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Ngannou: Israel Adesanya Is A Better Version Of Ciryl Gane

Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and interim champ Ciryl Gane are continuing to talk about each other’s fighting style leading up to their main event.

The two seem to have mutual respect for one another, as they’ve each given th…

Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane

Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and interim champ Ciryl Gane are continuing to talk about each other’s fighting style leading up to their main event.

The two seem to have mutual respect for one another, as they’ve each given the other praise. Gane stated Ngannou is the “most powerful and athletic human” he’s ever seen. Ngannou returned the compliment and admired Gane for possessing the best kickboxing style in MMA.

Thursday on his YouTube channel, Ngannou was asked about middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s fighting style, to which Ngannou responded by taking a jab at Gane. Ngannou compared the two’s similar kickboxing styles and stated that Adesanya is a better version of Gane.

“He’s (Adesanya) a great guy, the best striker in the game, definitely,” said Ngannou. “Because when you look at his style, he just does everything that Ciryl does but in a better way.”

Ngannou stated that he even tried to get Adesanya to come help train with him in preparations of facing a kick-boxing-styled heavyweight in Gane. Ngannou claims that the reason he couldn’t get “The Last Stylebender” over was due to the strict travel restrictions where Adesanya resides in New Zealand.

“By the way, I (tried) to get him for this training camp, but travel restrictions with New Zealand wasn’t really helpful for us,” said Ngannou “But he would have loved to come here and help me for the striking part of the game, the footwork and everything.”

Gane and Adesanya are some of the highest-leveled kickboxers in the UFC, with names like Stephen Thompson, Joanna J?drzejczyk, Valentina Schevchenko, and many others being up there with them.

Ngannou and Gane are just a few weeks away from finally fighting for the heavyweight championship, which will be held on January 22nd. Ngannou (16-3) will be looking to make his first title defense since securing UFC gold when he KO’d Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. As for Gane, he will be looking to take the word “interim” off of his current title and become the undisputed heavyweight king with a win over Ngannou.

Who do you think has the better kickboxing style between Ciryl Gane and Israel Adesanya?

Continue Reading Ngannou: Israel Adesanya Is A Better Version Of Ciryl Gane at MMA News.

Charles Oliveira Teases Possible Superfights With Volkanovski, Usman

UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is already thinking about the pursuit of ‘champ-champ’ status after his first title defense.

Oliveira wrapped up his stellar 2021 by defeating Dustin Poirier at UFC 269, further cementing himself as the lig…

Charles Oliveira

UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is already thinking about the pursuit of ‘champ-champ’ status after his first title defense.

Oliveira wrapped up his stellar 2021 by defeating Dustin Poirier at UFC 269, further cementing himself as the lightweight king. He earned the then-vacant title over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 after Khabib Nurmagomedov retired.

Oliveira has found a home at 155 pounds after an up-and-down tenure at featherweight. But, he has previously stated that he would entertain the idea of moving back down to 145 if a title shot was available.

During a recent interview on MMA Fighting’s Trocacao Franca podcast, Oliveira further explained his ambitions, after his coach stated that chasing more than one title was possible.

“I really thought I couldn’t drop to 145 anymore,” Oliveira said, “But this last weight cut, I was really [close to] 155 before the fight with this work we’ve been doing, with lots of water in the body, and we believe we could easily make 145.

“If I had the opportunity to go straight for the 145 belt, I’d move down to fight. Also, if I had the opportunity to go straight for the 170 belt, I’d also move up to fight, but I believe it’s more viable to [drop down] to 145 instead of going to 170 at this moment.”

Kamaru Usman is widely expected to face Leon Edwards next but has taken out most top contenders. Volkanovski recently had his Max Holloway trilogy canceled and is awaiting a new opponent for UFC 272.

Oliveira is widely expected to face Justin Gaethje for his next lightweight title defense, but a money fight against Conor McGregor might be possible as well. Oliveira is looking ahead to a potentially active 2022.

Do you think Charles Oliveira could become a UFC double champ?

Continue Reading Charles Oliveira Teases Possible Superfights With Volkanovski, Usman at MMA News.

