Tag: Francis Ngannou

Gane Looks To Model Fury’s Win Over Wilder In Upcoming Ngannou Fight

UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane is hoping to follow in the footsteps of WBC and The Ring Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury when he meets Francis Ngannou at UFC 270. As with Gane’s next Octagon appearance, Fury was matched up with a powerhouse in his last outing. For the third time, he faced Deontay Wilder […]

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UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane is hoping to follow in the footsteps of WBC and The Ring Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury when he meets Francis Ngannou at UFC 270.

As with Gane’s next Octagon appearance, Fury was matched up with a powerhouse in his last outing. For the third time, he faced Deontay Wilder inside the ring. The pair first collided inside Los Angeles’ Staples Center in 2018. After surviving a late knockdown, many expected “The Gypsy King” to have his hand raised. Instead, the fight was controversially ruled a split-decision draw.

The two heavyweight stars ran it back last February at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. In the rematch, Fury dominated throughout and became champion via a seventh-round TKO. The Englishman had his sights set on a blockbuster clash with his compatriot Anthony Joshua this year. However, Wilder successfully put a stop to those plans by forcing a contractually obliged trilogy with Fury.

Last weekend, the rivals met for the third time. They closed their feud with one of the best heavyweight boxing matches in recent memory. Despite eating the full force of Wilder’s power, and being knocked down more than once in the fourth round, Fury recovered and was on top for the remainder of the contest. He finished “The Bronze Bomber” with a brutal KO in the 11th frame.

In the aftermath of the fight, elite UFC heavyweight Gane gave his take on the incredible Las Vegas showdown combat sports fans were treated to on Saturday. During an appearance on Submission Radio, “Bon Gamin” praised both men, but suggested he wasn’t surprised to see Fury’s hand raised given his immense fight IQ.

“It was really crazy. It was really a big fight, more than the first one and the second one. And it was really tight. It was really tight at the beginning. But for me, when you have a fight IQ and this kind of technical skill from Tyson Fury, for me it’s really normal [to see] him have his hand up.”

Discussing how Fury dealt with Wilder’s famed power, which even “The Gypsy King” acknowledged was harder than he could ever strike, Gane asserted that smart, fast, and technical fighters can often find the path to victory against the most brutal hitters. The interim champ is hoping to use Fury’s latest success as an example as he prepares to face the most powerful puncher in the UFC.

“Sometimes… I hope it’s going to be the same for me with Francis, but sometimes when the guy in front of you is really quick and are really smart, every time they have the solution [to their opponent’s power]. I hope it’s going to be the same for me and I think that helped Gypsy for real… I hope I’m gonna manage [the fight] very well like Tyson Fury, I hope.”

Gane and Ngannou are set to collide in a unification bout at UFC 270. In what will be the opening pay-per-view of 2022, the promotion will be hoping to begin the year with some heavyweight fireworks.

Do you think Ciryl Gane has what it takes to dethrone Francis Ngannou at UFC 270?

Continue Reading Gane Looks To Model Fury’s Win Over Wilder In Upcoming Ngannou Fight at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou Credits Title Win To 2018 Miocic Loss

Francis Ngannou believes had it not been for his UFC 220 loss to Stipe Miocic in 2018, he may have never become the heavyweight champion. When Ngannou first fought Miocic, he was dominated for all five rounds as he gassed himself out and Miocic used his wrestling to control the fight. It showed to Ngannou […]

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Credits Title Win To 2018 Miocic Loss at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou believes had it not been for his UFC 220 loss to Stipe Miocic in 2018, he may have never become the heavyweight champion.

When Ngannou first fought Miocic, he was dominated for all five rounds as he gassed himself out and Miocic used his wrestling to control the fight. It showed to Ngannou he had major holes in his game which he has since fixed since moving to Xtreme Couture and working under Eric Nicksick.

Now, on Monday evening, Ngannou took to Instagram to reflect on the first Miocic loss and credited that fight for changing him as a fighter.

“Almost 4 years ago I came out very short for my first title challenge against the great Stipe Miocic, but I realized that night that even though it wasn’t the outcome that I wanted, I knew that I didn’t lose. Not because I wasn’t even close on the scorecard, but because I knew that I learned more in one night than I’ve learned in the past 4 years in the sport. Without that loss, I’m not sure that I could’ve have won in the rematch because I would have done the same mistakes that I did 3 years earlier. Nelson Mandela said I don’t lose, I win or I learn,” Ngannou wrote on Instagram.

Francis Ngannou went on to rematch Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 this past March where he scored a second-round KO. It was a great performance from Ngannou as he showed off his new and improved takedown defense and was patient to pick his shots and didn’t rush anything as he did in the first fight.

