realm came after a falling out with the UFC while he was the champion. Fans anticipated a long-awaited dream matchup between him and former two-time light heavyweight titlist Jon Jones but unfortunately missed out on the collision, leading many to…
The UFC suffered a setback in its effort to overturn the ongoing anti-trust case against it. A pair of judges with the 9th Circuit Court on Wednesday denied the promotion’s attorneys an appeal request, aimed in part at overturning a Nevada federal judge’s decision to certify a group of fighters suing the UFC as a class, according to a filing obtained by MMA Fighting. The fighters, led by UFC vets Cung Le, Jon Fitch, Kyle Kingsbury and others, were given class-action status in August, potentially exposing the promotion to greater legal damages in the case aimed at its business practices.…
The No Bets Barred boys are back this week with a full breakdown of UFC Sao Paulo and the main event matchup between Jailton Almeida and Derrick Lewis. Co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew kick things off with a discussion Francis Ngannou’s surprise performance against Tyson Fury before diving into the betting breakdowns this week. Topics discussed include whether Lewis has a chance at pulling off the upset, or if Almeida is simply too good, whether Nicolas Dalby can remain “The Brazilian Slayer,” just what should we expect from the Bonfim brothers, and just what are the chances of pulling…
Paul Felder has taken the next step in a potential return from retirement. The veteran lightweight and current UFC color commentator officially re-entered the UFC’s anti-doping program, which is required for all athletes fighting for the promotion. Online records revealed Felder submitted his first test in October with a single sample collected. Per the UFC’s anti-doping program rules, Felder will need to undergo six months of drug testing before he’s allowed to compete again. Based on his return to the testing pool, Felder would likely be cleared to fight sometime in April 2024. Felder previously announced that he was rejoining…
An interview on Wednesday between Ariel Helwani and Chanel Sonnen quickly devolved into a shouting match between the former ESPN co-hosts on The MMA Hour. Helwani had Sonnen on to react to Francis Ngannou’s split decision loss this past Saturday to Tyson Fury. Sonnen was asked to weigh his previous statements about the fight with the result, and Ngannou’s pay quickly emerged as a topic of heated contention. Sonnen disputed Helwani’s reporting that Ngannou would likely bank between $10-20 million for the boxing match, arguing the event was not successful on pay-per-view. The conversation slowly grew hostile, with Sonnen at…
Francis Ngannou can essentially handpick his next opponent after shocking the world by taking lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to a split decision in his professional boxing debut, but there’s likely one name that remains out of reach. UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Ngannou and Jones danced around a fight with one another for the better part of two years, but they never actually got to compete. Time off, injuries, and contract negotiations prevented the fight from happening before Ngannou cut ties with the UFC as a free agent so he could pursue his boxing match with Fury, as well…
Francis Ngannou is already plotting his next move. That’s according to Ngannou’s longtime representative Marquel Martin, who revealed Wednesday on The MMA Hour that the former UFC heavyweight champion has been weighing his options following his spectacular professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury and is close to settling on his next move. “I think we see him again Q1 of [next] year, whether that’s with his partners in PFL or a hybrid [fight] of some sort,” Martin said on The MMA Hour. “I think all options are on the table, and it’s really going to be exciting of, who wants…
Count Joe Rogan among the long list of people who believe Francis Ngannou deserved to get a win over heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury this past Saturday night. On the latest episode of his podcast, the UFC color commentator praised Ngannou’s performance, which ended in a razor-close split decision loss after he scored a knockdown over Fury in the third round. Two judges were split with 95-94 scorecards, one for Fury and one for Ngannou. But the third official, Juan Carlos Pelayo, had the fight 96-93 for Fury. Despite Ngannou scoring a 10-8 round after he knocked down Fury, Pelayo,…
Derrick Lewis doesn’t seem to be sweating his recent arrest on reckless driving charges after he allegedly got busted for driving 136 MPH in a 50 MPH zone in Houston. Just days away from his main event fight with Jailton Almeida at UFC Sao Paulo, the 38-year-old heavyweight addressed the news that he was pulled over and detailed on Oct. 25 while driving a Lamborghini in his hometown of Houston. He was later released on $100 personal recognizance bond with his next court date set on Dec. 27. While Lewis has attorneys on the case, it turns out he might…
The UFC will finally return to Shanghai, China for an event on Dec. 9. Plans have been reported for months, but the company has finally made the card official Wednesday. The promotion has yet to announce which fighters will headline the show, its first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019. UFC’s last trip to China was in 2019, a Fight Night show headlined by strawweight champion Jessica Andrade and local star Zhang Weili in Shenzhen. The Chinese talent won by knockout in just 42 seconds. UFC’s sole trip to Shanghai took place in November 2017, with…