Conor McGregor, Eddie Hearn involved in ringside row following Irish fighter’s devastating KO loss

Eddie Hearn involved in row with Conor McGregor ringside after Gary Cully KO loss in DublinMatchroom Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn has revealed he and former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor bickered ringside in an argument, after Naas native, Gary Cully suffered a devastating third round knockout loss to Jose Felix Jr. on the undercard of Katie Taylor’s Irish homecoming against Chantelle Cameron, with McGregor questioning the matchmaking of the clash. […]

Eddie Hearn involved in row with Conor McGregor ringside after Gary Cully KO loss in Dublin

Matchroom Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn has revealed he and former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor bickered ringside in an argument, after Naas native, Gary Cully suffered a devastating third round knockout loss to Jose Felix Jr. on the undercard of Katie Taylor’s Irish homecoming against Chantelle Cameron, with McGregor questioning the matchmaking of the clash.

Cully, a native of Kildare, featured as chief support alongside Felix Jr. ahead of last night’s undisputed super-lightweight title fight at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

Putting his undefeated 16-0 professional record on the line, Cully, 27, suffered a stunning third round standing TKO loss to Felix Jr., taking brutal punishment in the form of multiple stuns and wobbles, before his cornermen eventual threw in the towel. 

Eddie Hearn reveals spat with UFC star, Conor McGregor

And speaking on the WBA inter-continental lightweight champion’s loss on home soil, the above-mentioned, Hearn, revealed that he and Conor McGregor – who had sponsored the event in the capital, had argued ringside.

“He (Gary Cully) never recovered from the first knockdown,” Eddie Hearn said during an interview with IFL TV. “[He] got overexcited, had his chin in the air, got hit by a Mexican who can punch.”

“I had a bit of a row – a friendly row with Conor McGregor, because he said, ‘Why did you put him in with him?’” Eddie Hearn revealed. “You’ve got to beat kids like that. Tyrone McKenna beat him, Sandor Martin beat him. You are talking about Gary Cully being a world-class lightweight, you have to beat guys like that. He would have beaten him if he would have boxed smart, but it was a devastating defeat and he’s going to learn a lot from that.” 

Appearing prominently during fight week ahead of the 3Arena event, McGregor attended the event in support of undisputed lightweight champion, Taylor, as the Olympic gold medalist suffered her first professional loss in the form of a majority decision loss against super-lightweight champion, Cameron. 

Francis Ngannou tipped to fail in boxing venture: ‘He cannot go in and compete technically’

PFL on signing UFC veteran Francis Ngannou It's all positiveEddie Hearn says he’d love to work with Francis Ngannou and arrange some boxing matches but doesn’t believe his skills would translate very well against boxing’s heavyweight elite. Famed boxing promoter Hearn has been around forever in the sport and has nurtured Anthony Joshua’s career as a promoter since 2013 when the famed UK boxer […]

PFL on signing UFC veteran Francis Ngannou It's all positive

Eddie Hearn says he’d love to work with Francis Ngannou and arrange some boxing matches but doesn’t believe his skills would translate very well against boxing’s heavyweight elite.

Famed boxing promoter Hearn has been around forever in the sport and has nurtured Anthony Joshua’s career as a promoter since 2013 when the famed UK boxer Joshua first made his transition over from Olympic boxing.

Hearn believes he could do exciting things with Ngannou in the sport, and a match between ‘The Predator’ and ‘AJ’ could be thrilling and give Ngannou that big-money boxing fight he’s been wanting so badly.

Ngannou has made waves as perhaps the biggest MMA free agent in history. He refused to re-sign with the UFC, forfeited his heavyweight title, and has since been searching for bigger and better opportunities. He’s got his eye set on either the PFL or ONE FC when it comes to MMA, but before he signs, Francis Ngannou still desperately wants to compete in boxing against the current greats of the sport.

Eddie Hearn is doubtful that Francis Ngannou’s skills would translate well into boxing

“Personally, you cannot in a million years, with Francis Ngannou’s ability in boxing and pedigree in boxing, go in and compete technically, skill-wise — not just with AJ, but with any top-20 heavyweight in the world,” Hearn began, speaking on The MMA Hour. “But in that division, the difference is, what you can do is you could knock someone out. So it doesn’t matter whether Francis fights Anthony Joshua — Tyson Fury, I agree with you, horrible fight for Francis Ngannou because he’d he just poke [Ngannou] around — Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora, Jermaine Franklin; he has no chance against those guys, other than to be aggressive, trade up, and catch someone clean and take him out.”

“So I think that you are correct in your statement, in that … people would give fighters a much better chance against AJ having watched that performance. In your world, that translates to Francis Ngannou,” Hearn continued (H/T MMA Fighting). “And why not? I don’t feel like it’s a fight that’s going to continue the development of Anthony Joshua under his new trainer, but I’d [recently] done lunch with Francis Ngannou. You know his story. I was completely gobsmacked by the story of this man. We sat for two hours, and I was just listening to just the most remarkable — I mean, how this isn’t a film, I have no idea. Unbelievable.”

