Manager throws shade at UFC brass for attempting to spoil Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury negotiations – “It’s no surprise”
Francis Ngannou has finally landed the fight of his dreams. It was recently announced that the Cameroonian will face WBC heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury in the squared circle on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After months of contract renewal negotiations, Ngannou opted not to continue fighting in the UFC and left the promotion earlier this year. According to Dana White, ‘The Predator’ refused an offer that would’ve made him the highest-paid heavyweight in promotional history. In the following months, White dismissed Ngannou’s boxing pursuits as “gimmicks” and clarified that he wasn’t welcome in the UFC anymore. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Francis Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin was asked about Dana White calling for a Jon Jones vs. Tyson Fury fight after labeling Ngannou vs. Fury a gimmick fight. Martin replied: “It’s no surprise. Dana is one of the best promoters that we’ve ever seen. I’ll always say that. So when we saw that, we were like, ‘Of course, you would say it’s a gimmick fight… I’m sure that they wanted that fight but at the end of the day, the result is that we’ll be fighting Tyson Fury come October 28.” Daniel Cormier on Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury Daniel Cormier recently weighed in on the highly anticipated Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury matchup. While the UFC Hall-Of-Famer was among those who doubted ‘The Predator’ and urged him to return to the UFC, Cormier recently apologized for his cynicism and praised Ngannou for believing in himself. After his exit from the UFC, Francis Ngannou signed a historic deal with the PFL, which allowed him to pursue to boxing dreams independently. The deal also guaranteed Ngannou company equity and executive leadership roles within the promotion. He is now set to go ten rounds against boxing icon Tyson Fury in October. In a recent episode of the DC & RC Show on ESPN, Daniel Cormier lauded ‘The Predator’ for securing the massive fight and said: “First off, I’m sorry, Francis. I want to fumble your bag, too, Francis… He’s going to make more money than he ever could have imagined making in his entire life… They’re fighting in Saudi Arabia, which, somehow, literally just bought the PGA. … Francis and Tyson Fury are going to make so much money, it’s crazy… It’s a crazy turn of events for Francis Ngannou… I’m happy that he’s getting paid in that way.” According to reports, Francis Ngannou will be making the biggest paycheck of his career, one bigger than all of his previous UFC fights combined.
Cat Zingano shares details regarding MMA fighter pension bill she’s advocating
Women’s MMA icon Cat Zingano is more than just the first mother to fight in the UFC octagon. The former UFC women’s bantamweight contender recently advocated for a fighter pension bill in front of the California State Capitol. In a recent interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Zingano explained what the bill entailed and outlined the pension process. Iterating that the money isn’t sourced from the government, Zingano stated: “Just so everybody knows, and this is the main question that people could have… Is worrying that it’s a pension from the government. It’s not. The money comes directly from the promoters. So every ticket that is sold, whether it’s a huge show that sells 20,000 tickets or a small show that sells 500, it’s a dollar per ticket that goes into the pension fund.” She continued: “Fighters get it when they’re 50 years old and they get it based on how many rounds they’ve had in the cage… In theory, it would be between 12-14 fights before you’re considered… Right now, they’re trying to make it about a $50,000 pension.” As a professional martial artist, Cat Zingano is well aware of the physical and financial challenges that fighters endure. She further claimed that this pension plan is better than the one professional boxers are offered and hoped she could build something even bigger in the future. Cat Zingano on a potential Cris Cyborg fight in October In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Cat Zingano revealed that she could potentially fight Cris Cyborg in October this year. After being released from the UFC in August 2014, ‘Alpha’ signed with Bellator just a few months later. She made her promotional debut against Gabby Holloway at Bellator 245 in September 2020 and won the fight via unanimous decision. Zingano is currently on a four-fight winning streak, last beating Leah McCourt via unanimous decision in March. Prior to her last fight, many fans speculated about a fight between Cat Zingano and women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg. Given that Cyborg recently signed a new contract with Bellator, it seems fans could finally have their wish granted. Speaking to Helwani, Zingano stated: “I was told to get ready by the end of September, early October. So, I don’t have any exact date that is supposedly the opponent [Cyborg], and I don’t have a location either… I’m curious about what’s gonna happen, because I heard some different angles with what’s going on with the Bellator as a company as a whole.”
