Tag: Francis Ngannou

Mike Tyson slated to train, corner Francis Ngannou ahead of boxing debut against Tyson Fury in October

Mike Tyson set to train and corner Francis Ngannou ahead of his boxing match with Tyson Fury UFCFormer undisputed heavyweight world champion, Mike Tyson is confirmed to train with former undisputed UFC heavyweight gold holder, Francis Ngannou ahead of the Cameroon knockout artist’s professional boxing debut against WBC titleholder, Tyson Fury in October. Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined from combat sports since […]

Mike Tyson set to train and corner Francis Ngannou ahead of his boxing match with Tyson Fury UFC

Former undisputed heavyweight world champion, Mike Tyson is confirmed to train with former undisputed UFC heavyweight gold holder, Francis Ngannou ahead of the Cameroon knockout artist’s professional boxing debut against WBC titleholder, Tyson Fury in October.

Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined from combat sports since he headlined UFC 270 back in January of last year, successfully unifying the division titles in a unanimous decision win over former interim gold holder, Ciryl Gane.

As for Fury, the Morecambe native most recently retained his undisputed WBC heavyweight championship back in December in London, dispatching three-time foe and title chaser, Derek Chisora with a tenth round TKO win in the capital.

Francis Ngannou drafts Mike Tyson into his camp ahead of boxing debut

And booked to fight Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October over the course of 10 sanctioned rounds in the Middle East, Ngannou is now set to have the help of revered knockout ace, Tyson in his corner and in his camp ahead of his squared circle bow.

“He (Francis Ngannou) isn’t a combat novice; he is a world champion,” Mike Tyson told Riyadh Season PR in an official press release confirming his participation. “He knows how to compete when the bell rings, but the key will be combining his energy and combat skills into his punches and using his agility to move swiftly around the ring, then delivering the knockout blow. We’re here to win.” 

“Bringing Mike Tyson into my camp is one of the best decisions I can make to prepare for Tyson Fury in the ring at this year’s Riyadh Season,” Francis Ngannou explained. “Mike Tyson is an idol of mine in the sport. His experience and boxing IQ will be important to honing my technique under his guidance to win this superfight.”

“I’ve been wanting this fight for years and now that it’s here, I’m focused on fighting the greatest fight of my career and shocking the world on the most epic stage for the fans in Riyadh,” Francis Ngannou said. “October 28th, the world will know who’s the Baddest Man on The Planet.” 

Francis Ngannou looks to spring a massive upset against world champion Tyson Fury

Fans call for Derrick Lewis to rematch Francis Ngannou in PFL after staggering knockout win in UFC 291 return

Fans call for Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou rematch with PFL after UFC 291 win free agentDespite their forgettable UFC 226 clash back in 2018, fans have called for Derrick Lewis to entertain a potential PFL (Professional Fighters League) move and a re-run with former-foe, Francis Ngannou – off the back of his UFC 291 knockout win voer Marcos Rogerio de Lima last night, which cast the fan-favorite into free agency. […]

Fans call for Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou rematch with PFL after UFC 291 win free agent

Despite their forgettable UFC 226 clash back in 2018, fans have called for Derrick Lewis to entertain a potential PFL (Professional Fighters League) move and a re-run with former-foe, Francis Ngannou – off the back of his UFC 291 knockout win voer Marcos Rogerio de Lima last night, which cast the fan-favorite into free agency.

Lewis, who was promoted to the main card of UFC 291 last night in Salt Lake City – managed to capitalize on the cancellation of a planned fight between Stephen Thompson and Michel Pereira.

And earning his first victory since a main event KO win over Chris Daukaus back in 2021, Lewis, the most prolific knockout artist at both the heavyweight limit and in the entire antiquity of the UFC, managed to land a brutal 33-second TKO win over Brazilian heavyweight, de Lima.

Blasting through the gates with a spectacular jumping switch knee, Lewis dropped the former instantly during their first exchange, before laying waste to de Lima soon thereafter with a slew of ground strikes.

And in the immediate aftermath – after dispatching his fight shorts once again, Derrick Lewis revealed during his post-fight Octagon interview with Joe Rogan, how his outing marked the end of his contractual obligations with the Dana White-led promotion.

Derrick Lewis has completed his contractual obligations with UFC

A slew of fans and commenters have urged the UFC to instantly resign Lewis to a mulit-fight deal off the back of his stunning knockout win, while others have suggested the Texas favorite should make a move to the PFL – in pursuit of a debut rematch with former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou.

Would you like to see Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou run it back in the PFL?

