Tag: pfl

Francis Ngannou Called Out By Three-Division Champ For 2025 Superfight To Decide ‘Best Heavyweight In The World’ 

The top heavyweight competing in Asia’s leading martial arts promotion plans to prove his superiority over the rest of the pack by facing and defeating PFL champion Francis Ngannou next year. Having not competed in MMA since January 2022, Ngannou made his highly anticipated return to the sport in which he made his name last […]

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Called Out By Three-Division Champ For 2025 Superfight To Decide ‘Best Heavyweight In The World’  at MMA News.

The top heavyweight competing in Asia’s leading martial arts promotion plans to prove his superiority over the rest of the pack by facing and defeating PFL champion Francis Ngannou next year.

Having not competed in MMA since January 2022, Ngannou made his highly anticipated return to the sport in which he made his name last month following a two-fight stint in the boxing ring.

Debuting for the PFL, “The Predator” headlined a pay-per-view event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia opposite Brazil’s Renan Ferreira. While the 2023 PFL heavyweight title winner was expected to pose a threat by many, he was battered en route to a knockout defeat within the first round.

The result saw Ngannou crowned the inaugural PFL Super Fight heavyweight champ, and he subsequently reaffirmed his belief that no heavyweight comes close to matching him.

Unsurprisingly, the uber-confident Anatoly Malykhin has something to say about that.

During a recent interview with MMA Knockout, the three-division ONE Championship king reiterated his desire to do battle with another of the planet’s most devastating heavyweight knockout artists.

And the Russian’s fire for that fight appears to have been flamed by “The Predator’s” claim to global supremacy in the division following his successful return to the cage last month in the Middle East.

“2025, for me, is a year when a really big fight should happen, that’s what I want. Because Ngannou, Francis Ngannou, recently said that he’s the best fighter on the planet, which he cannot and should not be saying until he faces me,” Malykhin said. “So my fight against Ngannou is something that needs to happen in 2025. I think everybody looks forward to that, everybody wants that fight, and we need to have it to decide once and for all who is the best heavyweight in the world right now.”

Anataoly Malykhin
Image: ONE Championship

And beyond himself, “Sladkiy” sees plenty of threats to Ngannou from Russian brutes already under the PFL banner, naming 2024 PFL heavyweight finalist Oleg Popov and former Bellator champion Vadim Nemkov.

“Francis Ngannou is a strong fighter. I watched his fight (with Ferreira), he’s got a great skillset,” Malykhin stated. “He has got some great opposition in PFL. That’s Oleg Popov, who’s definitely gonna win the (heavyweight tournament). Everybody needs to keep his eyes on Popov, this guy is going to be absolutely amazing. I can see great things coming for him. And of course there is Vadim Nemkov, who is another amazing Russian fighter.

“As for Ngannou, I think that it was more of a psychological pressure for him to come back into the ring after such a long break from MMA. But I think he did well, he did well,” Malykhin continued. “But his words after the fight, I think were a little bit premature. He shouldn’t have said that he is the greatest heavyweight in the world.”

For now, Malykhin’s sights are on a different African heavyweight behemoth — one currently competing alongside him in ONE.

The heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight champ will put the first of those titles on the line against Senagalese powerhouse Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane tomorrow night at ONE 169.

The build-up to their showdown at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand has been a heated one, with the pair almost coming to blows at the hotel and press conference faceoff during fight week.

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Called Out By Three-Division Champ For 2025 Superfight To Decide ‘Best Heavyweight In The World’  at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul Mock Dana White Over Flip-Flopping Narrative

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul Mock Dana White Over Flip-Flopping NarrativeFrancis Ngannou and Jake Paul are not letting UFC president Dana White off the hook for entirely changing his…

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul Mock Dana White Over Flip-Flopping Narrative

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul are not letting UFC president Dana White off the hook for entirely changing his narrative and flip-flopping over the years.

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul Mock Dana White

After his first title defense for greener pastures, the UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou walked away from the organization vacating his crown. The Cameroonian star signed with the PFL and took on two blockbuster boxing bouts against the royalty of the sport as he faced Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. It is estimated that Ngannou made over $30-$40 million for these three bouts.

