The following article published on this day four years ago is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Four Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 29, 2018, 1:05 PM]
Headline: Jędrzejczyk On Rousey: ‘We Paid The Price For Weight Cuts’
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Joanna Jędrzejczyk believes she suffered the consequences of a bad weight cut as did Ronda Rousey.
Jędrzejczyk was last seen inside the Octagon back in November. She defended the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strawweight title against Rose Namajunas. In a shocking upset, Namajunas finished Jędrzejczyk in the opening frame to capture the 115-pound gold.
After the fight, the former strawweight titleholder dropped Perfecting Athletes and blamed them for a poor weight cut. She believes that newly minted WWE superstar Ronda Rousey has also been the victim of a weight cut gone wrong. Jędrzejczyk says it played a major factor in her performance against Holly Holm.
During an appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Jędrzejczyk explained the dangers of weight cutting:
“The funny thing is, people don’t believe that your brain can be frozen, but the weight cut can change the game. It can and that’s the worse thing. It can (happen) and this is what happened to me and Ronda. We paid the price for the weight cuts and that’s the thing.”
She also offered a response to the critics.
“They didn’t go through the weight cut, so they don’t understand. They don’t understand what we had to go through, but one day I will explain to all of them.”
Sound off in the comments below. Do you believe bad weight cuts are to blame for the fall of Ronda Rousey and Jędrzejczyk s first loss?
Jake Paul and Stephen A. Smith had a light back-and-forth about Paul’s career progression as a boxer and his ambitions of stepping into the ring with Canelo Álvarez.
Love him or hate him, there is no question that Jake Paul has taken the combat sports world by storm since bursting onto the arena two years ago. What began as a dip into the celebrity boxing pool evolved into headlining cards against accomplished MMA fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. Through it all, the irreverent YouTuber has continued to make headlines and land KOs as his star has continued to rise.
Nonetheless, after Paul defeated Askren and was booked to face Woodley, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had already seen enough of the YouTuber’s self-matchmaking.
“Let me say this. I am not impressed, not one bit,” Smith began in a soliloquy last year on his Stephen A’s World last year. “While Logan Paul is taking fights way over his head, getting in the ring with boxing royalty like Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, risking a beatdown for the ages, by the way, Jake Paul is going the opposite direction…the complete opposite direction, fighting non-boxers.”
Smith went on to lay out why neither Askren nor Woodley were appropriate matchups for Paul in his opinion and stated that the former Disney actor should be facing actual pro boxers.
After Smith’s comments came to his attention, Paul killed Stephen A. with kindness, merely expressing that he ‘loves his fans’ in response to the renowned sports personality.
Stephen A. Delivers His Criticism Directly To Paul
Photograph by Eric Helgas for The New Yorker
Earlier this week, Jake Paul made an appearance on ESPN’s First Take starring Smith, and the outspoken figure took the liberty to restate his criticism straight to the YouTuber’s virtual face.
“My problem with you, Jake—because we gotta be real here—I know you heard my position about this—my problem is: You are beating up on dudes that don’t box. They’re not boxers. Nate Robinson was a basketball player. Ben Askren came out there with a pose looking like he’s Jake LaMotta, he was 19-1 in (MMA), but he was never a boxer. He was a grappler. And Tyron Woodley’s a striker. What was that?!”
Paul would then issue the following prompt response.
“Meanwhile, I was on Disney Channel while these guys were winning UFC championships. I was playing with Mickey Mouse while these guys were throwing armbars and winning UFC championships. So I’ve been training for the same amount of time as them.
“And look, I’ve always gone against people where the odds are even. Canelo just fought Caleb Plant as like a -1400 favorite. Gervante Davis in his eighth fight fought a guy who was making his professional boxing debut. Floyd, in his fourth fight, fought a guy who was making his professional boxing debut.
“So everybody’s analyzing my career, critiquing it, paying attention to it from day one, but you can’t tell me who was Mike Tyson’s first fight. You can’t tell me, Muhammad Ali, who was his first fight. No one knows. But everyone’s seen all of my fights. And I’m gradually progressing and increasing my level of opposition as I get better (in) the gym.”
Paul also invoked the name of Tommy Fury as an example of his wilingness to fight a professional boxer as well as doubling down on his interest in fighting veteran second-generation slugger Julio César Chávez.
Paul’s Confidence In Álvarez Fight Unwavering Despite Smith’s Dismay
(via Triller & DAZN)
Another name Paul has expressed an interest in fighting down the line is none other than boxing superstar Canelo Álvarez. Being well aware of these lofty goals, Smith had to hear it straight from the YouTuber’s mouth to believe it.
“Now you say ‘line ‘em up, knock ‘em down’ and there was rumors about you and Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson basically put that to bed. And I’m sure you’re not trying to fight somebody in their mid-50s, but you did mention the name Canelo Alvarez,” Smith said. “And I want you to know, as much as I like you, Jake, you’re going into deep waters there! Now you’re getting out of control! Because you know Canelo is not the one to mess with! You know you’re not ready for that! Seriously, you do know that, right? This is Canelo we’re talking about!”
Paul’s response served as a reaffirmation of his own confidence and perhaps an incidental installation of confidence in viewers worldwide about striving beyond others’ limitations.
“That’s what other people think,” Paul said. “Other people try to place limits on what is possible for you when you are a unicorn doing something different. Other people try to place limits on what’s possible for you and on what you can accomplish because of their mindset and what they think they can accomplish as a human being. But for me, I can accomplish anything I set my mind to
“And I know I can get after Canelo. I know I can go rounds with him. And the guy he fought the other time, ‘Turkish Warrior,’ quit after three rounds. He didn’t throw one punch. I’m bigger than Canelo, I’m faster than Canelo, I’m more athletic than Canelo. Can I box better? Probably not. But give me three years, and that’s gonna be a big fight. The two biggest names in boxing going after each other. Why not?”
You can view the clip from Paul’s appearance on ESPN’s First Take below.
As we now know, Khabib Nurmagomedov never did fight Tony Ferguson, much to the chagrin of millions of MMA fans. He did, however, fight Conor McGregor in what turned out to be arguably the biggest win of his legendary career.
Even though Khabib would later retire in 2020 after the sudden passing of his father Abdulmanap, two years earlier there were signs that the Eagle would glide off into an early retirement. This article published four years ago to this day was such a sign.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Four Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 29, 2018, 12:05 PM]
Headline: Manager: Khabib May Retire After Bouts With Ferguson & McGregor
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
It’s possible that Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t be competing for much longer.
