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Ciryl Gane Eyes Jon Jones Fight: ‘It’s Gonna Be Great For My Pocket’

Ciryl GaneCiryl Gane has one eye of a mega-money match-up with Jon Jones ahead of his heavyweight unification fight with his former teammate Francis Ngannou. ‘Bon Gamin’ will attempt to become the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion when he takes on Ngannou at UFC 270 on January 22. The Frenchman is feeling very good about his chances […]

Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane has one eye of a mega-money match-up with Jon Jones ahead of his heavyweight unification fight with his former teammate Francis Ngannou.

‘Bon Gamin’ will attempt to become the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion when he takes on Ngannou at UFC 270 on January 22.

The Frenchman is feeling very good about his chances against Ngannou.

“I just started the sport, so imagine, tomorrow I’m going to win against Francis Ngannou, I’m going to be in the top, the baddest man in this world after just three years in MMA,” Gane told BT Sport. “That’s really crazy. That’s wonderful. And yes, after that, if I win, this is going to mean something for real for me. Because after every fight, maybe you can see, I’m not really enjoying it when I win. I don’t know why exactly, I’m not excited about that. But if I win against Francis, I’m going to be happy. I’m going to be happy for real.”

Gane expects ‘The Predator’ to approach the UFC 270 main event in an intelligent manner after their many rounds of sparring together.

“I think Francis did a lot these last years, and he probably improved and he’s more intelligent and that’s really great,” Gane said. “He’s really well-rounded now, and I think it’s going to be more like that, because he knows I can manage the power. I think he knows I can manage the power. So maybe he should be a smart fighter (when we fight)….

“I think it’s gonna be like Jairzinho (Rozenstruik). I’m going to manage the fight. I’m going to win after five rounds. Maybe before with a submission or something like that. Why not?.”

Ciryl Gane Is Excited By The Prospect Of Facing Jon Jones

Despite being fully focused on the task at hand, Gane was happy to look ahead to a potentially lucrative fight with ‘Bones’ who has announced his intention to compete at heavyweight in 2022.

“He wants to go to this division, he wants to prove he can do it and he did a lot for that,” Gane said. “Probably a fight against him would be really great for me because a lot of people compare the style, we’re well-rounded, good fight I.Q. Maybe it’s gonna be a great matchup, I think so, and probably it’s gonna be great for my pocket (laughs).” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)

How do you think Ciryl Gane vs. Jon Jones would play out?

Dustin Poirier Hopes To Test Gaethje’s Oliveira Theory At UFC 269

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier is looking to test Justin Gaethje’s theory on champion Charles Oliveira’s resolve when he meets the Brazilian at UFC 269.

Oliveira had UFC gold wrapped around his waist for the first time at UFC 262 in May t…

Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier is looking to test Justin Gaethje’s theory on champion Charles Oliveira’s resolve when he meets the Brazilian at UFC 269.

Oliveira had UFC gold wrapped around his waist for the first time at UFC 262 in May this year. After the great Khabib Nurmagomedov vacated the title, “Do Bronx” faced relative promotional newcomer Michael Chandler for the belt in a memorable main event clash.

Despite looking moments away from defeat in the opening round, Oliveira survived and mounted a remarkable second-frame comeback, emerging victorious via TKO. The result saw Oliveira reach the UFC mountaintop after 26 fights in the promotion. His championship crowning was added to a host of accolades, including the records for most submission wins, most finishes, and highest finishes-per-win percentage in UFC history.

After the post-crowning euphoria, Oliveira’s focus will now be on his upcoming first defense. In the main event of UFC 269 on December 11, he’ll face #1 contender Poirier. “The Diamond” is coming off two victories over megastar Conor McGregor and has now turned his attention back to the title.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWoEEA5rAV4/

Poirier Aims To Drag Oliveira To Deep Waters

Following his victory over Chandler, one of Oliveira’s lightweight peers wasn’t impressed. Former interim champ Justin Gaethje claimed that even in defeat, “Iron” showed that Oliveira is a “quitter.” That’s despite the fact the Brazilian overcame early adversity to finish Chandler. According to “The Highlight,” Poirier will make the champ quit this Saturday.

Despite not necessarily agreeing with his fellow former interim titleholder, Dustin Poirier does intend on testing his theory when he enters the cage with “Do Bronx.” In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, the Louisianan revealed his intention to test Oliveira’s perseverance by dragging him to deep waters.