Chandler Says Unranked UFC Newcomer Will Be Champion In Two Years

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler still has championship ambitions, but he’s got his eyes on a teammate who may beat him to it.

Chandler fell short in a Fight of the Year contender against Justin Gaethje at UFC 268. Despite the defeat, Cha…

Michael Chandler

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler still has championship ambitions, but he’s got his eyes on a teammate who may beat him to it.

Chandler fell short in a Fight of the Year contender against Justin Gaethje at UFC 268. Despite the defeat, Chandler earned plenty of respect and support from the UFC fanbase and is a big name in the lightweight division. He also had to apologize to his wife afterward for the sheer brutality of the contest.

Chandler trains down at Sanford MMA alongside some of the top UFC talents, including Gilbert Burns and, formerly, Kamaru Usman. But one particular teammate of his, Ian Garry, has impressed him since joining the gym last year.

During a recent interview with ESPN’s Megan Olivi, Chandler praised Garry and made quite the prediction for his UFC future.

“We had a couple of conversations and then I was like, okay, obviously the talent is there, you know?” Chandler said. “His body type, his confidence in himself, the part of the world that he comes from – he’s a young, brash Irishman who does not lack confidence in any area of his life. And that’s something I’m attracted to as well. Even as a 35-year-old – a guy who has been in the game for a decade longer than he has – I still try to remember myself as that young, hungry, nothing-to-lose kind of guy.

Ian Garry
Ian Garry

“And I think my fight style shows it, my attention to detail shows it because I want to live a champion lifestyle. And it’s just awesome to see these guys come in and even Ian himself, I think his game is on a trajectory to the moon. I think he will be world champion in the next couple of years.” (h/t Sportskeeda)

Before signing with the UFC, Garry made waves by earning the then-vacant Cage Warriors welterweight title over Jack Grant at CW 125. Coincidentally, this is the same promotion where his fellow countryman, Conor McGregor, began his rise to stardom.

Garry made a nod to McGregor during his post-fight interview at UFC 268, alluding to his “We’re not here to take part, we’re here to take over” quote.

Chandler and Garry are in different weight classes but could benefit from one another in training. Both men could be in the title conversation by the end of 2022.

Do you agree with Michael Chandler?

Continue Reading Chandler Says Unranked UFC Newcomer Will Be Champion In Two Years at MMA News.

Tommy Fury: Calling Jake Paul Fight Off Was Darkest Day Of My Life

Tommy Fury’s decision to pull out of his originally scheduled fight with Jake Paul was more difficult to make than most were poised to believe.

Fury defeated Anthony Taylor on the first Paul vs. Tyron Woodley card in 2021 before agreeing to a fight…

Tommy Fury

Tommy Fury’s decision to pull out of his originally scheduled fight with Jake Paul was more difficult to make than most were poised to believe.

Fury defeated Anthony Taylor on the first Paul vs. Tyron Woodley card in 2021 before agreeing to a fight with Paul next. The buildup to the Fury vs. Paul fight began backstage in Cleveland when their respective teams nearly came to blows.

The fight was expected to be a true test for Paul, who arguably hasn’t faced a true boxer in his young fighting career. Just weeks before the event, Fury withdrew due to a chest infection and rib injury.

During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Fury described the aftermath of pulling out of the highly anticipated matchup.

“When I made the call, to call this fight off, me and my team, that was probably the darkest days that I’ve had in my life so far,” Fury said. “Because when you train as a kid for that particular night, you know, the big headlining show in Florida, in America, streamed all over the world, that’s the moment you train for all your life.

When it gets ripped away from you through no fault of your own really, it’s devastating. That was the darkest time of my life.

“But I’ve said to myself I’m not gonna let that carry on into next year. This year is all about positivity. I’m leaving all those setbacks in 2021.”

Tommy Fury Still Thinks Jake Paul Rescheduled Bout Is Fight To Make

Paul won back-to-back fights over Woodley in 2021. Before that, he earned a vicious first-round knockout over former UFC fighter Ben Askren. Both he and Fury are undefeated in their young boxing tenures.

Tommy, the younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, has been tabbed as a legitimate boxing prospect in recent years. But despite his flawless record, his strength of competition hasn’t exactly been stellar, with many of his opponents having abysmal records.