Nurmagomedov is set to clash with Tony Ferguson on April 7 for what Dana White claims to be the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title. Conor McGregor will likely face the winner as he’s still recognized as the lightweight champion as well. Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson will headline UFC 223 inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
It’s no secret that injuries and illness have plagued “The Eagle.” Nurmagomedov is 25-0, but his inability to show up on fight night at times has cost him. Now, the dominant 155-pounder insists he is finally ready to seize the moment. So much so, that his manager Ali Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports that McGregor’s title is meaningless (via MMAFighting.com):
“On fight night, Khabib will fight for the undisputed lightweight belt. My demands have been fulfilled. I can give a sh*t what everybody asks, what everybody’s saying. I don’t care if Conor’s stripped [or] not stripped. I know that April 7, Khabib will fight for the lightweight belt and Conor’s belt will go in the trash.”
He went on to say that Nurmagomedov may decide to retire if he beats Ferguson and McGregor.
“We’re gonna beat Tony. We’re gonna stop Tony in three rounds. Khabib’s probably gonna retire undefeated because he’s gonna beat Conor, he’s gonna beat Tony, and he’s probably gonna say ‘Bye-bye.’”
Do you see Nurmagomedov walking away from MMA if he beats Ferguson and McGregor? Sound off in the comments below.
After speculation about his fighting future circulated last year, the Cowboy will ride again when Donald Cerrone meets Joe Lauzon at a UFC Fight Night event on April 30.
Following his TKO loss to Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Waterson last May, many fans were wondering if Cerrone had fought in the Octagon for the last time. After all, that now made him winless in his last six fights, with four of those bouts ending via TKO.
UFC President Dana White addressed Cerrone’s future last year, indicating that he would allow Cowboy to move back down to lightweight for another fight but that a loss would mean the end of his legendary run in the UFC. We now know that this crucial bout will be against Joe Lauzon on April 30 based on a report Friday from MMA Junkie.
Like Cerrone, Joe Lauzon has also been competing in the UFC for over a decade. Making his Octagon debut in 2006, Lauzon has gone 15-12 during this run, with Fight of the Night performances against standouts like Jim Miller (twice), Michael Chiesa, and Kenny Florian. He also won a Performance of the Night over Diego Sanchez at the historic UFC 200 event in 2016.
Donald Cerrone’s most recent victory came against Al Iaquinta in 2019. The last time he won Performance of the Night was with his sick armbar victory over Mike Perry in November 2018.
Image Credit: MMA Fighting
With this bout set, the updated lineup for the April 30 Fight Night card is as follows:
Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon
Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko
Gina Mazany vs. Shanna Young
Francisco Figueiredo vs. Daniel da Silva
Mike Breeden vs. Natan Levy
What is your prediction for this fight between UFC veterans Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon on April 30?
Eagle FC 44: Spong vs. Kharitonov took place tonight from the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Florida.
In the main event, undefeated boxer Tyrone Spong sought to go 3-0 in his MMA career when he took on Sergei Kharitonov, who entered with a total of 42 MMA fights and a record of 33-9. Spong is 14-0 as a pro boxer and also has kickboxing experience.
In the co-main event, “Suga” Rashad Evans competed for the first time since his “retirement” in 2018 after losing to Anthony Smith. Evans came into the fight on a three-fight losing streak after falling to Sam Alvey and Daniel Kelly prior to his loss to Smith. Evans took on Gabriel Checco, who entered with a record of 12-5. Most recently, Checco defeated Simon Marini via unanimous decision last October.
You can check out the highlights from both of those bouts as well as a bout between former UFC competitors Ray Borg against Cody Gibson below.
Today marks one week to the day since we ran a story about Dana White vowing to never speak about Jake Paul again. In contrast, “The Problem Child” has ramped up his side of the feud to new levels.
Friday morning, Paul released a rap song where he relentlessly roasts Dana White for over two minutes, and a few UFC stars were targeted as well.
The video begins with “Dana White” and UFC executives pressuring a fighter played by Cris Cyborg to sign a three-fight contract worth $12,000 a fight. When the fighter asks about long-term health care, “White” snaps, “Don’t worry about that right now! Just sign on the dotted line or no one’s gonna know who you are.”
At this point, Paul and his entourage crash the signing, and the YouTuber cracks “White” with a baseball bat. The music video then commences.
Jake Paul Targets White & Three Big UFC Stars In Diss Track
The biggest themes of the video are the UFC’s mistreatment of fighters, Dana White’s greed, and a wide-scale roasting of the UFC president in general.
There were also some shrapnel that fell on UFC stars Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, and Conor McGregor, three names that Paul has lobbied for fights against in the past. Here what he had to say about each fighter.
Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal, Credit: Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
“First of all, Masvidal, you ain’t rich. 50 fights for 5 mill’ that ain’t shit.”
Nate Diaz
“I like havin money conversations. All that little Stockton shit is cool, but that lisp got me thinking Diaz speak a different language.”
Conor McGregor
(via John Locher/AP)
“McGregor, I ain’t seen you win in five years. You rich little weirdo, ugly ass veneers. Took so many losses wounded up at VMAs, tryna fight with MGK, no surprise here.
Lamborghini boat but your career is sinkin’. Really got me wondering what Dee is thinkin’. I ain’t even dissin now I’m really speaking. Wounded up in jail too many times with all dat liquor drinkin’.”
“Suga” Sean O’Malley has inserted his two cents into the UFC’s contract negotiations with Francis Ngannou.
The conflict between Ngannou and the UFC has been marinating for about a year. To put it simply, Ngannou has been asking for more money and more freedom.
“Dude, if you’re gonna go out there and just talk [expletive] about the boss and the company you can’t just expect no backlash…And I don’t wanna say talking [expletive] in a bad way. I guess he’s just talking facts but it is talking [expletive] and you can’t do that to the UFC. You can’t do that to Dana. You can’t do that to your boss.”
O’Malley also defended White not putting the belt around Ngannou’s waist after the fight. In all fairness, Dana has since claimed that he had urgent business in the back he had to deal with. What that business is? We do not know, as he did not explain further than that.
White also indicated that he has no issue with Ngannou at all, contrary to the common perception that trailed the event.
Francis Ngannou is now set to have surgery on his right knee, which was injured coming into his UFC 270 title defense against Ciryl Gane.
