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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Pedro Munhoz has faced some of the all-time best in the bantamweight division, from champions to contenders. Now he has a new name in mind for a future opponent.

Munhoz meets unranked prospect Kyler Phillips this Saturday on the undercard of UFC 299 in Miami, and told MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast that he wouldn’t like to end his career without competing against former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo.

“We’re the same age, he’s a legend of the sport, really good at what he does,” Munhoz said. “He’s not in the prime of his career — not a knock whatsoever, this is how the sport works. I think it would be a good fight, I would like to see happen in the future.”

Cejudo dropped a decision to Merab Dvalishvili in his most recent UFC bout and voiced his interest in facing ex-flyweight champion Brandon Moreno next.

Munhoz prefers his idea more.

“It would make more sense [to fight me] at bantamweight than [Moreno] at flyweight,” said Munhoz, whose résumé includes bouts with Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, Sean O’Malley, Aljamain Sterling, Frankie Edgar, Cody Garbrandt, and John Dodson.

Munhoz said he was initially approached about matchups with Ricky Simon and Umar Nurmagomedov, but the final offer from the UFC was Kyler Phillips at UFC 299.

The Brazilian veteran revealed he recently signed a new deal with the UFC and foresees himself competing at the highest level for “two or there more years,” but isn’t obsessed with chasing top-ranked opponents anymore.

“I don’t know who does the rankings,” Munhoz said. “Dominick Cruz doesn’t fight in two years and he’s still ranked at No. 12. Nothing against him, I even like him as a person and I think he’s a good athlete, but the thing about the rankings is that it doesn’t even make sense. I believe there’s other purpose behind the rankings, and I stopped caring a long time ago. I took this fight with [Chris] Gutierrez who was way behind me, and took the fight with Kyler Phillips now, who isn’t even ranked.”

Munhoz defeated Gutierrez via decision in April 2023, but then lost a short-notice decision to Marlon Vera in August after taking the fight to replace an injured Cejudo. The American Top Team bantamweight said he sees openings in Philips’ game to attack at UFC 299, and being good at breaking down opponents is key to his post-fighting career.

Munhoz sees “no reason to stop” fighting now. He, however, is already working with former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown in a transition to a coaching role.

“I’m already taking my first steps as a coach, replacing some [coaches] at American Top Team in a development program we have at American Top Team, for athletes that are migrating to MMA,” Munhoz said. “Mike Brown and I work on this program together and it’s something I see myself doing for a long time. I feel fine fighting and I’m always testing myself against younger fighters. I feel I’m getting better every day too, despite the losses I’ve had in the past few years.”

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JDS has spoken
| BJPenn.com

*** HIGHLIGHTS! Watch Joshua Batter Ngannou With Legendary Knockout! ***

The mixed martial arts (MMA) world watched in horror Friday night as former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou was knocked out cold by boxing superstar Anthony Joshua. It was the first time fight fans have ever seen Ngannou seriously hurt in a fight, let alone laying on his back unconscious looking up at the stars.

Needless to say, the result of Ngannou’s second pro boxing match was shocking. “Predator” may have been a betting underdog against Joshua, but he handled himself so good against Tyson Fury last October that it seemed completely plausible that Ngannou could pull of the upset on Friday. Sadly for Ngannou and MMA fans around the world, Joshua was simply too good and would not be denied the early knockout finish.

After witnessing Ngannou’s destruction, the MMA community took to social media to share their support and utter shock for how things turned out. Some fighters even started to pray for Ngannou’s health after seeing Joshua’s final right hand. It wasn’t a good moment for many around MMA, including former UFC champions Daniel Cormier and Israel Adesanya.

Check out Cormier’s reaction to Ngannou getting slept below:

“He just dropped Francis,” said Cormier. “Oh my goodness.”

“Oh my gosh,” he continued. “Again, bro. Oh that was worse. Left hook. I think Francis might be done boys. It does not look good. Francis is hurt bad.”

“Oh sh-t,” shouted Cormier after the final blow was delivered. “Oh my god.”

Adesanya, who has forged a close relationship with “Predator” over the past few years, was speechless after witnessing his friend get knocked out cold inside of the boxing ring. The look on Adesanya’s face said it all.

Check it out below:

For complete Ngannou vs. Joshua results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The Sean O’Malley vs. Chito Vera full fight video shows how the UFC bantamweight champion suffered the only loss of his career – even though O’Malley might disagree.

Vera’s leg kicks proved to be too much at UFC 252 as his early destruction took too much of a toll, leading to a first-round knockout of O’Malley at the 4:37 mark at the Aug. 16, 2020 event.

Since the loss, O’Malley has reeled off five wins in his past six fights (with one no-contest), including a knockout of former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling in the second round of the UFC 292 main event this past August.

Vera has won five of his seven fights since his win over O’Malley. His losses were to Corey Sandhagen (split decision) and Jose Aldo (unanimous decision). Vera defeated Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision in his last outing at UFC 292.

Sean O’Malley and Chito Vera will clash again in the UFC 299 main event as O’Malley will make his first title defense of his UFC bantamweight championship on pay-per-view in Miami on Saturday night.

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P4P great Demetrious Johnson believes Anthony Joshua could beat Francis Ngannou in the ring and the cage.

