Tag: Knockout

Francis Ngannou Thinks Junior dos Santos’ Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Is Bogus

When Francis Ngannou meets Junior dos Santos inside the Octagon, he’ll have no problem going to the ground with the Brazilian. Ngannou spoke to MMA Junkie recently ahead of his UFC on ESPN 3 main event matchup with “JDS.” The Frenchman revealed that he isn’t buying that “JDS” is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu: […]

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When Francis Ngannou meets Junior dos Santos inside the Octagon, he’ll have no problem going to the ground with the Brazilian.

Ngannou spoke to MMA Junkie recently ahead of his UFC on ESPN 3 main event matchup with “JDS.” The Frenchman revealed that he isn’t buying that “JDS” is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu:

“First of all, I don’t believe that jiu-jitsu black belt,” Ngannou said. “I don’t believe that Dos Santos jiu-jitsu black belt. I don’t know where he’s from, but I don’t believe that. And I don’t mind that at all.

“But you never know what some fighter is going to come out with. I always keep thinking maybe he’ll try some wrestling or a takedown, but it’s not his comfort zone. I don’t know. He might try everything. But the most important is I’m prepared for every little thing.”

Currently, Ngannou is on a two-fight win streak, having finished both Curtis Blaydes and Cain Velasquez via first-round knockouts. Now, with another big knockout win over a huge name in the division, “The Predator” could line himself up for a heavyweight title opportunity.

“Cigano” is on a three-fight win streak and has finished his last two fights via second round TKOs. He finished Tai Tuivasa back in December, and followed that up with a second-round TKO win over Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC Wichita in March. Now, they’ll headline UFC on ESPN 3 from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 29.

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Jorge Masvidal Would ‘Love’ To Scrap With Nate Diaz

Now that Nate Diaz is sticking around at 170 pounds, which seems to be paying off for him physically, it opens up some interesting matchups for the Stockton native. One of those matchups could be a scrap with fellow fan-favorite Jorge Masvidal. Speaking to BJPenn.com recently, Masvidal said he’d “love” to step into the cage […]

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Now that Nate Diaz is sticking around at 170 pounds, which seems to be paying off for him physically, it opens up some interesting matchups for the Stockton native.

One of those matchups could be a scrap with fellow fan-favorite Jorge Masvidal. Speaking to BJPenn.com recently, Masvidal said he’d “love” to step into the cage against the former “Ultimate Fighter Season 5” (TUF 5) winner:

“Oh I definitely would love to, man, Nate’s a warrior, he’s going to get in there and fight, you know, there’s no question about it, he’s going to just fight,” Masvidal said.

“I haven’t done my homework, is [Nate] a 170-pounder or is he doing this because Pettis is just a ’55er and … and they both just agreed to fight at ’70 and not cut the weight so they could give it all in the fight night and both of them just go in there and give it what they got in the fight instead of cutting weight?

“I don’t know if Nate is a long time ‘70-pounder now or what’s happening. But if he is, if he’s staying at ‘70 and that fight gets offered me, I’d love to fight Nate.”

Masvidal and Diaz each have massive fights coming up. “Gamebred” will be taking on Ben Askren at the UFC 239 pay-per-view (PPV) next month on July 6. The winner could very well be looking at a title opportunity next. As for Diaz, he makes his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon in August. He’ll co-headline UFC 241 opposite ex-lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.

Should Diaz and Masvidal emerge victorious from their respective fights, it’s not crazy to think that they could be paired up against each other next.

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Conor McGregor Addresses Hand Injury Concerns

Some people were concerned with an apparent hand injury Conor McGregor was sporting recently.

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Conor McGregor is back.

“The Notorious” will headline this weekend’s (Sat. October 6, 2018) UFC 229 pay-per-view (PPV). McGregor is challenging Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight championship. He returned to the mixed martial arts (MMA) spotlight over a week ago at a UFC 229 press conference.

While McGregor’s outlandish statements and witty antics stole the show, something else caught fans’ eyes. McGregor was sporting an apparent injury on his finger. “Mystic Mac” addressed this in an interview on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” recently.

McGregor revealed that the mark on his finger was the result of a freak sparring accident. The Irishman hit his sparring partner with a clean, hard shot which resulted in his opponent’s tooth becoming embedded in his hand (via Bloody Elbow):

“Only the strong survive around this game. I was fighting a 90-kilo fighter, Ion Pascu, he’s a great solid fighter. They call him the bomber. Like me, I sometimes spar without a gum shield. I was sparring this guy, The Bomber, and I smacked him with a clean shot, and his tooth embedded into me.”

“A man’s tooth was embedded into my knuckle. Welcome to the fight game. The real fight game. Not that tip-tap sh-t you see so much of. You’ve got to get in and do it. You’re either going to do it or you’re not going to do it. Make a decision. It is what it is.”

It doesn’t sound like that injury will hinder McGregor’s performance this weekend. He is still prepared to make the walk to the Octagon in hopes of handing “The Eagle” the first loss of his MMA career. McGregor also hopes to reclaim the lightweight title he never lost.

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Check Out The Full UFC 229 Fight Week Schedule

The full fight week schedule for UFC 229 has finally been announced.

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UFC 229 fight week is quickly approaching.