Daniel Cormier ranks Alexander Volkanovski as the top featherweight of all time following his UFC 290 victory
Alexander Volkanovski is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with. The featherweight champion recently defeated Yair Rodriguez in a title unification bout at UFC 290. The Australian secured a third-round TKO over the ever-dangerous Mexican and is currently on an impressive eleven-fight win streak. Given that Volkanovski has the second-longest win streak in the featherweight division in UFC history, former two-division champion Daniel Cormier recently claimed that ‘The Great’ is the greatest featherweight ever. The UFC Hall-of-Famer was stunned by the Australian’s consistency in the octagon and believes it won’t be long before Volkanovski surpasses Jose Aldo’s featherweight record in the promotion. In a recent episode of the DC & RC Show, Cormier was asked where he ranked Alexander Volkanovski in the greatest featherweights of all time list. ‘DC’ replied: “I got to put him at No.1… It’s literally just an eventuality that he’s going to pass Jose Aldo and defend that belt eight times. Or at least it feels that way… Eventually, he will defend that title more times than Jose Aldo.” Michael Chandler labels Alexander Volkanovski as the “most unbeatable guy in the entire world.” Michael Chandler is blown away at how good Alexander Volkanovski is in the octagon. Volkanovski defended his featherweight title for the fifth consecutive time against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290, once again employing his stellar skill set to secure a third-round TKO. His incredible performance impressed fans and fighters alike, especially lightweight contender Michael Chandler. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, ‘Iron’ claimed that he couldn’t see any fighter beating Volkanovski anytime soon. Stating that there is no fighter better than ‘The Great’ in the UFC at the moment, he continued: “Is Alexander Volkanovski unbeatable?… I break it down to three C’s why I think Alexander Volkanovski is the most unbeatable, not just unbeatable champion, but the most unbeatable guy in the entire world. There’s a reason why he’s the pound-for-pound No. 1.” Chandler further explained: “I break it down to three C’s. Completeness, cardio, and composure. He is the most complete fighter that we have on the roster in the UFC. The most complete fighter in the entire world. The ability to be at home and be two to three to four steps ahead of his opponents in every single position in a fight… He doesn’t try to get crazy out of his comfort zone even with how dominant he has been.” After his UFC 290 victory, Alexander Volkanovski called out fast-rising featherweight Ilia Topuria. He also reiterated his intention to fight for the lightweight title again. It remains to be seen who the Australian faces next.
PFL hires USADA to run its drug-testing program to combat recent doping scandals
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has finally partnered with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The promotion recently announced the changes following a number of their athletes testing positive for PEDs during the 2023 season. PFL fighters were informed of the decision via an email memo explaining how things would work going forward. PFL president Ray Sefo notified the fighters and their teams that the partnership was effective immediately. They will be required to undergo “initial educational sessions” as early as this week. According to ESPN MMA, the PFL’s drug-testing program will be similar to the one used by the UFC. However, there will be minor changes to accommodate the promotion’s season-and-playoffs format. The memo informed the fighters that they would be drug-tested out of competition but won’t have to update the agency on their whereabouts continuously. Athletes must give USADA their home and gym addresses, and cannabis will be prohibited in competition. However, cannabis use will only be flagged if used for performance-enhancing reasons. These changes come after the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspended ten fighters for failing drug tests in the first half of the PFL 2023 season. Former champions Bruno Cappeloza and Rob Wilkinson were among those found guilty. Former PFL light heavyweight champion Rob Wilkinson responds to his shocking suspension Former PFL light heavyweight champion Rob Wilkinson tested positive for banned substances last month. The promotion removed the ex-UFC middleweight contender from PFL 4 and the 2023 season due to his drug offense. As per the NSAC, Wilkinson will be suspended for nine months. Moreover, he will have to hand over a fine of $7500 with $326 in prosecution fees and $495 for drug testing fees. The governing body also ordered him to undergo a clean test before he could compete again Nevada. ‘Razor’ addressed his punishment and penned a heartfelt message to his fans, explaining his absence from PFL 2023. He posted a picture on Instagram accompanied by a caption that read: “Firstly, I would like to thank you for your support over my career, and I want to provide you all with an explanation for my nonattendance in the 2023 PFL season. After my last fight on April 1st, I failed an in-competition drug test, which resulted in my suspension for the rest of the 2023 PFL season… I want to emphasize that I wholeheartedly accept full responsibility for the choices I have made and the consequences that have come with it.” (Via MMA Junkie)