Mike Tyson eager to train Francis Ngannou for October fight with Tyson Fury: ‘He has a hard punch’

Mike Tyson Francis Ngannou Tyson FuryBoxing legend Mike Tyson is eager to train Francis Ngannou ahead of his big-money fight with ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury on October 28, in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou and Fury have seemingly had the desire to fight each other for years. But, a legit fight was never signed, sealed, or scheduled until recently. Now, the […]

Mike Tyson Francis Ngannou Tyson Fury

Boxing legend Mike Tyson is eager to train Francis Ngannou ahead of his big-money fight with ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury on October 28, in Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou and Fury have seemingly had the desire to fight each other for years. But, a legit fight was never signed, sealed, or scheduled until recently. Now, the big money fight the world has been waiting for, for years, is finally set in stone. However, since Ngannou has vacated his throne atop the UFC heavyweight division, this fight does not really carry the same implications as it once might have done. The fight was originally meant to be the heavyweight king of MMA vs. the heavyweight king of boxing, but now it’s more so just Ngannou vs Fury.

Tyson Fury still reigns supreme as the king of heavyweight boxing, but, Ngannou has vacated his throne and as a result, Jon Jones is now the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion of the world. The Jones vs Ngannou fight was supposed to be a momentous occasion, and fans everywhere were so excited to see ‘The Predator’ prove himself against one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time in Jon Jones. Now, that fight will likely never happen and Ngannou’s place as the undisputed greatest heavyweight in MMA is now sorely compromised.

With that being said, Mike Tyson is still extremely eager to offer Ngannou his assistance, and the fight between ‘The Gypsy King’ and ‘The Predator’ should still be an outrageously entertaining and thrilling affair.

Mike Tyson wants to coach Francis Ngannou ahead of his fight with Tyson Fury in October

While talking to ES News, the legend Mike Tyson claimed that he doesn’t believe Fury will have an easy time against Ngannou at all, contrary to popular belief. “I think anything is possible. He has a hard punch.” Mike Tyson would begin.

When asked if he would be open to training Ngannou, Tyson was very open to this. “I would like to do that, yeah. That would be cool. I like that,” Tyson would say.

Mike Tyson and Francis Ngannou actually met, and a video was published where the boxing legend can be seen giving Ngannou an impromptu boxing lesson. “He punches long,” Mike Tyson says in the video, as he bobs and weaves with his guard up. “When he punches like that, he punches long and you’ve got those short punches inside and in and around and boom, got to hit right here to the body. Watch how you hit him with the right uppercut.”

Do you think Mike Tyson training Francis Ngannou can increase his chances against Tyson Fury?

Francis Ngannou’s rep claims UFC star Jon Jones was ‘Nervous’ during recent staredown at PFL event

Francis Ngannou rep claims Jon Jones was nervous during recent staredown at PFL eventFrancis Ngannou’s manager still hopeful of a future clash with reigning UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. While Ngannou has certainly moved on to greener pastures, it is undoubtedly a disappointment to MMA fans that Ngannou Vs. Jones was not made. It was a fight that had been built up for years, but with ‘The Predator’ […]

Francis Ngannou rep claims Jon Jones was nervous during recent staredown at PFL event

Francis Ngannou’s manager still hopeful of a future clash with reigning UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.

While Ngannou has certainly moved on to greener pastures, it is undoubtedly a disappointment to MMA fans that Ngannou Vs. Jones was not made. It was a fight that had been built up for years, but with ‘The Predator’ contractual disputes with the UFC, and Jones’ prolonged move up to heavyweight, it was never meant to be. 

Both men now have big fights booked, Ngannou will be taking on Tyson Fury later on this year, and Jones will face Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 295.

Francis Ngannou’s representation sees a Jon Jones fight as a ‘possibility’ 

While the pair are now in different organizations, it still hasn’t stopped Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones from chirping at one another, even coming face-to-face at a recent PFL event. 

A lot of things will have to go right for the fight to be made in the future, but Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, is still hopeful of everything coming together. Appearing on The MMA Hour, he explained that the clash is still ‘possible’.

“I think that timing was just interesting, that obviously [Jones] was cornering Maurice Greene and obviously PFL is going to have us out,” Martin said. “But just being there, it almost felt like a tease for me, just sitting there. It was like, ah, this is what we’ve talked about, this is what we wanted, this is what we asked for. We literally tried to get that fight for three years. Three years. I think it’s still a possibility. I know that sometimes maybe cooler heads prevail. I’m hoping that Dana [White] somehow sees this, we want to make that fight. (H/T MMAFighting)

“Let’s do that fight. The world deserves and wants to see that fight. Again, he’s one of the greatest promoters out there. We’re not the ones saying no to that fight, just know that.” 

