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Francis Ngannou’s Coach Agrees With Dana White’s ‘Ego’ Callout

Even Francis Ngannou’s coach agrees with Dana White.

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It looks like Francis Ngannou’s coach agrees with Dana White’s “ego” callout.

Ngannou fought Derrick Lewis at UFC 226 earlier this summer. Many have called it the worst fight in UFC heavyweight history. Neither Ngannou or Lewis really engaged in any action.

Lewis was the aggressor of the pair, and wound up taking the decision victory. It was quite the fall from grace for “The Predator,” who had previously starched his opposition before his losing skid.

He’s now on a two-fight losing streak. Ngannou suffered his first UFC defeat in January. Stipe Miocic bested him in their UFC heavyweight title fight. Miocic took the knockout artist all five rounds and won the unanimous decision.

After his loss to Lewis, Ngannou has now lost two straight. UFC President Dana White had some interesting comments about the Franchman following UFC 226. He claimed Ngannou’s ego “ran away with him.”

Ngannou’s coach, Fernand Lopez, tells MMANews.pl (via MMA NYTT) that White’s comments carried some truth:

“The only thing I can say is Dana was speaking about Francis’ ego is probably one of the truths that I witnessed that Dana White said,” Lopez said.

“It’s probably the only truth that I know for a fact, that’s a fact. Why am I saying that? I’m saying that because Ngannou is like a brother for me and when you’re dealing with a brother, problems with your brother, you have to be honest with your brother so he can be a better man.

“In order to make Francis a better man, there are some people that have to have the bad role. The bad job is to tell Ngannou ‘You have a big ego and you have changed with the time.’

“That’s the truth. I had the conversation with Ngannou and I said to him ‘You have changed my friend, you have changed. You’re not the same anymore. Your ego is killing you and it’s just about your ego.’ That’s the thing like.”

Lopez mentioned that prior to his fight with Lewis, Ngannou was actually training with John Wood at Syndicate MMA. This is one reason Lopez believes he dropped the fight to “The Black Beast.” He also revealed that Ngannou didn’t stick to the gameplan they had against Stipe Miocic in January:

“All the time he was in Vegas he was still in my team,” Lopez said. “He never left the team, the membership. Every time he was asked if he was an MMA Factory member he didn’t let me down on that. He was always saying that. The only problem was, there’s never been a problem between us.

“During the last fight, we decided to make the camp with Syndicate MMA because the gym was close to the UFC Institute. So for his last fight, his mentor was John Wood of Syndicate.

“He called and said to me and asked me if I could come and assist him as a friend and as an assistant coach, which made sense and that was a good thing.

“But what I’m saying is the ego can make you go the wrong way and hurt people.

“Myself I got hurt with a lot of dedication to Francis’ career, I got hurt, a lot. When Francis lost the fight with Stipe, no one ever heard Francis say he lost because he didn’t follow the gameplan. He did the opposite of the gameplan that we worked.

“That loss for Francis, for the belt, had a huge impact for him, but also myself and my gym. Francis being world champion means that I’m a champion coach and that means the MMA Factory is a champion training camp.

“We missed that because he did not follow the gameplan. He followed the gameplans until the title shot and then the next fight (against Lewis) he was in Syndicate MMA.”

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Tom Lawlor Goes Off On USADA’s Recent Issues

‘Filthy’ is sick and tired of USADA. Does he have a point?

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UFC veteran Tom Lawlor was shockingly released by the promotion last week. Now it’s time Lawlor goes off on USADA.

The news was a shock due to the fact that Lawlor had served one year and 10 months of a USADA suspension. Lawlor’s release left him in an uncertain position in terms of his career.

Be that as it may, “Filthy” isn’t necessarily taking the news that hard. He recently told Luke Thomas on this week’s “The MMA Hour” that he’s looking forward to new opportunities:

“You mentioned me having some difficult news lately, but I’m not choosing to look at it that way, I’m choosing to look at it as opening the door to many other opportunities that hopefully come my way. I was with the UFC for a long time, and as you mentioned, I had some difficult news, I was let go one week ago today. [It was] some pretty interesting, shocking news to me at least.”

Lawlor then opened up on the reasons he was released, speculating it was due to his age:

“I think it was a combination of [the UFC] getting rid of guys and my age and having not fought in years. It’s unfortunate that the UFC has become such a large company that they don’t look at things on an individual basis, but that’s part of the game I guess, and part of the entertainment business. I just kind of have to take it and roll with it as it goes.”