As for Sean O’Malley, the outspoken bantamweight last competed at UFC 269 in a first-round TKO win over Raulian Paiva, which earned him Performance of the Night honors.
Do you agree with Sean O’Malley’s take on Francis Ngannou’s comments about his UFC negotiations?
The BOAT is the Best of All Time. Unlike the GOAT, you aren’t bound by the laws of longevity. There’s no need to wait for a decade or more to begin a conversation that you can plainly see is going to happen anyway. Nope, you can strictly go by talent and the likelihood to win any given contest, no matter the circumstances.
Last weekend, two men boosted their BOAT candidacy in their respective crafts. Francis Ngannou added a high-value name to his decorated résumé when he defeated Ciryl Gane, an undefeated man he was placed as an underdog against, via unanimous decision. In so doing, Ngannou took another step closer if not fully into heavyweight BOAT waters.
As for Patrick Mahomes, he racked up 378 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and several BOAT-esque clutch plays that don’t show up on a stat sheet when he led the Kansas City Chiefs to a divisional playoff win over the snakebitten Buffalo Bills.
AP Photo/Ed Zurga
To the untrained ear, there is no difference between these two terms. That’s why the only term used in debates in the sports media and in any discussion platform is “GOAT,” even when the opposing sides are clearly weighing and discussing different criteria. But if you listen more carefully, you’ll notice that this distinction pops up all the time.
Such was the case earlier this week on FS1’s First Things First when Nick Wright was basking in the afterglow of the win of his beloved Kansas City Chiefs and the performance of their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
“And there is nothing more perfect than the best football weekend we have ever seen—because that’s what this weekend was—being punctuated by the best football player we have ever seen winning the day,” Wright said at the top of Monday’s program.
At this point, one of Wright’s cohosts, Kevin Wildes, briefly interjected to express his disapproval to such high praise for a 26-year-old who has only been in the NFL for five seasons. That’s when Wright started spittin’ that BOAT talk.
“Is he the most accomplished? No. All-time quarterback rankings, take all those, crumple them up, and throw ’em in the trash…because everybody knows this: There is not a person watching this show, not one, that if your life were on the line and you were asked, ‘You can have any quarterback (in) NFL history for one game, one drive, one throw, who ya takin’?’ The answer from everyone, from K.C. Wolf the Chiefs’ mascot to Gisele Bundchen, is Patrick bleepin’ Mahomes!”
Moments later, another show cohost Chris Broussard chimed in, unknowingly educating program viewers on the difference between the GOAT and the BOAT.
“I want to address what you said because a lot of people obviously gonna just blow off, ‘Oh, Mahomes (is) the best player ever? Not just the best player right now? You said the best player ever?’
“And it’s premature. However, people were saying Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player ever long before he won six rings. In 1994 when they built that statue in front of (the) United Center, it says ‘The best there ever was, the best there ever will be.’ That was after three rings.
Michael Jordan, Bobby Knight, Image Credit: Basketball Network
“Bobby Knight, coaching Michael Jordan in the Olympics in 1984, said ‘He’s the best basketball player I’ve ever seen.’ Obviously, Bobby Knight saw all the greats. So I’m not gonna completely dismiss what you said. Obviously, when we talk GOAT, [Mahomes] has to win championships and all that.”
But as Wright alluded, when we talk BOAT, you break things down to even simpler terms: Who would you trust to come through and win based on their talent and likelihood to win on any given night?
Like Patrick Mahomes to Tom Brady, Francis Ngannou doesn’t have the amount of championship wins as the consensus GOAT of his division, Stipe Miocic. But just as Wright argued with Mahomes, if the fate of the world is on the line, your life is depending on it, and you have to choose one heavyweight fighter to win a fight, who are you taking?
If you’re smart, you’d put some serious thought into taking the 2021/2022 version of the greatest KO artist in heavyweight history who has added takedown defense and offensive wrestling to his game and who, when at his best, has steamrolled names like Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Stipe Miocic.
And then, when arguably his worst, he beat an undefeated next-generation phenom in Ciryl Gane while on a bum knee. Oh, and by the way, he’s never been dropped by strikes or finished in the most dangerous MMA division. That’s BOAT ish.
And I don’t know about you, but if my life is on the line, I’m riding to safety with the BOAT over any GOAT every time.
You can check out the full segment from the best sports talk show on TV, First Things First, Below.
Dana White is dismissing all the post-fight drama surrounding his sudden exit from the Honda Center after Francis Ngannou’s title retention at UFC 270.
The buildup to UFC 270 was not short on drama. It featured the bitter split between Ngannou and ex-coach Fernand Lopez, a backstage blowby gone viral, and of course the ongoing contract dispute between Ngannou and the UFC.
While there always is an air of “what’s next?” following every big event, typically, all the storylines coming in are settled by the end of the night. In the case of the UFC 270 aftermath, we learned the drama was only just beginning.
Hordes of spectators could not help but notice that UFC President Dana White did not wrap the world title around the waist of Francis Ngannou after his big victory over Ciryl Gane, as he typically does to the winner of every title fight. They also noted that White was conspicuously absent in the post-fight press conference as well.
Due to the tense contract negotiations between Ngannou and the UFC being common knowledge, people of all walks of life chalked up White’s abrupt exit as rage-fueled disrespect towards Ngannou launched from a corporate foxhole.
During his much-anticipated Q&A Wednesday on ESPN+, White attempted to shut down this narrative and also had a few choice words for those who have been spreading it.
“For anybody thinking I was showing any type of disrespect towards Francis: I saw Francis all week, you idiots. I shook his hand, I said hi to him, I was out there for the staredowns, the whole thing. So for anybody to think that there was some type of disrespect shown towards Francis—I wasn’t out there for [Michael Bisping vs Luke Rockhold 2 at UFC 199], either, because I was dealing with some stuff. And I sprinted from the back. I didn’t even have my jacket on. I still only had my shirt on to go out there and put the belt on Bisping, but I couldn’t make it out there to put the belt on Francis.
“There’s only been one time that I’ve walked out on a fight and made it very clear, showed up to the press conference and said, ‘This is exactly why I left.’ It was in Abu Dhabi. So there’s the answer.”
It should be noted that White took the initiative to bring the subject up himself, as the above remarks were not a response to any question submitted by a fan.