Michael Chandler celebrates seventh consecutive victory against Conor McGregor’s team on TUF – “seven and ohhhhh…”
Conor McGregor’s second coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) isn’t going as he hoped. The Irishman is coaching TUF 31 opposite Michael Chandler this year and is now 0-7 against his rival coach. McGregor is tutoring a team of lightweight and bantamweight prospects, whereas Chandler is coaching a team of UFC veterans in the 31st installment of TUF. In the latest episode of the UFC’s hit reality show, veteran fighter Jason Knight helped ‘Iron’ get another win over the Irishman. Knight faced team McGregor’s Landon Quinones in the penultimate quarterfinal fight of the season. The UFC veteran managed to submit his opponent with a triangle choke less than a minute into the bout. Following his team going 7-0 up against McGregor’s team, Michael Chandler was undoubtedly over the moon and took to social media to let everyone know. Given how much Conor McGregor trash-talked Chandler since the show’s beginning, it’s unsurprising that ‘Iron’ decided to rub it in his competitor’s face. He tweeted: “Seven and Ohhhhhh… #tuf31.” In the next episode of TUF 31, UFC veteran Hunter Azure will go up against team McGregor’s Rico DiSciullo. It remains to be seen if Michael Chandler manages to sweep Conor McGregor with a clean 8-0 result. Michael Chandler defends Conor McGregor amidst allegations that the Irishman was an absentee coach While Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are rarely seen sharing kind words, ‘Iron’ recently rushed to the Irishman’s defense after he was accused of not showing up for his teammates. It is no secret that McGregor has had a dismal run as a coach on TUF 31. ‘The Notorious’ has gone 0-7 against his rival coach and is in danger of being the first coach to see his team lose all eight fights. To make matters worse, fans of the show have noticed his absence from important occasions like weigh-ins and face-offs. As a result, the Irishman has been brutally slammed on social media and continues to be criticized for his coaching. While many are blaming Conor McGregor for his team’s less-than-impressive performances, Michael Chandler recently came to his defense. In an interview with TMZ Sports, Chandler blamed editing for showing McGregor in a bad light and said: “Ultimately, he was there in the training sessions, they are showing a lot of him training with his guys. I think they definitely could be filtering it a little more… I know I was there, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t there for his guys. He was in every training session, he was training with his guys. It is reality TV, it can be cut any way they want.”
Alexander Volkanovski goes off on “delusional” Ilia Topuria – “Can you believe that guy?”
Alexander Volkanovski is hyped for an opportunity to face fast-rising featherweight contender Ilia Topuria. The UFC’s reigning featherweight champion is undefeated in the 145-pound weight class and is widely considered to be among the greatest featherweights to ever step into the octagon. ‘The Great’ recently faced Yair Rodriguez in a title unification bout at UFC 290. Volkanovski successfully defended his status as the undisputed champion by securing an incredible third-round TKO over the Mexican. This marked his fifth consecutive title defense. In the aftermath, Ilia Topuria spoke to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour and downplayed the Australian’s performance. He stated: “I don’t have any doubts that I can beat him pretty easy. The people think that this is the toughest fight. He says that I’m the easiest fight he’s going to have in his whole career… We’ll see.” Alexander Volkanovski found the Georgian-Spanish fighter’s comments amusing. When Helwani interviewed the Australian later, he labeled Topuria as “delusional” and stated: “What is that man on about? Can you believe that guy? Can I say one thing, and I’m talking to Ilia… Please don’t fight Max [Holloway]. Let me be the guy to beat you up…There’s confidence, and then there’s delusional…. Like, ‘I’d beat him in the first round.’ Like, do you watch me fight?” Michael Bisping on Alexander Volkanovski vs. Islam Makhachev 2 Michael Bisping recently weighed in on a potential rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. ‘The Count’ claimed that the two champions shouldn’t be fighting each other anytime soon to allow other contenders to get their shot. In February, Volkanovski and Makhachev went head-to-head in a lightweight title match at UFC 284. The champion vs. champion super fight was an immensely entertaining fight, with Volkanovski testing Makhachev unlike anybody else. While the Dagestani grappling phenom ultimately won a razor-sharp decision, many opined that the Australian deserved to get his hand raised. While combat sports fans have long been calling for a rematch between the two, Michael Bisping recently dismissed the idea. In an interview with BT Sport, the Englishman stated: “He tried last time out. He has a division to defend, so does Islam Makhachev. There’s a lot of contenders certainly at lightweight and there’s a clear number-one contender, Ilia Topuria. That is the guy that he should fight next.” Interestingly, Alexander Volkanovski called for another shot at the 155-pound title during his post-fight octagon interview at UFC 290. However, only time will tell if ‘The Great’ will defend his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria next or chase his dream of becoming a simultaneous two-division champion.