Eddie Hearn is eager to make money off of Francis Ngannou

It’s obvious Eddie Hearn would love to make millions off of Ngannou, and the boxing promoter even began to talk about turning his story into some Hollywood blockbuster.

“I’m thinking, ‘Please let me go to Hollywood now with you and sell this film.’ People need to be educated about what that man has been through and his story to get to where he’s got to. I found him fascinating. Lovely guy, lovely guy, and I’d love to do something.”

In Hearn’s defense, ‘The Predator’ does have one of the most remarkable stories in MMA. Commenting on it in this article wouldn’t nearly do it justice, so don’t be afraid to do some research and read up on it. Let’s just say Francis Ngannou is an incredible human. The things he’s gone through to get where he’s at today will stand the test of time. A movie should be made about his life, but that might not even do the story justice. It could even require a short series about it of hour-long episodes even to get close to telling it fairly. It wouldn’t be surprising if, a decade from now, he’s considered a beloved combat sports legend similar to Mike Tyson.

As far as boxing goes, Eddie Hearn is eager to get Ngannou in there with anybody and everybody. “Dillian Whyte. Otto Wallin. Joe Joyce is another big fight. It’s a tough fight, but who knows,” Hearn said. “But I just feel that if we’re going to go into a Fury or Wilder, which is inevitable, I just want him to go in with the best chance that he can have. And I just feel that, right now, he’s not at the optimum level he could be to go into that fight.”

“He (Anthony Joshua) would still go into them, and I still give him a chance in those fights. I believe he could win those fights. But I would just like to see him firing and going into those fights. And what I saw (against Franklin) wasn’t AJ firing on all cylinders.”

Who would you want to see Francis Ngannou box if it ever happens, or would you just prefer him to re-sign with the UFC?

Eddie Hearn coy on booking Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou fight, cautious of potential KO

Eddie Hearn coy on Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou wary of KOMega boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has stated that he is not keen on organizing a matchup between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou. Hearn, who similarly to Dana White, is recognized as a brutally honest promoter, does not give Ngannou much of a chance against top boxers such as Joshua or anyone in the top 20. […]

Eddie Hearn coy on Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou wary of KO

Mega boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has stated that he is not keen on organizing a matchup between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou.

Hearn, who similarly to Dana White, is recognized as a brutally honest promoter, does not give Ngannou much of a chance against top boxers such as Joshua or anyone in the top 20.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Hearn attempted to justify his stance against the potential matchup by comparing the technicality and boxing pedigree of Francis Ngannou to some of boxing’s elites.

“You can not in a million years with Francis Ngannou’s ability in boxing and pedigree in boxing go in and compete.”

Following a highly anticipated opportunity for a UFC title in Ngannou’s career, a prime Stipe Miocic briefly halted the Ngannou hype train with a humbling unanimous decision.

Following a consecutive loss to Derrick Lewis, Francis Ngannou discovered a new backbone in his persistence and went on to terrorize the heavyweight division until he was eventually crowned champion in 2021 following his redemption KO over Miocic.

Ngannou went on to defend his title once over an undefeated Ciryl Gane, which ended up being the last we’ll see of ‘The Predator’ in the UFC.

Francis Ngannou departed the UFC back in January of this year

The Cameroonian heavyweight could not agree on a new contract with the UFC which led to his release.

Ngannou was keen on being offered a significant pay rise which he deemed as a fair demand, and has since pursued a career in boxing where he is seeking a successful payday.

Although Hearn may not give him much of a chance, he recognizes that when it comes to heavyweights throwing gloves, power is inevitable.

“In that division, the difference is what you can do is knock someone out.”

Plenty of back and forth verbal interactions have occurred between Ngannou and boxers such as Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, who have shown interest in welcoming Ngannou to the ring.

Hearn said he had a personal meeting with Ngannou where he learned the significance of his film-like upbringing and rise to where he is today, which gained his respect and admiration for his resilience.

“People need to be educated about what that man has been through and the story to get to where he’s got to.”

A return to MMA may be a possibility in the future, but what many fans are keen to watch is a boxing superfight where Ngannou’s sheer power will be on display against the best in the sport.

Ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou claims he never avoided Jon Jones: ‘I would fight him twice a month’

Jon Jones Francis Ngannou fight twice month UFCFrancis Ngannou may never step foot in a UFC Octagon again, but he assures MMA fans that the last thing on his mind before leaving the promotion was avoiding Jon Jones. Nearly a week has passed since Jones took over the heavyweight division in his UFC return, and since then he and Ngannou have remained […]

Jon Jones Francis Ngannou fight twice month UFC

Francis Ngannou may never step foot in a UFC Octagon again, but he assures MMA fans that the last thing on his mind before leaving the promotion was avoiding Jon Jones.

Nearly a week has passed since Jones took over the heavyweight division in his UFC return, and since then he and Ngannou have remained a topic of conversation.