White Shares Positive Thoughts About Ngannou Following UFC 270
Francis Ngannou, Dana White (Image Credits: Jeff Bottari/Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
White was also complimentary towards Ngannou’s game plan in his victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. He expressed his belief that Gane was just as shocked as everyone else to see Ngannou adopt a wrestling-heavy approach, and this element of surprise was a huge ingredient to Ngannou’s success in the final three rounds.
“In 2022, I think people are excited about Gaethje and Oliveira,” White said. “A lot of people are excited about that fight. You saw the pop that Gaethje got on Saturday night at the arena. And I think another big fight, if it’s possible to get it done, would be Jon Jones and Francis.”
Francis Ngannou is set to undergo knee surgery in the near future with an estimated recovery timetable of nine months. Perhaps during this time, he and the UFC will be able to come to terms on a new deal before the end of the year.
Do you believe Dana White’s explanation for his UFC 270 exit and that he did not intentionally disrespect Francis Ngannou?
Charles Oliveira’s next lightweight title defense is set, as the Brazilian is set to take on Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 on May 7.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report Oliveira and Gaethje’s upcoming clash. This fight will be joining Glover Teixeira and Jiří Procházka’s light heavyweight title bout slated for the same card. There is currently no word on which fight will serve as the main event. According to the ESPN report, this card is expected to take place in the United States after originally being targeted for Brazil.
Justin Gaethje was adamant about his place as the #1 contender after defeating Michael Chandler in a Fight of the Year candidate at UFC 268. Dana White agreed with Gaethje’s self-assessment and has now put the idea into action by making the fight plans public.
Image Credit: Zuffa LLC
Earlier this week, Gaethje put MMA journalists on blast for even suggesting Conor McGregor could skip the title-shot queue and receive a title shot upon return. Should Gaethje defeat Oliveira at UFC 274, he will put himself into a powerful enough position to hold the highest cards of the lightweight title picture.
This will be Gaethje’s second opportunity at becoming lightweight champion after coming up short against then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2020.
This bout will mark Charles Oliveira’s second lightweight title defense. Last month, he defeated Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 via third-round submission to cement himself as the king of the 155 division.
Oliveira has not lost a bout since a 2017 defeat to Paul Felder. Since then, he has turned an incredible 10-fight winning streak, with an astonishing 9 of those 10 wins being by way of finish. Come May 7, Oliveira will look to add Justin Gaethje to his highlight reel.
With the addition of this title bout, the updated UFC 274 card is as follows:
Heading into UFC 270, the MMA world was on edge to see how one of the most stylistically intriguing and suspenseful heavyweight bouts of all time would play out.
In one corner, we had the undisputed champion, Francis Ngannou, looking to carve his name in the history books as the UFC’s one and only heavyweight king in 2022. In the blue corner stood Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane, a post-modern heavyweight maestro who moved with a tempo and pace like arguably no heavyweight before him.
The narrative surrounding this bout was that it was the ultimate clash of styles between the powerhouse KO artist and the technician who is the embodiment of heavyweight poetry in motion. While this perception was a major part of the story leading into UFC 270, it is far from the only time Francis Ngannou has been typecast and limited to being a glorified one-trick pony.
Like a horror flick barred from being considered for Best Film due to its niche appeal, no matter how well produced it is, Ngannou’s name hasn’t been mentioned much in regards to his candidacy as the best heavyweight of all time.
In this way, Ngannou’s uncanny ability to be a nightmare for slept opponents like Freddy Kreuger has worked against him. In some ways, he’s been cast aside as a freak show circus act, one whose most common adjective attached to him has been “scary.”
But as mentioned in a 2019 editorial, what Ngannou has accomplished is far beyond “scary.” It’s downright legendary. During his UFC run, he has defeated the following names: Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, Curtis Blaydes (2), Andrei Arlovski, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Ciryl Gane, nearly all of those wins coming by way of declarative, non-competitive knockout.
If you look at those list names and especially considering the manner in which he won, you can already put that résumé up against any heavyweight of all time in terms of top-heavy quality and at the very least open up a legitimate conversation about where Ngannou stands among the heavyweight greats.
As is, he may be lacking the title defenses to be the “GOAT,” but 2021/2022 Francis Ngannou may already have the top claim to being the BOAT at heavyweight given his list of elite victims who were treated like jobbers on archived episodes of WWF Primetime Wrestling in glorified squash matches.
But it was these last two wins for Ngannou that may have done the most for The Predator’s legacy.
The scouting report heading into the Miocic rematch was that, as usual, Ngannou had a puncher’s chance and needed to get the early KO to win with that “one big shot.” The thing is, although Ngannou got that one shot in the second round, he also landed several, well-paced shots before then. In fact, Nganno flat-out“outskilled” Miocic for the entirety of the fight, including in the grappling department, which captured the surprise and awe of the viewing audience.
And last weekend, after having wounded the narrative that he is merely a KO artist with his title win at UFC 260, Francis Ngannou landed the picture-perfect knockout blow to it at UFC 270 when he used wrestling to hand Ciryl Gane his first loss as a professional. And not only did Ngannou use his wrestling, but he apparently did so with an MCL tear and being down two rounds, thus showing endurance, heart, championship mettle, and yes, versatility.
Following UFC 270, now, more than ever before, the MMA world has no choice but to free Ngannou from being typecast as a one-trick KO pony and finally acknowledge what he has been all along and what can no longer be overlooked: one of the best winners the heavyweight division has ever seen.
The UFC rankings have been updated following UFC 270, and we’ve got the full report for you below!
Men’s Pound for Pound: One man shot up the pound-for-pound rankings after UFC 270, and that man is the newly crowned flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, who went from unranked to #12 after defeating former champion Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision. As a result of the loss, Moreno falls three spots down to #13.
Also moving down this week are Stipe Miocic (#10), Robert Whittaker (#14), and Jan Blachowicz (#15). Moving up we have Glover Teixeira (#11), and Petr Yan moved up two spots to #9.
As for the big winner of the heavyweight championship unification bout, Francis Ngannou, he remains at #4 behind Israel Adesanya (#3), Alexander Volkanovski, and Kamaru Usman (#1), who was in Ngannou’s corner during the event.
Women’s Pound for Pound: No Changes
Strawweight: No Changes
Women’s Flyweight: No Changes
Women’s Bantamweight: No Changes
Women’s Featherweight: N/A
Flyweight: Brandon Moreno is now the #1 contender following his UFC 270 title loss to Deiveson Figueiredo.
