Tag: Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou

Alistair Overeem Sets Sights On Francis Ngannou Rematch

Alistair Overeem has his sights set on fighting Francis Ngannou again after UFC Beijing.

The post Alistair Overeem Sets Sights On Francis Ngannou Rematch appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Alistair Overeem sets sights on fighting someone who he’s already shared the Octagon with, which is Francis Ngannou. Both of these fighters got back to their winning ways as they scored quick TKO finishes.

As seen in the headliner of UFC Beijing, Ngannou TKO’d Curtis Blaydes in 44 seconds in the first round of this heavyweight slugfest. Meanwhile, Overeem finished Sergey Pavlovich in the co-headliner. The event went down Saturday (November 24, 2018) at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China. UFC’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, aired the entire show.

Alistair Overeem Targets Revenge

After the event, the MMA Veteran made it known that he is not opposed to the idea of getting a rematch with Francis next. He noted to a reporter at the post-fight press conference about a potential rematch that he thinks a second fight would end differently.

”Tonight was a short night,” Overeem said (H/T to MMAfighting). “I have a lot of respect for Francis Ngannou. But, yes, I’m very ready for a second fight with him. I can promise you the second fight will be different from the first fight. I made changes to my camp, I feel very energized, very motivated. The second fight will be different from the first fight, I guarantee that.”

Overeem is 3-2 in his last five fights and this win snapped a two-fight losing streak. He suffered a TKO loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 218. Overeem was viciously knocked out by the rising contender in the first round of their heavyweight bout. In his fight before UFC Beijing, he suffered a TKO loss to Blaydes at UFC 225.

What Changed For Overeem

Overeem believes that changing camps increased his “appetite” to get another victory under his belt after recent setbacks.

”We changed the gym and, I don’t know, it was a really good chemistry with all the coaches and I just started to work and we put in a lot of hours,” Overeem said. “I like the chemistry and I like all the things that they were working on. I felt growth, and I think this is crucial for mixed martial artist, always get better.”

The post Alistair Overeem Sets Sights On Francis Ngannou Rematch appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Derrick Lewis Claps Back At Francis Ngannou’s Callout

Derrick Lewis is apparently sick of playing games with Francis Ngannou. After Lewis repeatedly called out the hulking Cameroonian in the weeks after Ngannou lost his title bid against current UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic at January’s UFC 220, Ngannou recently revealed he was ready to meet “The Black Beast,” imploring Lewis’ management to get […]

The post Derrick Lewis Claps Back At Francis Ngannou’s Callout appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Derrick Lewis is apparently sick of playing games with Francis Ngannou.

After Lewis repeatedly called out the hulking Cameroonian in the weeks after Ngannou lost his title bid against current UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic at January’s UFC 220, Ngannou recently revealed he was ready to meet “The Black Beast,” imploring Lewis’ management to get the ball rolling.

Today, Lewis replied while smoking a cigar in Jamaica, poking at Ngannou by saying someone should translate that he wants the fight to him while using a couple classic Yoel Romero hashtags:

@francisngannou it’s about time someone translated to you that I’ve been wanting this fight since last year #seeyousoonboy #iuhhyou

Ngannou had won all six of his UFC bouts by vicious stoppage prior to facing Miocic, an elite champion who showed “The Predator” what a true top mixed martial arts skillset looks like.

Lewis has won 10 of his 13 total UFC bouts and recently rebounded from a TKO loss to Mark Hunt by destroying Marcin Tybura at February’s UFC Austin. He’s repeatedly criticized Ngannou’s supposed gassing against Miocic, but “The Black Beast” has also been pegged as someone who falters when taken to the later rounds.

Both their styles are all-out, explosive, and knockout-focused, making this potential match-up one of the most explosive heavyweights fights the UFC could put on.

Should the UFC capitalize on the online heat and book the fight right away?