Once Jones’ arm was raised at UFC 285, Francis Ngannou sent out a tweet which many have considered to be a backhanded compliment.

During the post-fight press conference, Jones had the tweet read to him, and he did not have a kind choice of words for his heavyweight counterpart.

Speaking yesterday with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Francis Ngannou said that he is at peace with himself and is not concerned by Jones’ comments because he pursued that matchup before his departure.

“I did everything to have that fight. At the end it just felt like begging to keep me, and maybe do something that I don’t want. Yes I wanted that fight, but not at any cost.”

Ngannou was not amused by Dana White’s public comments stating that he avoided a fight with Jones.

He doubled down on the idea that the sole reason he parted ways with the UFC was due to the promotion failing to meet his contract demands on numerous occasions.

“I don’t care about what Dana White said, that was my call not his call.”

He once again took his thoughts to Twitter with videos of White’s change of heart which Francis Ngannou clearly felt was hypocritical.

Ngannou was seen watching Jones’ return against Ciryl Gane with his family in a positive manner and he says this is because he was simply a viewer just like everyone else, and he did not feel any differently after seeing Jones win.

Speaking with several promotions since his UFC exit, Ngannou said that fans should not look back and ponder at the matchup which never took place.

It seems as though the two colossal figures will never cross paths again, and Francis Ngannou is certain that the last thing on his mind was fearing Jones.

“There is not a fight on earth that I will back down from. He might be the best fighter ever, but he’s not the guy that I’m running away from.”

“I would fight Jon Jones twice a month.”

Although the two may have some unfriendly words for each other going forward, the bout is one that fans will have to look past, as Ngannou has his sights set on a professional debut in the boxing ring.

“I want to do one boxing match first, then maybe go back to MMA.” 

Ngannou said that he had spoken to Eddie Hearn about a potential matchup with Anthony Joshua, but the majority of the conversation has been with Deontay Wilder’s team.

He dreams of a massive boxing event in Africa, and did not rule out the possibility of returning to MMA one day, as he also had talks with PFL and ONE FC.

Who do you think would have won between MMA’s all-time great and Francis Ngannou?

Canelo Alvarez teases potential fight with Nate Diaz; ‘We never know, right?’

Canelo AlvarezBoxing icon Canelo Alvarez recently teased a potential meeting with former UFC star Nate Diaz. Diaz walked away from his Las Vegas-based employer after 15 years of competing inside the Octagon. Earning one last victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, the Stockton Samurai is ready to test his mettle inside the squared circle and […]

Canelo Alvarez

Boxing icon Canelo Alvarez recently teased a potential meeting with former UFC star Nate Diaz.

Diaz walked away from his Las Vegas-based employer after 15 years of competing inside the Octagon. Earning one last victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, the Stockton Samurai is ready to test his mettle inside the squared circle and is eyeing super-middleweight world champion, Canelo Alvarez.

British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn gave fans some hope that the fantasy fight could become a reality after revealing details regarding a conversation he had with Diaz.

“It was just a friendly conversation to say, ‘What are you thinking?’,” Hearn said during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. And Nate Diaz’s mindset is, ‘I want to fight Canelo Alvarez.’ “Who knows? It’s very difficult to give Nate Diaz a shot in a Canelo Alvarez fight.

Canelo Alvarez Reveals Status of Potential Showdown with Nate Diaz

Alvarez briefly shared his thoughts on a potential showdown with Diaz, confirming that the fight is not currently on his schedule, but it very well could be down the line.

“We never know, right?,” Canelo Alvarez told Inside Fighting. “But right now it’s not in my schedule. Not right now. I have goals. Not right now, maybe later, maybe in the future. No disrespect or anything, I have goals.”

Alvarez’s last appearance inside the ring came against Gennady Golovkin in September 2022. The two squared off at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with Alvarez scoring a unanimous decision win to retain the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight titles.

Nate Diaz made his UFC debut on season five of The Ultimate Fighter in 2007. Over the course of his 15-year run with the promotion, Nate Diaz amassed a record of 16-11 in the UFC and 21-13 overall. His most notable wins came against Donald Cerrone, Gray Maynard, Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, and the aforementioned Tony Ferguson.

Eddie Hearn On Recent Talks Of Nate Diaz vs. Canelo Àlvarez Clash

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn recently shed some light on a surprising crossover bout that has been discussed. Back at UFC 279, longtime fan favorite Nate Diaz closed out his run in the promotion with a fourth-round submission victory over Tony Ferguson….

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn recently shed some light on a surprising crossover bout that has been discussed. Back at UFC 279, longtime fan favorite Nate Diaz closed out his run in the promotion with a fourth-round submission victory over Tony Ferguson. The Stockton star has listed several interests of his moving forward, including boxing Jake…

Continue Reading Eddie Hearn On Recent Talks Of Nate Diaz vs. Canelo Àlvarez Clash at MMA News.