“I would love for the fight to reach that point to where we’ll find out (if Oliveira can dig deep) in front of the world. That’s a goal of mine; to get this fight into deep waters and see who really wants it more, who is willing to bleed more, and leave it all out there. Because I know I will. No question about it.

Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier
Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Credit: Getty Images

“But going to what Justin said, dude, I’ve said this. I’m saying the same shit over and over again every interview. It feels corny but when a fighter goes out there, our last fight is the most important. He (Oliveira) got hurt, came back second round and showed his championship grit and finished Michael Chandler; a guy that just took Justin to hell. So, if that says anything, you’re as good as your last fight. He’s a world champion.”

Perhaps Gaethje will have his own chance to test Oliveira’s toughness if the reigning champ successfully defends his gold against Poirier. After his victory over Chandler at UFC 268, it stands to reason “The Highlight” will challenge the UFC 269 victor in the first half of 2022.

What do you make of Charles Oliveira’s resolve and toughness?

Continue Reading Dustin Poirier Hopes To Test Gaethje’s Oliveira Theory At UFC 269 at MMA News.

MMA SQUARED: Jose Aldo has a message for all who seek to prosper off his name

Chris Rini, MMA Squared, Jose Aldo, Rob Font | Chris Rini

Hear ye, Hear ye, this is a proclamation from the King of Rio!

Chris Rini
Jose Aldo, bantamweight elite fighter, next up Cory Sandhagen? A…


Chris Rini, MMA Squared, Jose Aldo, Rob Font, UFC, Bantamweight, Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw
Chris Rini, MMA Squared, Jose Aldo, Rob Font | Chris Rini

Hear ye, Hear ye, this is a proclamation from the King of Rio!

Chris Rini, MMA Squared, Jose Aldo, Rob Font, UFC, Bantamweight, Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw
Chris Rini
Jose Aldo, bantamweight elite fighter, next up Cory Sandhagen? Aljamain Sterling?

I’ll be on twitch today at 11am EST drawing some of the fights from Saturday night, come down and hang out. Take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you Wednesday.
Chris

What’s Next For Rob Font?

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

UFC Vegas 44 went down last Sat. night (Dec. 4, 2021) inside the APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds after an action-packed night that fea…


UFC Fight Night: Font v Aldo
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

UFC Vegas 44 went down last Sat. night (Dec. 4, 2021) inside the APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds after an action-packed night that featured several great performances (and finishes).

Among the fighters sent home feeling the post-fight blues was Jim Crute, suffering a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Jamahal Hill — who backed up his claim of having some of the best boxing in MMA by turning off Crute’s lights (see it here).

And Brad Riddell, who was knocked out by his former training partner Rafael Fiziev with a spectacular spinning wheel kick (relive it here). And how can you forget Leonardo Santos, who was on the brink of victory before he ended up being submitted for the first time in his career by Clay Guida (video replay). But which fighter is suffering from one of the worst post-fight hangovers, now a few days removed from the show?

Rob Font.

Coming into his headlining bout against Jose Aldo, Font was scorching hot with a four-fight win streak, which helped him lock down the No. 4 spot in the official rankings. In fact, he was likely one more win away from earning his first-ever shot at a UFC title. Font had already passed several big tests on his way to the Top 5, but he needed to take out a living legend in Aldo in order to put him over the top.

Despite putting forth a valiant effort, the New England Cartel-trained fighter came up short in his bid to win five straight. Font did have several shining moments, tagging Aldo on multiple occasions, nearly closing his right eye completely. But the former 145-pound champion dug deep to unleash his own legendary striking to rock and drop Font on multiple occasions.

In the end, Aldo ran away with a clear unanimous decision win — his third in a row — snapping Font’s hot streak in the process.

For Font, the loss was a direct hit to his championship aspirations, but it isn’t the end of the road for him — far from it. The talented striker will undoubtedly learn from this unfortunate setback, just his second loss in three years. He has shown he can bounce back and rack wins up in a hurry, and there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll do it again.

As far as who Font will face next, a fight against Cory Sandhagen seems inevitable

“The Sandman” is coming off a tough loss to former division champion Petr Yan at UFC 267 (see it here), a bout contested for the interim 135-pound title. With two straight losses on his record, Sandhagen is in dire need of a big win to get him back on track. For Font, handing Sandhagen his third straight loss would achieve his short-term goal of staying around the Top 5 in order to keep a championship fight at reach.

Objections?

For complete UFC Vegas 44 results and coverage click here.

Ciryl Gane: Francis Ngannou Knows I Can Manage His Power

UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane isn’t worried about Francis Ngannou’s game-changing power ahead of their unification bout.