Marquel Martin talking with Ariel Helwani

Do you want to see Francis Ngannou Vs. Jon Jones

Francis Ngannou issues severe warning to Tyson Fury following KO threat: ‘I’m coming for everything’

Francis Ngannou issues warning to Tyson Fury I'm coming for everything KOFormer undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has warned incumbent WBC titleholder, Tyson Fury to take their upcoming October title bout serious, or he may be in for a rude awakening. Ngannou, a former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, has been sidelined from combat sports competition since he headlined UFC 270 back in January of last […]

Francis Ngannou issues warning to Tyson Fury I'm coming for everything KO

Former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has warned incumbent WBC titleholder, Tyson Fury to take their upcoming October title bout serious, or he may be in for a rude awakening.

Ngannou, a former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, has been sidelined from combat sports competition since he headlined UFC 270 back in January of last year, successfully unifying the division crowns with a unanimous decision win over then-interim gold holder, Ciryl Gane.

In the time since, Ngannou, who departed the UFC back in January of this year, has penned a multi-fight deal with the PFL (Professional Fighters League) – ahead of an expected return to mixed martial arts and bow with the organization in the opening quarter of 2024.

In the time being, Batié native, Ngannou will make his professional boxing debut against Morecambe native, Fury on October 28. in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – over the course of 10 rounds.

Francis Ngannou urges Tyson Fury to take their October clash seriously

And predicting a stunning knockout win over the Cameroonian – which would see Fury become the first to finish Ngannou with strikes across combat sports, has received a stern warning from the latter ahead of their tangle inside the squared circle.

“He (Tyson Fury) has said a lot of things,” Francis Ngannou told TMZ during a recent interview. “He better just get ready for October 28. Because if he’s not taking this seriously, I think he might get surprised and get some regret. I’m coming for it all. This is my moment, this is my life, and this is all I’ve been waiting [for].”

“The boxing dream I’ve been having since I was a kid, long time before I discovered MMA, this is it – fighting the boxing champion,” Francis Ngannou continued. “This is the dream and I’m coming for everything.” (Transcribed by MMA News)

In his most recent professional outing, Fury retained his undisputed WBC heavyweight title with a tenth round TKO win over three-time foe, Derek Chisora back in December of last year. 

Francis Ngannou’s manager accuses UFC of trying to tank Tyson Fury fight: ‘There’s a sour taste in their mouth’

francis ngannouFrancis Ngannou’s manager shares his thoughts on the UFC’s reaction to the heavyweights recent monumental announcement. After what has been years of frustration, Ngannou once again proved many doubters wrong when it was announced that he would be the next opponent of Tyson Fury. ‘The Predator’ will earn a payday reportedly worth it least $10 […]

francis ngannou

Francis Ngannou’s manager shares his thoughts on the UFC’s reaction to the heavyweights recent monumental announcement.

After what has been years of frustration, Ngannou once again proved many doubters wrong when it was announced that he would be the next opponent of Tyson Fury. ‘The Predator’ will earn a payday reportedly worth it least $10 million and the spotlight that comes with such a massive event. All this while still under contract with the PFL, where he signed a lucrative deal along with other personal benefits earlier this year

After a long feud with the UFC which ended in Ngannou turning down an offer to fight Jon Jones in order to test free agency, it became clear that the promotions president Dana White grew frustrated. He has taken shots at Ngannou over the past few months, even labelling his fight with Tyson Fury as a ‘gimmick’.

Francis Ngannou manager speaks on ‘gimmick’ fight

Appearing on The MMA Hour, Nganou’s manager Marquel Martin discussed the actions of White, accusing him of trying to tank the Fury deal.

“Dana is one of the best promoters that we’ve ever seen,” Martin clarified. “I’ll always say that. So when we saw it, we just kind of [were] like, ‘Of course.’ Right? Of course you would say, on one end, it’s a gimmick fight and then on the other hand, it comes to where it’s like, ‘Oh no, we’ll put that on.’ So I’m sure that they wanted that fight.

“I think they really wanted to just mess up our chances, to be quite honest,” continued Martin. “I think, for whatever reason, there’s a sour taste in their mouth when it comes to Francis. And yeah, they don’t want Francis to be able to have that opportunity. Right? I think that was clear to us for a while. For what reason? I don’t know, you have to ask them. But it’s a moot point.”

Francis Ngannou speaks with Ariel helwani

Ngannou and Fury will box in an exhibition match on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

What do you make of Francis Ngannou’s moves outside the UFC?