Ngannou is now set to defend his heavyweight title for the first time against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January. The location of the event is not yet official.

What do you make of Francis Ngannou’s reflection on the first Stipe Miocic fight?

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Credits Title Win To 2018 Miocic Loss at MMA News.

TGIFighting: How Should We Process Mackenzie Dern’s UFC Career to Date?

Mackenzie Dern’s massive potential was clear right out of the gate. On Saturday at UFC Fight Night 194, she will take another step in converting that potential to something decidedly more kinetic…

Mackenzie Dern’s massive potential was clear right out of the gate. On Saturday at UFC Fight Night 194, she will take another step in converting that potential to something decidedly more kinetic…

Dana White Provides Update On UFC’s Plans For Africa

The UFC could be branching out to Africa in the future. Mixed martial arts is a sport that is popular all over the world. The UFC has made it so anyone can watch to best fighters in the world do their thing both on TV and live. Events have been held all over the world […]

Continue Reading Dana White Provides Update On UFC’s Plans For Africa at MMA News.

The UFC could be branching out to Africa in the future.

Mixed martial arts is a sport that is popular all over the world. The UFC has made it so anyone can watch to best fighters in the world do their thing both on TV and live. Events have been held all over the world and with this growth, we are seeing more talent come out of places we never have before. The UFC now has three champions with ties to Africa. The fandom and talent out of Africa are continuing to grow and Dana White can see it.

With three such dominating and entertaining African champions now would be the perfect time for the UFC to hold an event in Africa. Interest is there from White, who spoke to BBC Sport Africa about the possibility.

“When Conor became champion in Ireland, it exploded in Europe and now with Usman, Adesanya, and Ngannou, it’s blowing up in Africa,” White said. “When everything gets back to normal, we can get over to Africa.”

Ngannou was born in Cameroon while Usman and Adesanya were born in Nigeria. Ngannou often visits home and is known to help out the local communities there quite often. White is planning to build a UFC Performance Institute in Africa in the future. There are already locations in Las Vegas and China.

“I have a lot of plans in Africa, not just to fight over there, but to open a couple of performance institutes and start cultivating some talent from that,” he added. “My goal is to get kids off the street and into the gym. The amount of unbelievable talent that’s going to come out of there is going to be insane. You have to have these guys that are hungry – and Africa is full of guys that are hungry.”

Ngannou, Usman, and Adesanya are just the most notable African fighters on the roster, but there are many more. If the UFC were to hold an event in the country it could be one of the biggest selling PPVs in the history of the UFC. With all three African champions defending on one card and the multitude of other talents that could be involved is incredible.

What do you think of a potential African card featuring Ngannou, Usman, and Adesanya?

Continue Reading Dana White Provides Update On UFC’s Plans For Africa at MMA News.

REPORT | Ngannou vs. Gane & Adesanya vs. Whittaker II Targeted For UFC 270

UFC 270UFC 270 is reportedly set to host two epic title fights. Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane are expected to unify the heavyweight division at the event on January 22 according to La Sueur. The French outlet also claims that Israel Adesanya will rematch Robert Whittaker for the middleweight title on the card which is due […]

UFC 270

UFC 270 is reportedly set to host two epic title fights. Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane are expected to unify the heavyweight division at the event on January 22 according to La Sueur. The French outlet also claims that Israel Adesanya will rematch Robert Whittaker for the middleweight title on the card which is due to take place in Las Vegas early next year.

Ngannou captured heavyweight gold earlier this year when he knocked out Stipe Miocic inside two rounds at UFC 260. ‘The Predator’ was due to make his first title defence against Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 but was unable to make the August 7 date and asked the UFC to postpone the fight.

The promotion opted against that option and instead created an interim heavyweight title for Lewis and Gane to scrap over in Houston, Texas back in August at UFC 265.

‘Bon Gamin’ looked flawless against Lewis, stopping the usually tough ‘Black Beast’ inside three rounds to improve his undefeated record to 10-0 and set up a hugely anticipated fight against Ngannou.

Whittaker was sensationally dethroned inside two rounds when he squared off against Adesanya at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia in October 2019. ‘Stylebender’ badly wobbled Whittaker at the end of round one before closing the show in the second frame.

‘The Reaper’ has done well to work himself back into title contention since then. He has become the clear number one contender at middleweight with decision wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum.

Adesanya has since defended the 185lb title on three occasions. The New Zealander also stepped up to light-heavyweight to challenge Jan Blachowicz but fell short, suffering a decision defeat – the first and only loss of his MMA career.

Do you think we will see a new champion crowned at UFC 270?