On Friday (March 8), ‘The Predator’ stepped inside the squared circle for the second time in his career to take on the WBC’s top-ranked contender, Anthony Joshua. Following a critically acclaimed performance against Tyson Fury in October, fight fans were anxious to see what Ngannou could do against one of the heavyweight division’s heaviest hitters. It took us less than two rounds to find out.

After sitting Ngannou down not once, but twice with a couple of solid straight rights, Joshua blasted the former UFC champion with a vicious right hook that immediately rendered Ngannou unconscious, sending him violently crashing to the canvas.

Following the contest, fans and fighters had plenty to say, but perhaps the hottest take from former UFC and current ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson. Speaking on his YouTube channel, ‘Mighty Mouse’ suggested that Anthony Joshua — who has never once competed in mixed martial arts — would deliver a similar result should the two titans run it back in MMA someday.

“Does Anthony Joshua beat Francis Ngannou in an MMA fight? I think he does and here’s the reason why — I think it would just be another striking match,” Johnson said. “AJ understands his distance. He has better hands than Francis and he can make make Francis whiff and miss again. Unless Francis is going to change his tactics and clinch him and wrestle him… But AJ is very athletic. He is smaller and more limber. I think he’d be able to stuff the shot and give it to Francis Ngannou.”

After Loss to Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou Heads back to MMA where 6’8″ monster Renan Ferreira awaits

Expected to make his Smart Cage debut later this year, Ngannou has previously spoken about a crossover clash with boxing star Deontay Wilder under the PFL banner. But first, ‘The Predator’ will have to contend with 6’8″ Renan Ferreira — winner of the 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament.

Last month, Ferreira scored a stunning 21-second knockout of Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in the PFL vs. Bellator headliner. As a result, he will be the man to welcome Ngannou back to the world of MMA.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Dustin Poirier remains one of the top lightweights in the world despite a recent loss to Justin Gaethje, and he never seems far away from putting himself back into title contention.

That’s why his upcoming fight at UFC 299 was met with some confusion after Poirier was matched up with Benoit Saint Denis, who’s widely regarded as a serious prospect at 155 pounds but also someone who remains largely unproven without any significant wins over any top-10 ranked opponents. Rather than climb up that ladder, Saint Denis gets the chance to jump right to the front of the line when he clashes with Poirier on Saturday.

According to Mike Brown, who has served as Poirier’s head coach for several years, he says there was no hesitation in accepting the fight, even with the high-risk, low-reward potential for beating a less established opponent.

“I know what you’re saying about the risk-reward, all of that. But at the end of the day, Dustin, I think this is his 30th UFC fight, so he’s done and seen it all,” Brown told MMA Fighting. “At this point, he’s experienced all kinds of types of matchups, so for him, I don’t think that stuff matters anymore.

“I think that he’s literally seen everything they can throw at him. He’s in a different place completely. To him, he’s still trying to show that he’s capable of beating anyone on the planet and he’s willing to fight anybody on the planet. It’s a tough challenge and it’s one Dustin’s comfortable taking.”

In the immediate aftermath of his loss to Gaethje last year, Poirier admitted that he wasn’t all that interested in jumping back into the fray to face a long list of rising contenders. He openly stated that he had turned down a fight offered to him against Beneil Dariush in the past because he just didn’t get “excited” about it.

It’s safe to say that Saint Denis hasn’t accomplished as much at lightweight as a veteran like Dariush, so is there a chance that Poirier isn’t as motivated by this fight?

“He’s a veteran like no other,” Brown said of Poirier. “This is his 30th UFC fight. I think he’s in the top 12 or something like that for victories or fights. There’s not many guys that have done it more than he has, and the quality of guys he’s seen in that. He’s seen it all. This guy is not afraid of a challenge. He has never been a guy to go into a fight half-heartedly or not 100 percent or not with all intentions to kill, crush, and destroy.

“He’s gifted with amazing conditioning and amazing power. He’s always had those things, and as you mature, you just gain more and more knowledge and skill. He’s a bad dude and can take anybody. We’re confident in the matchup.”

A quick look at Poirier’s résumé shows that he’s taken on any number of tough challenges in his career, and he’s left a lot broken bodies in the wake of his destruction over the years.

If anything, Brown says Poirier has long since proven where he stands in the division, and that the real curiosity in this fight surrounds Saint Denis and where he fits in the hierarchy at 155 pounds.

“There’s questions to be asked,” Brown said. “Obviously, [Saint Denis] has an impressive résumé. He’s done what he’s supposed to do. He has one loss, no shame in that loss. It was at welterweight. He’s finished everybody he’s ever beaten, but he hasn’t fought the caliber of fighters Dustin has.

“We’ll see what happens when he steps up and fights that next tier, that top-level athlete, that top of the food chain fighter. Those are the questions that need to be asked, and those are the questions that will be answered on Saturday.”

That being said, Brown still had a lot of praise to offer to Saint Denis based upon the body of work he’s studied to get Poirier ready for this fight.

Saint Denis may not have faced the same level of competition as Poirier yet, and he has far less experience in comparison to the former interim lightweight champion, but he’s demolished every lightweight the UFC has thrown at him thus far, which is exactly why he’s getting this opportunity.

“He’s a big finisher,” Brown said. “He’s finished 100 percent of his victories, so he’s an exciting guy. He’s got power, he’s got [submissions].

“I’ve watched him and I had seen him in the past, but when I started like delving deeper, started watching more film, I was like dang, I can’t believe I wasn’t watching this guy closer. Because he is super exciting and really fun to watch.”

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