Bantamweight: Pedro Munhoz (#9) and Marlon Moraes (#10) swap positions.
Featherweight: No Changes
Lightweight: No Changes
Welterweight: No Changes
Middleweight: No Changes
Light Heavyweight: No Changes
Heavyweight: No Changes, as Ciryl Gane remains ranked #1 following his main event loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 270.
UFC President Dana White’s abrupt exit from the Honda Center following Francis Ngannou’s UFC 270 title retention did not go unnoticed by the spectating public.
Among the various observers of White leaving the arena without customarily wrapping the world title around Ngannou’s waist or taking part in the post-fight press conference were renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani and civil rights activist, journalist, and New York Times best-selling author Shaun King.
While MMA fans have grown accustomed to Helwani criticizing White and the UFC on various issues over the years, it is not every day that a social justice activist shares a strong commentary about the current happenings of the UFC.
However, after White conspicuously took no part in any post-fight festivities, King shared the following to his 3 million-plus social media followers.
“Something wildly disrespectful happened last night for the @UFC. 1. The @UFC account was ordered not to tweet a single highlight during the fight as they did every other fight. 2. Then @DanaWhite refused to put the belt on Ngannou and refused to attend the press conference,” King wrote.
King later embedded the above tweet in a follow-up post on Facebook, where he wrote: “It’s so ugly to see @danawhite and the @UFC treat the HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP OF THE WORLD this way. And @francisngannou is a GREAT guy. A hero all over the world.”
To King’s point, if one were to visit the UFC’s Twitter page, they would not find a single highlight from Ngannou’s victory over Gane. This is indeed a very strange, if not historic occurrence for a pay-per-view main event ever since the promotion began posting highlights to the page.
The running theory is that White’s behavior is due to the very tense contract negotiations between the UFC and Ngannou. Ngannou and his management have been quite public about their unhappiness with how the champion has been paid and promoted by the company.
Ariel Helwani Stunned By White’s Exit, Tyron Woodley Chimes In
Back around to MMA circles, Ariel Helwani also had something to add about one of the biggest talking points following the UFC 270 event.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZEz02yLZ6n/
“After all that, didn’t put the belt on and didn’t show up to the press conference. Remarkable. Respect to Francis for handling it all with class and grace,” Helwani wrote.
Among those to chime in under the post was none other than former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley.
“seen this before,” Woodley wrote.
Woodley is referring to White’s post-fight reaction when Woodley retained the welterweight title over Darren Till at UFC 228, a reaction that gave us the following timeless meme.
Many took notice of the similarities between White’s reaction to Ngannou’s win and Woodley’s 2018 victory over Till. In both cases, White declined to attend the post-fight press conference.
Several other notable figures had something to add in the comments section of Helwani’s Instagram post, including Quinton “Rampage Jackson” and Mark Hunt.
What are your thoughts on Dana White leaving the Honda Center without wrapping the world title around Francis Ngannou’s waist or taking part in the post-fight press conference?
This article was published on MMANews.com on January 24, 2022, at 12:00 PM ET.
The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories
In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we dive into the raw, unfiltered reactions of MMA fans afterDana White bounced after Francis Ngannou retained the UFC heavyweight championship over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
Dana White Abruptly Exits After Francis Ngannou Tops Ciryl Gane At UFC 270
Dana White (Image Credit: Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
All things considered, Dana White kept a pretty solid poker face heading into UFC 270 if his post-fight reaction is any indication of how he felt about the prospect of Francis Ngannou retaining the heavyweight title.
By now, it’s no secret that Ngannou and the UFC are in the middle of very tense, if not historic contract negotiations that could potentially see a sitting champion exit the promotion with the title if a new deal is not met.
Yet, after Ngannou was declared the victor via unanimous decision, White was conspicuous in his absence both in wrapping the title around Ngannou’s waist and also at the post-fight press conference. Just how conspicuous was his absence? Well, let’s allow The Pulse of MMA to fill you in on that…
Not so long ago, Dana White appeared on a show where he was asked about Ariel Helwani and Dana called him a "pussy". Dana refused to put the belt on Ngannou tonight and then avoided media. Is there a bigger pussy than Dana White? #UFC270
The following article was published on this day five years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 23, 2017, 4:56 PM]
Headline: Tyron Woodley Talks Racism and Conor McGregor on The MMA Hour
Conor McGregor was among the topics in which Tyron Woodley vented his frustrations on Monday’s MMA Hour.
Author: Adam Haynes
Woodley has been vocal in recent times regarding what he deems to be a racial agenda in the UFC and sport as a whole. UFC’s welterweight champion has openly discussed what he feels is disrespect aimed at him by fans and the franchise.
‘T-Wood’ has recently declared himself “the worst treated champion in the history of the promotion” and further reinforced his opinion that skin color is a major factor in why he has not enjoyed the same spoils of fame and recognition that lighter-skinned fighters have had in the UFC:
“Certain things are subliminally embraced that are racist. When you say to me ‘Tyron, you are well spoken’, what does that mean? Does that mean I’m well-spoken comparable to all the mixed martial artists, the 500 UFC fighters on the roster? Or does that mean as a black male in America?”
The champion, who is preparing for a rematch with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 209 in March, also disapproves of those who use terms he feels are disrespectful to his skill-set:
“When you say I’m a freak athlete, does that mean I don’t work hard, that I’m going to fade in the later rounds? That I don’t have great cardio, that I don’t have a great skill set? It comes off to me…it almost sounds barbaric, like ‘hey, you’re strong, you knock people out, but if it gets to the later rounds you might get tired, you might fade and all those muscles come at a cost’.”
Woodley has made no secret in targeting Conor McGregor in the past, and touches upon his own podcast ‘The Champ Life’ which may be similar in format to that of ‘The Notorious’, but is in contrast when it comes to the message and material:
“I do my own podcast series. I go out and make my own opportunities but, if the person that’s promoting me and networks are talking about picking up my ‘Champ Life’ series and major companies want to endorse it and get behind it because they see value in it, I’m going to need for my promoter to not be the last one to take notice.”
“if it was [Mcgregor’s ‘the maclife’], that thing immediately took fire. And it’s same stuff every episode, flashy cars, money, talking crap, got this, got that; that’s all it is. I’m not seeing him giving back to the community and shelters. I’m not seeing him giving back to the people or networking with others. This one [The Champ Life] has an impact that can go far.”