USADA Woes

“Filthy” then opened up on his USADA failure, noting that he had been tested many times since and passed each time:

“I was kind of shocked as I had asked previously for my release when I was given my USADA suspension, and believe me when I tell you that I did not intend to ingest any sort of ostarine or any performance-enhancing drug. I’m all-natural and I’ve been tested many times since then and passed all of them.”

Lawlor said he was glad to be out of the USADA testing pool due to its recent track record of being highly unfair:

“I am, however, happy to be out of the USADA testing pool. I don’t have to let them know where I am at all times and wonder about that. Those of you who [are aware of] Josh Barnett’s situation or kept abreast of that can kind of understand that not everything is fair when it comes to USADA and the UFC.”

USADA was supposed to clean up the UFC, and in theory, it has. But Lawlor said their banned substance list is managed lazily, resulting in fighters being suspended:

“Idealistically, it is [a good thing]. However, in execution, I think a lot of things are slipping through the cracks and I think they have done a lot of things wrong.

“The banned substance list is basically just a list of substances that they don’t want to test, that they don’t want to see in USADA sanctioning. Basically, anything gets put on that list. We get e-mails from USADA, there have been alerts, there has been a ton of information out there about ostarine being spiked in products. If it’s that prevalent, maybe you should do some studies on it instead of suspending people and ruining their lives for two years over it.”

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Kayla Harrison ‘Knows’ A Fight With Cris Cyborg Is Inevitable

Having already dominated at the highest level in Judo, former gold medalist Kayla Harrison ‘knows’ a fight with Cris Cyborg is necessary for legacy.

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Having already dominated at the highest level in Judo, Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison ‘knows’ a fight with Cris Cyborg is inevitable.

The comparisons between Ronda Rousey and Harrison are unavoidable. Both women dominated in Judo, competed in the Olympics, and then transitioned to MMA. However, just two fights into her professional MMA career and Harrison looks nothing like the former queen of mean.

It took Harrison a little over two rounds to stop a very tough Jozette Cotton at last weekends PFL 6 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“Initially, I was disappointed, but I got over it pretty quick,” said Harrison, on her sophomore MMA contest (via ESPN). “If I don’t win in dominant fashion instantly, I’m not happy. But I talked to my coaches and my boyfriend [UFC welterweight Tony Martin] and realized I got a lot of good experience.”

“In a way, Rousey was lucky her matches were so short because no one got to study her. But the fact she could always go straight for her opponent’s head and get into the clinch, I feel it didn’t help her development never being able to go three rounds. I won’t ever say anything bad about Ronda, but every fighter has to adapt in MMA. It’s constantly changing. Gaining that experience was really good for me.”

Harrison has transitioned nicely into MMA. Her work ethic is unparalleled, and rarely has someone with her overall skillset crossed over into MMA. Be that as it may, Judo isn’t fighting, and there are some things that don’t come naturally to a Judoka.

“I say it almost every interview, but head movement is something judo players never think about, because no one is trying to punch you in the face,” Harrison said. “Head movement is so key, and it doesn’t come naturally to us. Slipping, rolling and parrying punches is huge in MMA.”

“Of course I’m focusing on my striking, but also how to get into the clinch safely and effectively. And if I can’t take them down up top, I can take them down below the knees with wrestling, which is something I never really did in judo.”

Harrison is halfway through a four-fight deal with the PFL. Her contract stipulates that she must fight every four months. Obviously, that is too soon for a possible Cyborg fight. However, the Brazilian is nearing the end of her UFC deal and is expected to have no shortage of suitors. The PFL would be an interesting landing spot for Cyborg.

“I would love it if Cris were to end her contract with the UFC [in 2019], and maybe she’ll want to come fight in the PFL,” Harrison said. “PFL takes good care of their fighters. They’re into promoting their fighters. I think she would be treated much differently here and who’s to say, maybe we could meet in the finals [of PFL’s season format].”

“I know that to be considered the best in the world, I have to beat Cris. I don’t think I’m ready yet, but I know I will be. I’m not going to make guesses on the future, but I do know I will fight Cris Cyborg.”

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MMA Referee Retires After Allowing Fighter To Be Choked Unconscious For 90 Seconds

This is probably the right call.

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A mixed martial arts (MMA) referee has made the decision to retire after a horrendous job of officiating recently.

This past Saturday night (August 18, 2018) under the Demolidor Fight banner in Bauru, Brazil, Melquizael Costa and Rafael Barbosa went to battle for the lightweight title. In the third round, Barbosa went for a standing choke before locking in an anaconda choke as they hit the ground.