Conor McGregor will be making his highly-anticipated Octagon return next weekend (Sat. October 6, 2018). “The Notorious” will challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title. McGregor and Khabib will be headlining UFC 229 on pay-per-view (PPV).

Last week, McGregor and Khabib came face-to-face for the first time. Unfortunately, the press conference wasn’t open to the public and was only accessible to media. Next week, however, that all changes.

UFC fight week kicks off October 3rd with open workouts for UFC 229. The following night, McGregor and Khabib will participate in a public press conference to promote the fight.

And finally, on October 5th, the night before the big event, ceremonial weigh-ins will be held at the T-Mobile Arena. Check out the full UFC 229 fight week schedule here:

UFC 229 Open Workouts

Date: October 3, 2018

Location: Park Theater
3770 S. Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Time: 3:30 P.M. PT

Participants:

  • Khabib Nurmagomedov
  • Conor McGregor
  • Tony Ferguson
  • Anthony Pettis

UFC 229 Press Conference

Date: October 4, 2018

Location: Park Theater
3770 S. Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Time: 3:00 P.M. PT

Participants:

  • Khabib Nurmagomeodv
  • Conor McGregor
  • Dana White

UFC 229 Ceremonial Weigh-Ins

Date: October 5, 2018

Location: T-Mobile Arena
3780 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89158

Time: 5:00 P.M. PT

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UFC Welterweight Indicted On Sexual Assault Charges

UFC welterweight Abdul Razak Alhassan has been indicted on sexual assault charges stemming from his April arrest in Tarrant County, Texas. *Warning*: the following article contains graphic details regarding an alleged sexual assault. Star-Telegram reporter Deanna Boyd reported the news on Tuesday (Sept. 25 2018). She added that a grand jury in Tarrant County, Texas, issued the […]

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UFC welterweight Abdul Razak Alhassan has been indicted on sexual assault charges stemming from his April arrest in Tarrant County, Texas.

*Warning*: the following article contains graphic details regarding an alleged sexual assault.

Star-Telegram reporter Deanna Boyd reported the news on Tuesday (Sept. 25 2018). She added that a grand jury in Tarrant County, Texas, issued the two-count indictment for the fighter on Monday. Alhassan was arrested in April regarding these charges and is currently free on $20,000 bail.

Alhassan has been accused of raping two women inside their homes. Boyd reported that Alhassan allegedly drove both intoxicated women home from a bar in March. The UFC fighter allegedly committed the sexual assaults in the women’s home.

One of the victims told investigators that she was far too inebriated to remember anything from that night. However, the other women said she remembered Alhassan raping her and then raping her friend.

Alhassan’s attorney filed a motion to modify the bond conditions so that he could continue to train and compete at UFC 228. A judge granted the fighter his request, in so allowing Alhassan to remove his GPS monitor and leave Tarrant County.

Because of the special conditions granted to Alhassan, he was able to fight at UFC 228 where he demolished Niko Price in the first round.

Alhassan’s stock was on the rise prior to these allegations. It remains to be seen just how these charges will play out. but it doesn’t look good for the native Ghanaian right now.

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Surging UFC Contender Vows To Win Three Titles & Retire

Paulo Costa may be the most powerful rising contender in mixed martial arts (MMA) right now. The hulking Brazilian knockout artist has surged to four straight wins since debuting in the UFC in March 2017. His most recent win came over longtime vet Uriah Hall in a bad blood-fueled bout at July’s UFC 226. The […]

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Paulo Costa may be the most powerful rising contender in mixed martial arts (MMA) right now.

The hulking Brazilian knockout artist has surged to four straight wins since debuting in the UFC in March 2017. His most recent win came over longtime vet Uriah Hall in a bad blood-fueled bout at July’s UFC 226. The win earned him a perceived shot at former interim title challenger Yoel Romero at November 3’s UFC 230 from New York City.

That bout fell apart, unfortunately, when “The Soldier of God” was forced to heal from facial injuries. That put Costa’s return timetable on hold for the time being. However, it’s not affecting his extremely lofty career goals as a result.

Costa recently told Ag Fight (via Bloody Elbow) that he’s aiming to win three UFC titles and retire. He claimed he can fight at welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight:

“My career plan is simply to retain three belts and retire. I can fight at welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight. I want to do boxing afterwards, before I turn 35. Who was a plan B never accomplishes plan A or B. You can’t have a plan B in life. When you have a plan B, you’ll give up in the first adversity you face. So what did I do? I said I would never have a plan B. My only one is plan A.”

Accomplishing those goals would obviously rank Costa as one of the best UFC fighters of all-time – if not the best. But it’s tough to doubt him at this current point of his career.

Costa has racked up a spotless 12-0 record in MMA, and he’s finished every single one of those wins. He now owns the No. 8 spot on the official UFC rankings at middleweight There’s little doubt he’s fully deserving of a fight against someone like Romero, a scary thought considering he only made his octagon debut last year.

His full focus is on becoming UFC champion. To him, he never had any other plan because he simply couldn’t afford one:

“I never had money to catch the bus to go train, nor to buy my supplements. I spent six months away from home, I spent Christmas, New Year’s, everything, away from my family, with no means to go visit them, I simply soldiered through all that, because I had no plan B.”

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