Gane earned the interim heavyweight title over Derrick Lewis earlier this year at UFC 265, in a dominant performa…

Ciryl Gane

UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane isn’t worried about Francis Ngannou’s game-changing power ahead of their unification bout.

Gane earned the interim heavyweight title over Derrick Lewis earlier this year at UFC 265, in a dominant performance that led to a TKO finish. He is undefeated in his still relatively young MMA career.

Ngannou earned the heavyweight belt over Stipe Miocic by a vicious knockout at UFC 260. While Gane knows the challenges that Ngannou presents, he isn’t scared about getting hit with a big strike on the feet.

“I think Francis did a lot these last years, and he proved he improved and he’s more intelligent,” Gane said in an interview with BT Sport. “And that’s great. He’s well-rounded now. And I think it’s gonna be more like that. Because he (knows) I can manage the power. I think he knows I can manage the power.”

Ciryl Gane And Francis Ngannou Trained Together At MMA Factory

Gane and Ngannou trained together briefly at MMA Factory in France before Ngannou had an alleged falling out with management and moved stateside. Ngannou now trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, NV where he most recently trained with Glory kickboxing champ Rico Verhoeven.

Gane has picked up plenty of eye-opening wins since signing with the UFC in 2019. After winning his UFC debut over Raphael Pessoa, he’s earned wins over the likes of top contenders Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Junior dos Santos and Alexander Volkov.

Gane’s kickboxing, in particular, has impressed, as he showcased in his finish over Lewis for the interim title.

Gane vs. Ngannou is expected to be a back-and-forth war at UFC 270 and could be a perfect way for the UFC to kick-off 2022. While there appears to be some mutual respect between the two heavyweights, former teammates will become sworn enemies inside the Octagon.

What is your prediction for Ciryl Gane vs. Francis Ngannou?

Continue Reading Ciryl Gane: Francis Ngannou Knows I Can Manage His Power at MMA News.

Conor McGregor Says Khabib ‘Should Have Just Kept Quiet About Aldo.’

Conor McGregorConor McGregor thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov looks like a fool following his controversial comments about former featherweight king Jose Aldo. ‘Scarface’ appeared to still be on the top of his game this past weekend when he put on a dominant display to beat Rob Font over five rounds at UFC Vegas 44. The performance seemed to […]

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov looks like a fool following his controversial comments about former featherweight king Jose Aldo.

‘Scarface’ appeared to still be on the top of his game this past weekend when he put on a dominant display to beat Rob Font over five rounds at UFC Vegas 44.

The performance seemed to contradict Nurmagomedov’s earlier comments about Aldo who he claimed was past his prime and incapable of returning to top form.

“A guy wins one fight and everyone starts talking,” Nurmagomedov said about Aldo back in August. “When Conor fought Cowboy he looked like a lion. When he fights stronger opponents, he looks like scared chicken. Fighting top fighters shows your worth. Like I said – the level of Russia’s football team will be shown against Croatia, not Malta. A fight against Cowboy won’t show what level you’re at. Just like Aldo’s fight against Pedro Munhoz. Let him fight Petr Yan in the same way then we can say he’s peaking again.

“You saw what he did, he closed up and waited for the ref to stop the fight,” Nurmagomedov added. “That shows that you’re not at your peak. If you’re getting hit and you’re conscious and you’re not defending yourself, I call those fighters businessmen, they come out to make money. There are real champions who go hard on everyone. They don’t care about how the money, of course, it’s an important aspect but he has the competitive spirit.”

“There’s no way Aldo’s having a second peak,” Nurmagomedov concluded. “You can try to prove it all you want but I’ve been through this. I know better, thank you, you’re a journalist and I’m a fighter.”

Conor McGregor Thinks Khabib Looks Like A Fool After UFC Vegas 44

‘Notorious’ slammed his rival at the time for his dismissive comments towards Aldo.

In the aftermath of UFC Vegas 44, McGregor again took aim at Khabib for his comments about the Brazilian fight legend.

“He was a good fighter for those few weeks alright lol,” McGregor wrote in response to a thread praising Nurmagomedov’s humility. “Retiring takes you from all lists though. He retired and at the same time cried to be placed on one. It debunks your few tweets saying he is not about that. He should have just kept quiet about Aldo. He is a fool now.”

Do you agree with Conor McGregor? Does Khabib Nurmagomedov look foolish for commenting on Jose Aldo’s recent form?