A few seconds later, Barbosa told the referee his opponent was unconscious. It was very evident to those watching that Costa was out. Despite this, referee Emerson Pereira Saez simply stood next to Costa without checking if he was conscious or not.

After a ridiculous 90-second waiting period, Saez finally called the fight off. As soon as Barbosa got to his feet he told Saez “I told you.” Watch the video, which went viral earlier this week, here:

Costa, who was the fighter rendered unconscious, described the scary incident to MMA Fighting in a recent interview:

“He locked the anaconda choke, and when I turned to the wrong side, I went out,” Costa said. “The first thing I remember is opening my eyes and seeing my coaches and a doctor over me, calling my name, and I couldn’t breathe. It was agonizing. I only came back to normal when I got to the hospital and they gave me some serum.

“I saw in the video that I went out and my eyes were open. You might think I’m awake, but I was already out. I moved a couple of times, but I was having seizures. My corner and his corner yelled that I was out, but the referee said he would only stop the fight if I was out.

“And I was! Every referee touches the fighter to see if they are out, but he never touched me. My opponent stopped the fight. Otherwise, I would be dead.”

“When his opponent let him go, (Costa) fell on the ground and looked like he was dead,” said Costa’s manager Adriano Vilela, who was in his corner that night. “I had never seen something like that in my life. It took 10 minutes for him to come back to normal. He was breathing slowly, still out.

“He opened his eyes after five minutes, but still couldn’t respond to us or move his legs or arms. I thought he was going to die. … His opponent was desperately yelling that he was out, and if he hadn’t stopped the fight on his own, the referee would left him there forever. That was absurd.”

Referee Emerson Pereira Saez also got the opportunity to tell his side of the story:

“He was in the anaconda choke, and I didn’t notice he was having a seizure,” Saez said. “He had his eyes open and didn’t present any symptom of loss of conscience. I thought he was trying to escape. He was calm, breathing, and I didn’t notice his leg shaking.

“His arm, the one that wasn’t trapped in the choke, was pushing his opponent’s belly the entire time. There were four people in a corner a meter away from me, and no one noticed it, or they would have yelled. No one noticed anything, and me neither.

“Everything happens too fast in there, it’s different than looking at the video later. You have to make a quick decision in there, and at the same time, I thought if I stop this early and he’s in the fight, it will be controversial.

“I let it go a little bit longer, and when I realized his eyes and his expression were changing, I stopped the fight. That’s exactly what happened. I didn’t notice him having a seizure. If I had noticed that, I would have stopped it earlier to protect the athlete.

“Watching the video now, I only see one abnormal thing, which is his leg shaking a little bit. Maybe he went out with his eyes open, but these are situations that happen in there and you don’t notice. Unfortunately, these are decisions that have to be made in a split second and I didn’t notice his leg shaking. I saw him moving, but I thought he was doing a hip escape.”

After his controversial job of officiating the fight, Saez has made the decision to retire from his career as an MMA referee:

“My family and I think it’s time to retire,” Saez said. “I’ve done my best. I wish (Costa) and his opponent the best. They are young, and I hope they can build their dreams.”

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Luke Rockhold Believes UFC Light Heavyweight Division Is ‘For The Taking’

Luke Rockhold believes the UFC’s light heavyweight division is wide open.

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Luke Rockhold believes the UFC’s light heavyweight division is “for the taking” at the moment.

The ex-UFC middleweight champ has struggled at 185 pounds as of late. He has lost two of his last three matches by way of knockout. The Californian captured the middleweight championship in December of 2015 due to a brutal streak of wins.

Rockhold finished Chris Weidman via fourth-round TKO to hand “The All American” the first loss of his career. In his first title defense several months later, Rockhold was upset by Michael Bisping via first-round knockout.

After a year-long layoff, Rockhold returned to action in September of last year and finished David Branch in the second round. Soon after, Rockhold was therefore granted an interim middleweight championship opportunity.

He fought Yoel Romero in the main event of UFC 221 in February. Unfortunately for Rockhold, he couldn’t withstand the Cuban’s hellacious knockout power. He was finished in the third round by “The Soldier Of God.”

After failing to recapture the 185-pound title, Rockhold began contemplating a jump up to 205 pounds. He was in discussions for a possible fight with Alexander Gustafsson before a nasty injury halted those talks.

Return To Middleweight

Now, Rockhold is set to make his Octagon return in November, still at middleweight. He’ll rematch Weidman at UFC 230 in New York in a pivotal middleweight affair. The winner will absolutely be back in the 185-pound title discussion because of the stakes involved.