When Francis Ngannou captured the UFC heavyweight throne, Jon Jones was the long-reigning light heavyweight champion but refused to step up to heavyweight. ‘Bones’ waited until Ngannou left the UFC before trying a heavyweight move. Dana White claimed this was because Jones was scared of Ngannou.

Francis Ngannou PFL
Photo by Tim Wheaton

As Dana White explained in 2021 after Ngannou captured the heavyweight title by way of knockout, suggesting Jones would be better off cutting to middleweight rather than up to heavyweight. White explained:

“If I’m Jon Jones and I’m at home watching this fight I’m moving to ’85 … If Jon Jones really wants the fight Jon Jones knows he can get the fight … If you really want the fight, Francis Ngannou is the heavyweight champion of the world right now, all he’s gotta do is pick up the phone and call Hunter [Campbell] and we can get the deal done.”

Years later, Dana White says that Francis Ngannou is all about the money and that the UFC offered him one of the biggest deals in UFC history, certainly recognizing his value.

Jake Paul did not let White forget, in a recent Tweet, he said:

“3 years ago he was telling Jon Jones to move down to 185 to avoid [Francis Ngannou] and that Jon didn’t really want to fight Francis…but now the narrative doesn’t suit Dana…”

Francis Ngannou PFL
Francis Ngannou

The lineal MMA world champion Francis Ngannou added:

“Divert attention to the real matter by manipulating the narrative. Lol”

Daniel Cormier: It’s Never Been Clearer That UFC Has ‘No Competition’ After PFL Event 

Daniel Cormier is confident that the UFC won’t struggle to maintain its status as the MMA leader following the recent PFL pay-per-view. The Professional Fighters League has long looked to establish itself as a “co-leader” in the sport of mixed martial arts, and the promotion had one of its most important events to date this […]

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier: It’s Never Been Clearer That UFC Has ‘No Competition’ After PFL Event  at MMA News.

Daniel Cormier is confident that the UFC won’t struggle to maintain its status as the MMA leader following the recent PFL pay-per-view.

The Professional Fighters League has long looked to establish itself as a “co-leader” in the sport of mixed martial arts, and the promotion had one of its most important events to date this past weekend.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the PFL’s latest PPV went down. Toward the end of what’s been an up and down first year post-Bellator acquisition, the organization looked to thrill audiences with the likes of Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg.

Those two names headlined, competing for and winning inaugural super fight championships. While the Brazilian won hers in a memorable five-round war opposite Larissa Pacheco, “The Predator” rolled through Renan Ferreira in under four minutes to successfully mark his comeback to the cage.

Suffice to say, the card ended in style and with plenty discussing the events that unfolded inside The Mayadeen. But when it comes to the PFL’s production as a whole, many remain unimpressed.

That notably included UFC star Conor McGregor, who insisted that his employer has “zero competition” in a now-deleted tweet during the PFL event.

And during a recent episode of his Good Guy / Bad Guy show alongside Chael Sonnen on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Cormier shared that sentiment.

“It’s competition, but is it really competition? The WWE and AEW has some sort of competition. The WCW, when they were there, was competition to the WWE,” Cormier said. “Conor McGregor spoke on this last weekend. He said, ‘The UFC has no competitors.’

“I felt like, even though we were watching the biggest star outside the UFC, it was never more clear to me that there really is no competition,” Cormier continued. “Is it good that the UFC doesn’t have a competitor that can really push them?”

The PFL appears more than happy with how the Battle of the Giants PPV played out and was received, however. Founder and chairman Donn Davis claimed as much during a recent Town Hall-style interview with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck.

He painted a contrasting picture when it comes to the PFL’s prospects of becoming legitimate competition, citing his organization’s “research” to state that the viewership figures for the Oct. 19 card outperformed those of every UFC event of 2024 thus far.

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier: It’s Never Been Clearer That UFC Has ‘No Competition’ After PFL Event  at MMA News.

Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo Reacts to Francis Ngannou’s Stunning Knockout, Shares Emotional Connection

cristiano ronaldo francis ngannouSuperstar Cristiano Ronaldo sat cage side to watch his friend Francis Ngannou earn a world title in MMA. Cameroon’s…

cristiano ronaldo francis ngannou

Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo sat cage side to watch his friend Francis Ngannou earn a world title in MMA. Cameroon’s Ngannou and the Portuguese footballer Ronaldo are old friends but both compete largely in Saudi Arabia.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. With Manchester United, he won multiple titles including three Premier League championships and the UEFA Champions League. Afterward, he transferred to Real Madrid and became the club’s all-time leading scorer winning four more Champions League titles. Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in January 2023, reportedly earning one of the highest salaries in football history.