The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories
In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we dive into the raw, unfiltered reactions of MMA fans after Francis Ngannou turned in his first successful title defense over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
Francis Ngannou def. Ciryl Gane via Unanimous Decision
Francis Ngannou, Image Credit: 2021 Chris Unger
Nobody really knew what to expect at UFC 270. It was truly one of the most unpredictable heavyweight fights of all time. It featured the scary power of Francis Ngannou with the eloquent technique of Ciryl Gane. Which attribute and style would reign supreme?
As it turns out, Ngannou won via unanimous decision. The odds of that happening according to the books? About +1200. That means that if you beat $100 for Ngannou to win this fight via decision, you netted a profit of $1,200. Surely, some gutsy folks took that bet and went home with lots to celebrate—and plenty of fuel to celebrate with.
How exactly did the fight play out according to the judges? The official scorecards below give us a glimpse.
All three judges saw the fight the same way. The champion, Francis Ngannou, came up big in the clutch championship rounds to retain the title.
In his post-fight interview, the champ stated that he entered the fight with an MCL tear, which would explain the kneepads he competed with. That makes his victory over the previously undefeated Gane all the more impressive.
During and after the bout, fighters reacted to the results of the main event. But what about The Pulse of MMA? Let’s take a look down below, shall we?!
Cameroonian Legend #AndStill Congratulations @francis_ngannou you surprised many with the wrestling but us from Cameroon aren't surprised cos it's easy to understand how hardship builds one mentally. You are a KING
It's pretty good to see that @francis_ngannou has showed some variety or grappling/wrestling and good top position control in his game tonight to win the fight, just shows he's still constantly improving #UFC270
In 2015, Paige VanZant shared her thoughts on why a fight against Felice Herrig was inevitable. Before we get to that, here’s a quick glimpse back to the two coming face to face prior to their bout at UFC on FOX 15.
Vanzant would win the fight via unanimous decision to advance to 5-1 at the time. As for her theory on why the two were bound to fight? You can revisit that in the article below that we ran seven years ago to this day.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Seven Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 23, 2015, 1:16 PM]
Headline: Paige VanZant On Felice Herrig: “We’re Fighting Because We’re The Hot Girls In The Sport”
Author: Matt Boone
Rising UFC Women’s Strawweight contender Paige VanZant recently appeared on “The MMA Hour” at MMAFighting.com to discuss her upcoming UFC On FOX 15 bout with Felice Herrig.
“I always had on the back of my mind that me and Felice would fight, because we’re the hot girls in the sport,” said VanZant. “So I kind of got myself ready for that.”
“She’s been around for a long time, and she’s been somewhat of a veteran in the sport,” said VanZant. “Just to be fighting her, and to be at her level in as honor. I looked up to her when I first started the sport. She was someone who I wanted to follow in her footsteps.”
VanZant concluded, “Now to be on the same playing field and the same level as her, it’s exciting. I’m really excited about this fight.”
Headlined by Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold, UFC On FOX 15 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 18th from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Related Link: – Check out a full Paige VanZant photo gallery by clicking here.
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The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories
In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we dive into the raw, unfiltered reactions of MMA fans after Deiveson Figueiredo defeated Brandon Moreno in their trilogy at UFC 270 to become a two-time UFC flyweight champion.
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision
Credit: Gary Vasquez, USA TODAY SPORTS
In what was an extremely competitive trilogy fight that could have gone either way, Deiveson Figueiredo earned his redemption with a unanimous decision nod from the judges. Before we go any further, let’s take a look at the judges’ scorecards to get a glimpse at which rounds were the deciding factors.
All three judges scored the first and third rounds for Figueiredo, and two of the three judges’ gave the fourth to him as well, with one judge giving him the fifth. You can check out the highlights from the trilogy fight right here if you missed the action, and you can also peep the fighters’ reactions to the bout right here.
But what about The Pulse of MMA? How did they react? Did they agree with the judges’ decision or were they just as irate as the partisan Anaheim audience? You can catch a quick snapshot of the overall reaction down below!
Jon Jones is teeming with confidence after taking in the UFC 270 main event between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane.
For months, Jon Jones has not wavered about his decision to finally make the move up to heavyweight and vie for the division’s world title. After an inactive 2021 with another arrest controversy, Jones’ future in the sport was once again subject to speculation.
Heading into 2022, however, Jones let it be known that his professional focus remained steady despite his ever-turbulent personal life.
“I said I’ll be the champion in 2022, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I feel like I’m jumping up three weight classes, going from competing at 205 pounds to 265 pounds is no easy task. Nothing great happened overnight, I’m patient and I’m working my ass off every day towards my goals,” Jones posted last month.
Of course, heading into this past weekend, the entire world was waiting with bated breath to see what would happen when the Ford Escort power of Francis Ngannou crossed paths with the new-wave heavyweight that is Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
Jones was expectedly chief among those interested. In fact, Jones himself took to social media to express just how closely he’d be watching the highly anticipated heavyweight clash.
Really have no clue who’s going to win, I’m just excited to watch the fight. Going to learn so much about the both of them no matter how it goes down https://t.co/e59QVSiuy7
“Really have no clue who’s going to win, I’m just excited to watch the fight. Going to learn so much about the both of them no matter how it goes down,” Jones responded when asked to give his official prediction for the UFC 270 main event.
Jon Jones Shares Post-Fight Reaction To UFC 270 Main Event
The main event went down at UFC 270, and as Ngannou hinted, it was indeed a surprising one for many fans. The outcome was so surprising that the oddsmakers had it listed as +1200, meaning that those who bet $100 on a Ngannou decision victory took home $1,200.
As for Jon Jones, he derived something even more valuable from the main event than cash: a new level of confidence ahead of his anticipated heavyweight debut later this year.
If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it. Got some more records to break
“Lol stay humble? Sure I’ll stay humble, sleeping like a baby tonight. People talk so much shit, have no clue what it takes.”
“At the end of the day, I’m fucking them both up,” Jones concluded in a since-deleted tweet.
As of now, it is still unconfirmed if Jones will be next in line for Francis Ngannou or even if he will compete at all this year. Not unlike Ngannou, Jones has been in sterile contract negotiations with the UFC, thus his future in the promotion remains uncertain.
In fact, White himself stated as recently as last week that he was uncomfortable to say with certainty that Jones is next in line for a title shot due to him not being sure of what Jones will decide to do. All things considered, 2022 may be the one year where the heavyweight drama outside of the cage is more impactful than the heavy blows dealt on the inside.