The post Derrick Lewis Claps Back At Francis Ngannou’s Callout appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Francis Ngannou Tells ‘S*** Talking’ Derrick Lewis He’s Ready To Battle

Following his disappointing UFC 220 loss to heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic earlier this year, Francis Ngannou has been trolled and called out by Derrick Lewis multiple times. And now, “The Predator” appears ready to accept the challenge: Derrick has been talking some of his sh*t while I was off . Can someone please let him […]

The post Francis Ngannou Tells ‘S*** Talking’ Derrick Lewis He’s Ready To Battle appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Following his disappointing UFC 220 loss to heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic earlier this year, Francis Ngannou has been trolled and called out by Derrick Lewis multiple times.

And now, “The Predator” appears ready to accept the challenge:

Prior to dropping a loss to Miocic, Ngannou had taken the heavyweight division by storm, winning six-straight UFC bouts with all ending by way of stoppage. His marquee win came this past December when he brutally knocked out veteran Alistair Overeem in the co-main event of UFC 218 in Detroit, Michigan.

Lewis, on the other hand, was riding a six-fight winning streak heading into a bout against legendary striker Mark Hunt last June, although he was finished by “The Super Samoan” in the fourth round of their headlining bout. Most recently, he bounced back with a vicious TKO victory over Marcin Tybura last month in Austin, Texas.

Would you like to see Ngannou and Lewis square off next?

The post Francis Ngannou Tells ‘S*** Talking’ Derrick Lewis He’s Ready To Battle appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC 220 Salaries: Stipe Miocic Banks Big Payday

UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic was looking to get paid what he deserved heading into his potentially record-breaking title defense against Francis Ngannou at January 20’s UFC 220 from Boston, Massachusetts. And after he took care of business by dominating the previously-hyped specimen, it appears that Miocic has at least taken a big step in […]

The post UFC 220 Salaries: Stipe Miocic Banks Big Payday appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic was looking to get paid what he deserved heading into his potentially record-breaking title defense against Francis Ngannou at January 20’s UFC 220 from Boston, Massachusetts.

And after he took care of business by dominating the previously-hyped specimen, it appears that Miocic has at least taken a big step in that direction after becoming the heavyweight titleholder with the most consecutive defenses in octagon history.

Figures were released via MMA Fighting tonight showing that Miocic made $600,000 for beating Ngannou. “The Predator” made $500,000 in his loss. Also at UFC 220, light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier earned $500,000 for his dominant second-round finish of Volkan Oezdemir, who made $250,000 for his first UFC defeat.

Here are the complete official UFC 220 salaries:

Disclaimer: The figures below do not reflect the fighters’ total earnings, as they may earn other income from the Reebok apparel deal and outside sponsorships, pay-per-view revenues, or discretionary ‘locker room’ bonuses the UFC sometimes gives following events.

Main Card (Pay-per-view):
Stipe Miocic ($600,000 + no win bonus = $600,000) def. Francis Ngannou ($500,000)
Daniel Cormier ($500,000 + no win bonus = $500,000) def. Volkan Oezdemir ($350,000)
Calvin Kattar ($14,000 + $14,000 = $28,000) def. Shane Burgos ($22,000)
Gian Villante ($50,000 + $50,000 = $100,000) def. Francimar Barroso ($27,000)
Rob Font ($30,000 + $30,000 = $60,000) def. Thomas Almeida ($36,000)

Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1):
Kyle Bochniak ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Brandon Davis ($10,000)
Abdul Razak Alhassan ($20,000 + $20,000 = $40,000) def. Sabah Homasi ($12,000)
Dustin Ortiz ($30,000 + $30,000 = $60,000) def. Alexandre Pantoja ($14,000)
Julio Arce ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Dan Ige ($10,000)

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass):
Enrique Barzola ($21,000 + $21,000 = $42,000) def. Matt Bessette ($12,000)
Islam Makhachev ($16,000 + $16,000 = $32,000) def. Gleison Tibau ($50,000)

The post UFC 220 Salaries: Stipe Miocic Banks Big Payday appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Cain Velasquez Reacts To Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier

The mixed martial arts world was handed one of the biggest fights of the year yesterday when the UFC announced record-setting heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic would be taking on light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at July 7’s UFC 226 from Las Vegas after the two squared off as opposing coaches on TUF 27. The champion […]

The post Cain Velasquez Reacts To Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The mixed martial arts world was handed one of the biggest fights of the year yesterday when the UFC announced record-setting heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic would be taking on light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at July 7’s UFC 226 from Las Vegas after the two squared off as opposing coaches on TUF 27.