There’s just no guarantee Rockhold even makes it back to the middleweight fray.

Win or lose to Weidman, Rockhold may decide to finally up to 205 pounds, meanwhile. If he does, he likes his chances based on the current state of the class. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Rockhold said he believes the UFC light heavyweight division is “for the taking.”

“I like the light heavyweight division – I think it’s for the taking. ‘DC,’ the complication with him – he’s tossing and turning. I just want the thing to really solidify itself and iron it out; I want a matchup – I want a sexy matchup, and I want to get up there and I want to do some damage, and I want it to mean something.”

Above all, Rockhold doesn’t want to fight just anyone when he does move up:

“I don’t want to have to fight the best guy in the division in Alexander Gustafsson and have to backtrack if ‘DC’ doesn’t fight and I have to fight someone else lower – what’s the (expletive) point?

Better Fighter At Light Heavyweight

Rockhold knows he’d be a much better fighter at 205 pounds due to the draining cut down to 185.

There’s just one problem.

One of his best friends and training partners, Daniel Cormier, is the division’s champion. Rockhold has so much respect for “DC,” he doesn’t want to step on the double champ’s toes:

“I know I’m a lot better fighter at 205 and I could do a lot of damage,” Rockhold said. “There’s a certain amount of respect, and ‘DC’ is my brother. We came from the (expletive) very beginning together.

“I’m not going to step on his toes. I’m going to let him close out the way he wants to. I’ve got plenty of time. I’m training, I’m healthy, getting healthy – I’m nearly there. We’ll see what’s up. Madison Square Garden is very appealing.

“I like that stage – I’ve always wanted to fight there. I’ve got to get the right matchup and we’ll see what comes to be.”

Seems like the former UFC and Strikeforce champion is ready for a new challenge in his career. He’s also making some big money outside of the cage, so the UFC will have to pony up.

They apparently did so last week and Rockhold is back as a result. Will he soon return to glory because of it?

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Dana White Says UFC Nearly Doubled In Value From ESPN Deal

Dana White says the UFC is worth an insane amount of money now.

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Dana White says the UFC’s value is growing by leaps and bounds.

The world’s leading MMA promotion was sold for a then-record $4.2 billion in July 2016. Hollywood talent giants Endeavor (formerly WME-IMG) scooped up the UFC and proceeded to go about business in a new way.

Mixed results came when UFC titles seemingly became devalued in favor of so-called “money fights.” Slumping pay-per-view sales in 2017 and 2018 suggested the new strategy perhaps was not working well.

The UFC signed a lucrative television deal with ESPN set to begin next year. The deal is worth $1.5 billion a year over the next five years. Conor McGregor’s massive boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. gave the UFC their reported biggest year ever, at least financially, in 2017.

A bevy of high-profile fights on the horizon has the UFC trending up. UFC President Dana White says the promotion has nearly doubled in value due to these factors. White said the UFC is worth $7 billion in a recent interview with motivational speaker Anthony Robbins (via MMA Junkie) :

“When you think about it we haven’t even scratched the surface yet of how big this thing can be. We just did a TV deal with ESPN for $1.5 billion for five years. Now the company is worth $7 billion.”

A New Era

There isn’t a ton of concrete evidence to back up White’s claim as of right now, because the promotion is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

The deal with ESPN will bring the UFC and MMA to the homes of millions of more customers. White has been criticized for becoming complacent in the UFC’s new era. He claimed he is still motivated to find new talent, however:

“Obviously this ESPN deal is going to be massive for us, expose us to millions of people just here in the U.S. that haven’t been exposed to the UFC. We’re going to continue to go into markets we haven’t been, we’re going to continue to find the best talent in the world. I love to find up-and-coming talent. I love to find the next guy or girl. Continue to build the sport. That’s it. That’s my focus. It’s not rocket science, it’s nothing crazy. Just continue to do what we do and get bigger and bigger.”

The UFC is certainly headed for greener pastures to close out 2018. Conor McGregor will return at October 6’s UFC 229. The fight is being billed as the biggest in UFC history and legitimately could be. Early indicators suggest it will be.

Fan favorites Nate Diaz and Brock Lesnar are also slated to return in the comings months. So the future is looking bright for the UFC. That should only be amplified by their debut on ESPN.

However, the promotion fared poorly most of this year without any major stars to boost their numbers. Stars like McGregor and Diaz will need to fight consistently in order to attain the level of value White claims they have.

That’s no easy task, as we’ve seen in recent years.

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