MMA News will keep you posted on the latest developments of what is next for the biggest players of the division and the landscape of the world title picture.
After watching UFC 270, who do you think would win between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones?
Henry Cejudo has played a huge part in Deiveson Figueiredo’s preparation ahead of his trilogy fight against Brandon Moreno at UFC 270 tonight. But two years ago, Cejudo wanted to be the man standing across the cage from him, even though he had already vacated the flyweight title. This article from two years ago gives you the breakdown.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 3, 2020, 8:21 PM]
Headline: Henry Cejudo Doubles Down On Wanting To Fight Deiveson Figueiredo
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Henry Cejudo isn’t playing games when he says he wants to fight Deiveson Figueiredo.
Cejudo, who holds the UFC bantamweight gold, was thought of to be done with the flyweight division. Cejudo also held the 125-pound title but vacated the gold. Following the conclusion of UFC Norfolk, “Triple C” claimed he’d fight the “ugly detached Siamese twins” Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez on the same night.
Cejudo Takes Further Aim At Figueiredo
Figueiredo earned a TKO win over Benavidez this past Saturday night (Feb. 29). Had he made weight, he would’ve been the new flyweight champion. Since he did not, the title remains vacant. Speaking to TMZ Sports, Cejudo criticized Figueiredo for not hitting his target (via BJPenn.com).
“I thought it was unfortunate I thought Figueiredo should have made the weight. It was a bit of a cheat against Joe but he did connect that punch,” he said. “Joe did lose, but Figueiredo did not win.”
When asked if he truly wants to fight Figueiredo, Cejudo made it clear that he wasn’t kidding.
“Oh absolutely [I want to fight Figueiredo]. I said it before, I would like to get him and Jose Baldo on the same night,” Cejudo said. “Co-main event and main event. Allow me to make history.”
Cejudo is set to put his bantamweight championship on the line in two months’ time. He’ll collide with Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 250 on May 9. Cejudo will be in hostile territory as the bout will be contested in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
There was a lot of concern over the future of the flyweight division after UFC Norfolk. In the past, UFC president Dana White admitted he was contemplating what he should do with the men’s 125-pound division. Things are different this time as the UFC boss told reporters that he plans to book the rematch between Figueiredo and Benavidez. Obviously he hopes to avoid seeing another scale fail.
Last year, Ciryl Gane explained why he would love a fight against Jon Jones. If Jones makes his heavyweight debut on schedule and Gane is victorious tonight at UFC 270, then there is nothing theoretically preventing that fight from happening.
The following article is brought to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 30, 2021, 11:00 AM]
Headline: Ciryl Gane Wants To Fight Jon Jones Because He’s “The GOAT”
Author: Cole Shelton
Ciryl Gane says Jon Jones is the best MMA fighter of all time and wants to fight him down the line.
Jones, the former longtime UFC light heavyweight champ, has been bulking up for a move to heavyweight. The plan was to face Francis Ngannou, but that hasn’t come to fruition yet. Nevertheless, he still plans to move up to heavyweight, and Gane says he would love for the chance to fight him down the line.
“Yes of course, of course. A lot of people talk about this fight because I am a technical fighter and he is, too, a technical fighter, so the people like to say, ‘Yeah, this is a good matchup.’ So yes, I’m really excited about that because Jon Jones is the GOAT and everybody knows that. So wow,” Gane said to TMZ Sports (h/t BJPENN.com).
“I think it’s a good move for him (going to heavyweight), of course. He can make a lot of money with it,” Gane continued. “He did a lot at light heavyweight, so I understand his move to the heavyweight division, he wants to prove something. But yes, of course, there are a lot of people in this division waiting for the title shot, so every time people say ‘Jon Jones, Jon Jones,’ but we are here, too.”
Should Gane beat Lewis, he will get a title shot against Ngannou, and if he wins that, a scrap against Jones does make a ton of sense. Whether or not that will happen is to be seen.
Since the following editorial was published in 2019, Francis Ngannou has added two more notable KOs to his résumé: first over experienced kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik in May 2020 and then of course over Stipe Miocic to win the UFC championship in 2021. Tonight, he will have an opportunity to add yet another name to his impressive résumé: the undefeated technician Ciryl Gane.
The following editorial is brought to you in its original, unaltered format, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 30, 2019, 11:00 AM]
OK, it’s time to have a talk about Francis Ngannou.
Last night in the main event of UFC Minneapolis, Francis Ngannou did it again. He knocked out an elite heavyweight in the very first round without breaking a sweat. In the aftermath, fans, commentators, and media members sang the same refrains: rhetorically asking how scary Ngannou is or directly proclaiming him as one of the scariest people on the planet. The latter is particularly some heavy praise, yet somehow it is still selling Ngannou and his accomplishments short.
I encountered a “scary” statistic following the close of UFC Minneapolis: four minutes and four seconds. That’s the total fight time for Ngannou’s victories over Cain Velasquez, Curtis Blaydes (rematch), Junior dos Santos, and Alistair Overeem. Francis Ngannou has only been dropped one time in his UFC career, and that was by a leg kick last night. He also has 10 knockouts and counting in his career 17-fight career. That’s beyond scary. It’s greatness. Let’s call it what it is.
The term “scary” needs
to be replaced with “great” or, better yet, a perfect hybrid between
the two: “dominant.” Because we’re at a point where we can’t go on
billing this guy as this special attraction. We need to consider him one of the
greatest heavyweights of all time.
I get it. That’s going to make a
lot of people cringe. He’s not the most beloved nor is he well-rounded, but the
facts don’t lie. The man’s overall UFC résumé, including caliber of opponents,
methods of victories, and fight time is arguably already better than anyone
else’s, but I understand that a world title is needed to be in the conversation
of GOATs in your division.
Well, I’ve got news for you. If
Francis Ngannou defeats either Stipe Miocic (Getting his loss back against a
man many consider the HW GOAT) or Daniel Cormier (A man whom many have in their
overall GOAT conversations), then based strictly on résumé,
which is generally how the public judges GOAT talks, then he would be the
greatest UFC heavyweight of all time based on those metrics.
If you just look at the data
objectively, it wouldn’t even really be close. Some will point to the Derrick
Lewis performance/loss. But in no way does that overshadow all that Ngannou has
done as is, let alone if he defeats Miocic or Cormier. Just Wiki this man’s résumé
of opponents, methods of victory, and fight time, then replace “Francis
Ngannou” with the name “Cain Velasquez” or “Stipe Miocic,”
and there would be virtually no push back on where this guy stands.