It’s unclear whether or not Fury vs. Paul will happen next, as Paul has alluded to taking some time off and returning in the summer. In the meantime, Fury sounds hellbent on getting the fight rescheduled and settling their beef inside the ring.

How do you think a Jake Paul-Tommy Fury fight plays out?

Continue Reading Tommy Fury: Calling Jake Paul Fight Off Was Darkest Day Of My Life at MMA News.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik To Return Against Marcin Tybura on Feb. 26

A UFC heavyweight showdown between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Marcin Tybura is set to take place at UFC Vegas 49 on February 26.

MMA journalist Marcel Dorff was among the first to report the news.

Rozenstruik and Tybura were both in the heavyweig…

Marcin Tybura, Jairzinho Rozenstruik

A UFC heavyweight showdown between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Marcin Tybura is set to take place at UFC Vegas 49 on February 26.

MMA journalist Marcel Dorff was among the first to report the news.

Rozenstruik and Tybura were both in the heavyweight title discussion before recent losses. Rozenstruik fell to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 266 while Tybura lost just weeks later at UFC 267 against Alexander Volkov.

Rozenstruik has traded wins and losses since his knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in just 20 seconds at UFC 249. He’s earned wins most recently against Junior dos Santos and Augusto Sakai.

Tybura was arguably the hottest heavyweight contender before a loss to Volkov. He had won five fights in a row over the likes of Ben Rothwell, Greg Hardy, and Walt Harris.

The full card for UFC Vegas 49 has yet to be announced, but the card will be headlined by top lightweight contenders Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev. The winner of that matchup will more than likely be next in line for the 155-pound title.

Before losing to Blaydes, Rozenstruik had called for potential matchups with the likes of Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic at heavyweight. Both men remain sidelined and are expected to return at some point in 2022.

As for Tybura, he remains a potential dark horse in the heavyweight division. Previous wins over Stefan Struve and Andrei Arlovski helped propel him into the heavyweight rankings.

Rozenstruik is listed at No. 6 and Tybura is slated at No. 9 in the latest UFC heavyweight rankings. The winner of this matchup could get a Top-5 opponent next.

What is your prediction for this fight?

Continue Reading Jairzinho Rozenstruik To Return Against Marcin Tybura on Feb. 26 at MMA News.

Paul Felder Reacts Strongly To Aleksandar Raki?’s Commentary Snub

UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Raki? took a subtle dig at former UFC fighter turned commentator Paul Felder on Twitter.

Raki? is set to face former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz later this year in his return to the Octagon. …

Aleksandar Rakic, Paul Felder

UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Raki? took a subtle dig at former UFC fighter turned commentator Paul Felder on Twitter.

Raki? is set to face former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz later this year in his return to the Octagon. He most recently defeated Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith in a pair of massive light heavyweight wins.

Raki? has never been afraid to speak his mind, especially when it comes to the UFC commentary team and their supposed bias. He most recently took a shot at Daniel Cormier after Dominick Cruz criticized his fight commentary leading up to UFC 269.

Felder, who has become a notable voice on UFC broadcasts since retiring last year, took exception when Raki? appeared to leave him out of a complimentary tweet towards fight commentators.

Paul Felder Responds To Aleksandar Rakic’s Apparent Jab

“Just say what you gotta say,” Felder said. “Is this a third-grade crush? Tell me you don’t like my commentary and I’ll tell you some of your fights suck.”

In a series of since-deleted tweets, Raki? said he tends to mute the UFC broadcasts when commentators such as Felder are at the desk. Felder took exception to this and even responded to Rakic in the middle of a fight card.

Raki? has emerged as one of the more outspoken light heavyweight contenders, as evidenced by his recent back-and-forths with Ji?í Procházka. Raki? could get the next 205-pound title shot with another impressive win in the Octagon.

Felder also has a history of not letting trolls and critics go unchallenged. He’s notorious for putting harsh critics of his commentary on blast and often engages in Twitter back-and-forths.

What are your thoughts on the UFC commentary team?

Continue Reading Paul Felder Reacts Strongly To Aleksandar Raki?’s Commentary Snub at MMA News.