Jack Della Maddalena gets new opponent for upcoming UFC Fight Night
Jack Della Maddalena is undoubtedly one of the fastest-rising welterweight prospects in the UFC. The Australian faced a series of unfortunate events that caused two canceled fights that prevented him from competing at UFC 290 last weekend. However, lady luck finally smiled on Della Maddalena, and the promotion has booked him a fight for UFC Vegas 77 this weekend. While Della Maddalena was initially slated to face Sean Brady at UFC 290, Brady was forced to pull out due to a nasty strep infection in his elbow. His second opponent, Josiah Harrell, was also pulled out of their bout after a pre-fight MRI revealed a previously undiagnosed brain condition. Despite losing two opponents, Jack Della Maddalena chose to stay back in Las Vegas. His decision paid off, and the UFC has booked promotional newcomer Bassil Hafez at UFC Vegas 77 this weekend. MMA journalist Marcel Dorff confirmed the news via Twitter: “Jack Della Maddalena will fight Bassil Hafez at #UFCVegas77 on July 15th. (first rep @arielhelwani).” Fighting out of Colorado, Hafez made his professional debut in January 2016. He has a record of 8-3. He will be the third opponent booked for Della Maddalena in a span of eight days. Jack Della Maddalena on why he didn’t fight Kevin Holland at UFC 290 It seems the UFC wasn’t keen on Jack Della Maddalena fighting Kevin Holland at UFC 290. When it came to light that Della Maddalena lost his major numbered event fight last weekend, several top-ranked contenders like Chris Curtis and Kevin Holland offered to step in on short notice to face the Australian. However, none of those bouts came to fruition, confusing Della Maddalena and the fans. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Jack Della Maddalena admitted that he was eager to take the Holland fight. Stating that he was only offered Josiah Harrell, he explained: “They were names that were flying around and I was pretty keen… There was also Chris Curtis that was there, and it was never actually offered to me… I was excited for that fight. I think that would have been a cool fight.” He continued: “I did ask [my manager] Tim, ‘Is the Holland fight on?’ — and yeah, I don’t know, I think he had a fight booked so they weren’t into it. But I thought that was a realistic option, but it was just never actually passed on to me.”
Israel Adesanya slams Dricus du Plessis for backtracking on previous comments – “Don’t back play the victim”
Israel Adesanya is unhappy about Dricus du Plessis backtracking on his previous statements about ‘The Last Stylebender’s African origins. The Nigerian-born Kiwi recently went off on ‘Stillknocks’ for backpedaling and took to social media to air his frustration. For context, du Plessis and Adesanya have been going back and forth on social media and interviews because the South African fighter claimed he was more authentically African than the “Three Kings,” referring to the trio that consists of Israel Adesanya, Francis Ngannou, and Kamaru Usman. In a recent interview, du Plessis clarified his statements and claimed he had no intention of bringing race into the conversation. However, Israel Adesanya is having none of it and took to Twitter to post receipts. He posted the South African fighter’s previous post-fight octagon interview and wrote: “Even if you show them the proof, these n*ggas will believe what they want. Play the victim and run when he was pressed for his words. Lol “Real African”… Gaslighting, imma light him up.” He followed up with another tweet containing a video compilation of du Plessis’ words. He captioned the video: “Don’t back play the victim…stand on your original statement. Say it with yo chest n*gga!! I never discredited you as a real African, you tried to discredit 3 Real African UFC Champions. You started this, and I will finish this! That’s not a threat, that’s a promise. Gbo gbo yin ma ku!” Chael Sonnen says Israel Adesanya ‘lost his mind’ in Dricus Du Plessis interaction at UFC 290 In the aftermath of Dricus du Plessis’s massive victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, the reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya entered the octagon and shared an intense face-off with the South African. The Nigerian-born Kiwi aggressively called du Plessis the n-word multiple times and reminded him of his origin. While their racially heated interaction confused many, former two-time middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen recently claimed that Adesanya’s drive to be the best momentarily caused him to lose his mind. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen praised Adesanya for not losing his hunger and said: “Adesanya lost his mind tonight in front of you and it was real and it didn’t have anything to do with money and it did not have anything to do with fame… It was real… He hasn’t let those distractions in. He’s that same hungry guy.” Sonnen continued: “For ‘Izzy,’ it’s still about competition. It’s a very interesting mindset that takes extreme discipline. I have never seen anybody come through this sport that has controlled their career more than Israel Adesanya.”