Lastly, even if we are to fuse
“greatest fighter” and “best fighter” and just look at his
skill set, if I pick up a controller and start playing Mortal Kombat, and I
keep doing the same exact maneuver over and over, consistently beating the best
players around the world in seconds and with a full energy bar remaining each
time, then sorry, I’m an elite player of that game, whether or not I have a
wide arsenal of moves. And if I were to make it to #1 in the world after doing
that, then I’d challenge you to name a better player than me who ever lived.
Well, if Francis Ngannou defeats either Stipe Miocic or Daniel Cormier to become #1, that’s the exact challenge I will make to people on his behalf when running down the list of heavyweight GOATs. Francis Ngannou is indeed scary. This narrative attached to him is true. But it’s also limiting. His defensive footwork is beyond scary. His distance control is beyond scary. His counterstriking timing is beyond scary. His accuracy is beyond scary. The man isn’t just power. He’s a lethal striker, an athlete, and a man who deserves the respect based on objective facts and merit as a man who is a championship win away from being the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time.
Last March, Stephen A. Smith shared his belief that the best thing to ever happen in UFC history took place when Francis Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic to become the heavyweight champion.
The following article published last year explains how he came to that conclusion. Tonight, Ngannou’s follow-up performance to this KO will come when he takes on Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 to unify the UFC undisputed heavyweight championship.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 31, 2021, 10:00 AM]
Headline: Stephen A: Ngannou’s KO The Greatest Thing To EverHappen To UFC
The First Take crew is showering new UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou with the ultimate praise.
Francis Ngannou made history as the first man from Cameroon to become a UFC champion when he knocked out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. In doing so, the continent of Africa now has three current champions on the UFC roster. The feeling of joy Ngannou had for achieving those two things has been articulated by Ngannou in the aftermath of the event, and he has already been commended far and wide for his improvements, his approach, and his achievement.
In an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Monday, host Stephen A. Smith threw one more massive heap of praise Ngannou’s way.
“I caught your knockout on Saturday. I called it the greatest thing that’s ever happened to the UFC,” Smith told Ngannou. “Because when you’re the heavyweight champion of the world and you come into the Octagon with bad intentions like Mike Tyson did in boxing, like George Foreman did before him, that’s the greatest thing for a pugilistic sport.”
There’s been some big things to happen in the nearly 30-year history of the UFC: becoming sanctioned by state athletic commissions after being viewed as a bloodsport, women finally being allowed to compete in the promotion after 20 years, Conor McGregor’s rise to fame, the partnership with ESPN, just to name a few. But Smith’s argument comes with the premise that nothing can match the impact of a mainstream heavyweight destroyer.
As someone with a great amount of experience covering the pugilistic sport of boxing, Smith’s co-host Max Kellerman co-signed Smith’s statement to a degree but seemed to stop at the “potential” Ngannou’s win carries as opposed to proclaiming it the greatest thing in UFC history full stop.
“I agree with Stephen A,” Kellerman began. “This has a chance to be, what you did now, a turning point in the history of the UFC in the sense that light heavy was always the glamor division. Brock Lesnar looked for a second, like, ‘Can he be that guy at heavyweight?’ But he couldn’t consistently stay at that level. You now have a fight maybe lined up with Jon Jones.
New UFC Champion Francis Ngannou. Image Credit: Getty Images
“Because the UFC champion would beat the heavyweight champion in boxing in an actual fight, that guy’s the baddest man on the planet, especially if he’s a guy that fights like you. So this could be a turning point in the history of your sport. That’s a tremendous achievement.”
Ever the gracious giant, Ngannou took his praise in stride. During the interview, he noted the impact that Kamaru Usman had on his victory and discussed what it means to him to be a champion for his countrymen and his family. Ngannou’s story and UFC 260 achievement is certainly mainstream news now, and only time will tell if he will be able to carry the heavyweight torch to the places Smith and Kellerman believe he could.
What are your thoughts on Stephen A. Smith’s and Max Kellerman’s level of praise for new UFC champion Francis Ngannou?
In 2017, UFC President Dana White had a hunch that Francis Ngannou could be the next big thing in the UFC. Five years later, Ngannou is now the UFC heavyweight champion with an incredible résumé attached to his name on his way to a unification headliner against Ciryl Gane tonight at UFC 270.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 18, 2017, 9:35 AM]
Headline: Dana White: ‘I Think Francis Ngannou Could be The Next Big Thing’
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White believes Francis Ngannou doesn’t need the “gift of gab” to be a star.
Ngannou is a rising heavyweight known for his punching power. In his 10 victories, Ngannou has six knockouts and four submissions. His last win came against former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski via first-round TKO.
On Dec. 2, Ngannou will take on Alistair Overeem inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The bout will be featured on the main card of UFC 218.
Speaking to TSN, White explained why he feels “The Predator” can be a star without trash-talking (via BJPenn.com):
“I like Francis Ngannou. I think Francis Ngannou could be the next big thing, literally and figuratively. Listen, when you’re a badass, language has nothing to do with it man. It’s all about how you – look at Anderson Silva. The list goes on and on. It’s about your performances. Listen, we think about the talking because Conor is so good. Conor is a great fighter and every time he opens his mouth it’s hilarious, you know? You find those guys once in a blue moon.”
A win over “The Reem” could see Ngannou compete for the UFC heavyweight title sometime in 2018.
The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories
MMA fans prepare for the heavyweight collision that awaits at UFC 270 when the UFC heavyweight title is unified between undisputed champion Francis Ngannou and interim champ Ciryl Gane.
Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane Headline UFC 270
(via USA TODAY Sports & Getty)
Tonight at UFC 270, Ciryl Gane will put his undefeated record on the line when he attempts to decrown Francis Ngannou as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. We have offered our staff predictions for the bout and our comprehensive preview for the entire card. Now, let’s find out what The Pulse of MMA had to say about the main event below!
Francis Ngannou and Cyril Gane are really fighting each other just to end up losing to this mf 😭 pic.twitter.com/g3Nr16Wuem
Cyril Gane: Skillfully stance shifts from distance, tactically feints a high kick, smoothly uses footwork to gain the outside angle, effectively closes the distance on the weak side, then finally uses a frame to setup a flawless four strike combination…
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