The champion vs. champion superfight had been hinted at, especially by UFC president Dana White, following Miocic and Cormier’s dominant wins at last weekend’s (Sat., January 20, 2018) UFC 220 from Boston, yet the talk was seemingly shut down by “DC,” who said that he would rather his good friend and teammate Cain Velasquez get the next shot at Miocic, even going as far as to admit he ‘can’t beat’ Velasquez.

Something changed very quickly, however, and in a sense, the outcome is much better than giving Velasquez an immediate title shot after back-to-back two-years periods of inactivity. There’s no doubt whatsoever that he’s one of the best heavyweights in MMA when healthy – the problem is he’s rarely healthy and the UFC may not have wanted to risk another title fight on his name only to see it fall apart.

He’s been rumored to be training like a madman and nearing his return, something Cormier himself has discussed of late. The former champ addressed the scene himself on social media, confirming he would be in the gym every day to help Cormier, but that’s when the comradery seemed to take a turn.

Check out what Velasquez said might unfold:

It’s surprising to hear Velasquez say things could ‘get interesting,’  suggesting Cormier may end up fighting his longtime training partner for the heavyweight title.

But it would have to be in Cormier’s most likely final fight, as the 38-year-old 205-pound champion recently set a date of March 2019 for his retirement from MMA. “DC” has also repeatedly stated he would not fight his AKA ‘brothers’ Velasquez and Luke Rockhold.

Despite his support for his friend, Velasquez has at least somewhat different of a view on the situation, however. Could they end up squaring off in a massive superfight themselves?

 

The post Cain Velasquez Reacts To Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier Set For Huge Superfight At UFC 226

A fight that UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said would happen because he ‘can’t beat Cain Velasquez’ is happening. News arrived from the UFC tonight that Cormier will coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and the two will fight at July 7’s UFC 226 from the […]

The post Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier Set For Huge Superfight At UFC 226 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

A fight that UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said would happen because he ‘can’t beat Cain Velasquez’ is happening.

News arrived from the UFC tonight that Cormier will coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and the two will fight at July 7’s UFC 226 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cormier successfully defended his reclaimed title with a second-round TKO over Volkan Oezdemir in the main event of last weekend’s UFC 220 from Boston, Massachusetts, a card where Miocic broke the UFC record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses at three with a dominant five-round decision win over hyped contender Francis Ngannou.

Talk after UFC 220 was that Miocic may face Cormier’s AKA teammate Cain Velasquez, who is rumored to be making his return sometime soon, and Cormier was linked to a rematch with top contender Alexander Gustafsson – even if UFC president Dana White teased a Miocic vs. Cormier superfight.

But with “The Mauler” still healing from a recent surgery and the UFC perhaps not keen on the idea of booking Velasquez in another main event after yet another two-year absence from the octagon, they instead chose to book the biggest fight they could for both divisions by pitting the two champs against one another for the heavyweight title.

It’s an interesting pairing considering Cormier was given the title back after losing to archrival Jon Jones by third-round KO in the main event of last July’s UFC 214, only to see “Bones” fail for yet another head-scratching issue with performance-enhancing drugs and have his belt stripped. If Jones had tested clean, he could very well be facing Miocic for the chance to become the fifth two-weight titleholder in UFC history and the second concurrent two-weight champion of all-time.

Instead, it’ll be Cormier, who’s paid his dues over a grueling combat sports career and could cement his spot as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, but he’ll have to get through the upcoming season of TUF 27, which will feature undefeated lightweights and featherweights.

The finals of the show will take place the day before UFC 226 on July 6, 2018.

The post Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier Set For Huge Superfight At UFC 226 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.