Cristiano Ronaldo Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou

Cameroon’s Francis Ngannou was able to become the UFC heavyweight champion, capturing the world title with a stunning knockout. After defending this throne, he left the organization and took on new challenges. Ngannou competed in two blockbuster boxing matches, both hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Last week In Riyadh, he earned the PFL heavyweight crown by first-round knockout.

Francis Ngannou PFL
Photo by Tim Wheaton

Cristiano Ronaldo Reacts to Francis Ngannou

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Francis Ngannou were in Riyadh for the PFL fight and the football megastar enjoyed watching the bout. See below for his reaction:

During their backstage meeting, Ronaldo was a pillar of support for Ngannou according to head coach Eric Nicksick. Speaking to MMA Junkie, he explained:

“He’s super down to earth, super cool guy, and he’s actually a huge fight fan. He had a bunch of questions. He was talking to me about Strickland, he was talking to me about this and whatever fight it was. At one point Francis got up to wrap his hands and Ronaldo was talking about that he could feel Francis’ energy and he’s like, ‘I’m going to give him words of encouragement.’”

Earlier this year, Francis Ngannou lost his one-year-old son. Cristiano Ronaldo related and helped out the athlete with advice. Nicksick continued:

“He was talking about the loss of one of his children and how he related to things like that. It was pretty cool. I know how big of a star he is, but him sitting next to me and having this very personal conversation – he felt like he was a part of the team right then and there. His son was in there with us and hanging out. It was very much a welcomed energy to have in the room, especially with someone of that stature that understands the highest of pressure. It was cool. He was a great guy. Very down to earth. Very cool.”

PFL’s Donn Davis Explains Silence On Fighter Put In Coma After Botched Weight Cut: ‘Not Our Place’

During a recent Q&A session hosted by MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, PFL founder Donn Davis took questions from the fans in the live chat. One question asked whether Davis and the promotion would be releasing an official statement regarding Daiane Silva. The Brazilian fighter was set to make her debut for the promotion at the […]

Continue Reading PFL’s Donn Davis Explains Silence On Fighter Put In Coma After Botched Weight Cut: ‘Not Our Place’ at MMA News.

During a recent Q&A session hosted by MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, PFL founder Donn Davis took questions from the fans in the live chat. One question asked whether Davis and the promotion would be releasing an official statement regarding Daiane Silva.

The Brazilian fighter was set to make her debut for the promotion at the Bellator Champions Series event in London back in September. Following a failed attempt to hit the featherweight limit, having previously competed at lightweight in her career, Silva was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Northwick Park Hospital in London.

After suffering from kidney failure, she was placed into an induced coma with MMA Fighting reporting that she is still currently sedated. Nacao Cyborg, an MMA promotion belonging to Cris Cyborg, posted about the current situation this past weekend which alerted a lot of people to what was going on after there was no statement or update from the PFL.

Davis explained why that was the case by speaking publicly on Silva’s health concerns for the first time.

“Yes, I’ll tell you it’s specifically not been addressed for the fighter privacy. Everything you just said fully explains the situation. She was a first time fighter for us, she experienced a very difficult weight loss which resulted in a medical emergency which was dealt with seriously and appropriately and she’s been in long-term hospitalization and we’ve done everything possible to support her recovery. To say anything other than that is not our place. This is her business and her privacy but everything I just said is the news and that’s the news that is well known and that’s the news that, we wouldn’t want to say anything other than that news.”

Davis was also asked why there was no response from the promotion when they were asked for updates by the media.

“Yeah look, I understand why a lot of times, people in the media want to know stuff. I totally understand that but I would hope people appreciate over the last five or six years, given how we’ve handled our business partners, our fighters, our relationships with everybody associated with the company, we always try to do the right thing, which doesn’t always mean the easy thing. In this case, I think respecting her privacy at a very sensitive time instead of giving constant updates to anyone who wants to know is the right thing. It might not appear to be the easy thing.”

Continue Reading PFL’s Donn Davis Explains Silence On Fighter Put In Coma After Botched Weight Cut: ‘Not Our Place’ at MMA News.