Tag: ufc 270

Francis Ngannou: Ciryl Gane Is A Good Fight But Not On Level Of Jon Jones

Ngannou GaneFrancis Ngannou doesn’t believe a matchup with Ciryl Gane is on the same level as Jon Jones. Although not official, Ngannous is expected to face Gane in a heavyweight title unification clash at UFC 270 which takes place early next year on January 22. Gane, of course, won the interim strap when he TKO’d Derrick […]

Ngannou Gane

Francis Ngannou doesn’t believe a matchup with Ciryl Gane is on the same level as Jon Jones.

Although not official, Ngannous is expected to face Gane in a heavyweight title unification clash at UFC 270 which takes place early next year on January 22.

Gane, of course, won the interim strap when he TKO’d Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 in August. But it could have very easily been Jones facing Ngannou instead as it looked like the matchup to make — until Jones ran into pay issues with the UFC again.

And while Ngannou believes a matchup with Gane is still a good fight, the reality is it’s nothing compared to one with Jones.

“Not particularly,” Ngannou said when asked if it was as exciting as a fight with Jones (via MMA Fighting). “But it’s a good fight. You have to be aware of the danger of any fight, so it’s a fight, he’s a good opponent, but not on the level of a Jon Jones fight for example if that’s what you’re asking. It’s not the same thing.”

One may think that Ngannou and Gane being former teammates in France would make the matchup even more interesting with a backstory and everything.

However, “The Predator” played down the extent of their relationship stating that they were not close friends and that Gane was briefly helping him out for his fight with Cain Velasquez.

That is also one reason why fighting Gane won’t be awkward for Ngannou.

“That will not be awkward,” Ngannou added. “Fighting for me is my job first of all. I take it as a job. Maybe some people take it as a personal issue, but it’s just a job.”

Who do you see coming out on top?

Francis Ngannou Accuses The UFC Of Discrediting & Sabatoging Him

Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou believes the UFC machine is not behind him. After seizing heavyweight gold from Stipe Miocic’s grasp in March, the world has been waiting for the next Francis Ngannou fight. Many were surprised when the UFC announced that the interim heavyweight championship would be on the line between Ciryl Gane and Derrick […]

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Accuses The UFC Of Discrediting & Sabatoging Him at MMA News.

Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou believes the UFC machine is not behind him.

After seizing heavyweight gold from Stipe Miocic’s grasp in March, the world has been waiting for the next Francis Ngannou fight. Many were surprised when the UFC announced that the interim heavyweight championship would be on the line between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis in August.

After all, “The Predator” had just won the title less than five months ago. Prior to UFC 265, it was implied by Dana White that Ngannou was taking a vacation, but the champion is refuting those claims. After receiving some flak about the interim title fight, Dana White shut down critics and said there are fights every Saturday if a fighter wants to fight.

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Ngannou accredited Gane’s win and explained that the company wanted to sabotage his name and title.

“He deserves it. He deserved to win the fight. He had a very good fight, a very good run. I do not have a problem. My only problem is that they want to discredit my title. That’s the only problem, but I can not control what other people do… You cannot blame him for anything. He did everything right,” Ngannou said.

When pressed on if he believes the UFC’s marketing machine is behind him, the heavyweight champion is adamant that if they are discrediting him, then they are certainly not in the business of promoting him.

“Honestly, that’s not a feeling that I have. Ngannou stated. I don’t know, I might be wrong, but I don’t feel that because in my opinion, right now, from what I’m seeing, the UFC tried to discredit me. That’s what I know. Those who promote somebody can not work together with discrediting him. You don’t do that to somebody that you want to promote,” Ngannou said.

Recently, the anticipated heavyweight unification bout between Ngannou and Gane has been announced for UFC 270. The two titans are set to take the Octagon by storm on January 22. As the marquee event draws closer, given Ngannou’s perceived issues, it will be interesting to see how the UFC promotes both fighters ahead of their showdown.

Do you believe Francis Ngannou is not being promoted effectively?

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Accuses The UFC Of Discrediting & Sabatoging Him at MMA News.

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 […]

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

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.

Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 Official For UFC 271

The Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker rematch has now officially been announced for UFC 271 in the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, officially putting an end to the initial report that the bout would take place at UFC 270 in January.

It is …

Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya 2

The Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker rematch has now officially been announced for UFC 271 in the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, officially putting an end to the initial report that the bout would take place at UFC 270 in January.