Alexander Volkanovski celebrates UFC 290 victory at after party with Shaquille O’Neil and Nuggets star Jamal Murray
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski decided to go big for his post-win celebrations after UFC 290 this past weekend. Volkanovski went up against Yair Rodriguez in a title unification bout at UFC 290 and put on a statement-making performance to defeat the Mexican striking savant via third-round TKO. While both featherweights started the bout strong, ‘The Great’ drew first blood in the second round with hard ground-and-pound shots. In the third screen, Volkanovski managed to stun ‘El Pantera’ with a vicious right hand and followed up with a flurry of punches that forced the referee to stop the contest. After his momentous victory, Alexander Volkanovski painted Vegas red with basketball legend Shaquille O’Neil and Denver Nuggets superstar Jamal Murray. Volkanovski was seen living it up at a nightclub where O’Neil deejayed and grooved to the music behind the DJ’s booth. Meanwhile, Murray can be seen vibing behind the Australian with the featherweight belt on his shoulders. Alexander Volkanovski remains undefeated as a featherweight. After his win, the Australian called for another shot at Islam Makhachev and expressed his eagerness to face the fast-rising featherweight contender Ilia Topuria. Alexander Volkanovski has UFC president Dana White’s approval for Islam Makhachev rematch Alexander Volkanovski is eager to fight for the UFC lightweight title once again, and Dana White appears to be open to the idea. The UFC president was highly impressed with Volkanovski’s statement victory against an opponent as dangerous as Yair Rodriguez. The Australian silenced his doubters and proved why he’s one of the best mixed martial artists in the world by securing a third-round TKO over the ever-dangerous striking phenom at UFC 290. In a post-fight press conference, Dana White praised Alexander Volkanovski’s performance. Claiming that ‘The Great’ displayed utter domination, he said: “Total domination… He put on an unbelievable performance tonight. Yair is so talented… Yair was trying to keep him on the outside, hitting him with some big shots, and Volk was standing with him. The guy is an absolute freak. Extremely talented.” He also approved of Volkanovski calling for another shot at the lightweight title against Islam Makhachev, saying: “He’s at one of those places in his career that whatever he wants to do, what are you going to say? This guy has literally proven himself a million times… Whatever he wants to do, we’ll probably roll with it.”
Sean Strickland on Dricus Du Plessis defeating Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 – “Well that was depressing”
Sean Strickland isn’t happy about Dricus Du Plessis defeating Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. The ever-outspoken UFC middleweight recently took to social media to air his frustration and claimed the result was “depressing.” Du Plessis shockingly beat Whittaker in a middleweight title eliminator at UFC 290 last weekend and secured an incredible second-round TKO victory. In the aftermath, ’Stillknocks’ shared a tense face-off against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the octagon. With Dricus Du Plessis almost certainly fighting Adesanya for the title next, Sean Strickland finds himself on the waiting list for the next championship opportunity. For context, ‘Tarzan’ emphatically called for a title shot after finishing Abus Magomedov at UFC Vegas 76. Expressing his dismay at the South African securing a massive upset win over Whittaker, Strickland tweeted: “Well, that was depressing… Well, looks like we wait….” Strickland is on a two-fight win streak, last beating Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov to redeem two consecutive losses against Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier. While it’s highly unlikely that the 32-year-old American gets to fight Israel Adesanya next, the two middleweights share a mutual dislike for each other and have made no effort to hide it. “Give me the f*cking title. I earned it.”- Sean Strickland claims the UFC owes him a title shot Earlier this month, Sean Strickland secured an impressive second-round TKO win over promotional newcomer Abus Magomedov at UFC Vegas 76. After his victory, ’Tarzan’ called for a title shot and claimed that he’s paid his dues to the promotion by taking unranked fights. While Strickland is the No.7-ranked middleweight contender, his last two opponents weren’t the caliber that the fans expect him to face at this point in his career. He cited good money and staying active as the reasons behind his decision to accept those fights. However, ‘Tarzan’ now wants his willingness to accept challenges with risk but little reward, to be rewarded. At the UFC Vegas 76 post-fight press conference, Sean Strickland claimed he wants a shot at divisional champion Israel Adesanya and said: “It needs to happen, you guys. We know Izzy is on f*cking repeat… Every time they try to bring new blood in, I send them back. Give me the f*cking title. I earned it… I paid my dues. I’ve f*cking paid my dues… Even if Dricus f*cking (wins)… I’m a good sport, man… I f*cking need it, dude. I want it. You guys, the fans, want it. You f*cking want it.”