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It is worth noting that Adesanya reacted to the announcement with a cap, which is modern slang for “lying.”

Adesanya’s reaction could mean nothing, he could be trolling, or it could be a sign that all is not what it seems.

Here is what Adesanya’s manager Eugene Bareman said about the rematch with Robert Whittaker just last week:

“Rob and his people, his wonderful manager, can’t secure this fight and they’re panicking,” Bareman said in an interview with Submission Radio. “So, they put out these stupid tweets and this and that. It’s like, mate, just relax, boys. Just train. That’s all we’re doing. You guys do the same. Let us handle the business because you guys are incapable. That management team’s incapable.

Israel Adesanya Robert Whittaker
(via Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“So, we’ll just handle the business side of things, and if this is the direction that the fight is going to go, towards Robert, then we’ll secure it for you. We’ll do your job for you. But stop with the social media stuff. Like, that doesn’t mean anything, it doesn’t do anything. It just shows your insecurity about the fight. Don’t worry. We’ll sort the fight out.”

Assuming the UFC has, in fact, locked in the bout, it will be a rematch from the 2019 bout between Adesanya and Whittaker that saw Adesanya capture the middleweight strap due to a second-round KO/TKO.

Adesanya has gone on to successfully defend the title against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, and Marvin Vettori to prove he is the top dog at 185 pounds at the moment.

As for Whittaker, he brought himself right back into a title fight by stringing together three straight wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum.

MMA News will keep you posted on any further on this story and if there is any “capping” happening in connection to it.

Who do you think wins this rematch: Israel Adesanya or Robert Whittaker?

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 Official For UFC 271 at MMA News.

Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier Moved To UFC 271 In February

The middleweight title eliminator between Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier has been moved to UFC 271 on February 12.

ESPN was the first to report the new date for the bout. The event is set to be headlined by Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker a…

Derek Brunson, Jared Cannonier

The middleweight title eliminator between Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier has been moved to UFC 271 on February 12.

ESPN was the first to report the new date for the bout. The event is set to be headlined by Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker and is scheduled to take place in the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Barring the unexpected, this match will be widely viewed as a #1-contender bout to determine who faces the winner of Adesanya/Whittaker 2, with one of the two men potentially acting as a replacement option for the main event.

Both Brunson and Cannonier have compelling arguments for a title shot. In Brunson’s case, he is currently riding an impressive five-fight winning streak, including most recently finishing former UFC title challenger Darren Till in September. For Cannonier, he was victorious in a bout in August in defeating Kelvin Gastelum, thus making it four wins out of his last five fights.

With this adjustment, here is the updated lineup for UFC 271:

UFC Middleweight Championship Bout: Israel Adesanya(c) vs. Robert Whittaker

Jared Cannonier vs. Derek Brunson

Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell

Alexander Hernandez vs. Renato Moicano

Roxanne Modafferi vs. Casey O’Neill

Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Sergey Morozov

Mark Madsen vs. Vinc Pichel

Fabio Cherant vs. Carlos Ulberg

Orion Cosce vs. Mike Mathetha

Maxim Grishin vs. Ed Herman

Ronnie Lawrence vs. Mana Martinez

AJ Dobson vs. Jacob Malkoun

Who do you think will emerge victorious in this middleweight title eliminator between Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier?

Continue Reading Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier Moved To UFC 271 In February at MMA News.

UFC 207 Fight Card Update: Welcome To The UFC, Niko Price

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqRPpmRYGsQ[/embed]

Unbeaten Niko Price will put his 8-0 mark on the line this month at UFC 207 when he takes on Brandon Thatch.

Price is replacing Sabah Homasi (11-6), who bowed out of what would have bee…

brandon-thatch

Unbeaten Niko Price will put his 8-0 mark on the line this month at UFC 207 when he takes on Brandon Thatch.

Price is replacing Sabah Homasi (11-6), who bowed out of what would have been his second UFC fight recently with an injury.

Prior to signing with the UFC, Price scored wins under the Fight Time Promotions banner in Florida in all eight of his fights. That includes six first round finishes and seven overall.

Thatch (11-4) sports a 2-3 Octagon mark, earning wins in his first two fights before three straight losses at the hands of Benson Henderson, Gunnar Nelson and Siyar Bahadurzada.

UFC 207 takes place December 30 from Las Vegas with both bantamweight belts on the line. Amanda Nunes defends vs. Ronda Rousey and Dominick Cruz does the same vs. Cody Garbrandt.