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Francis Ngannou’s freakish power put a scare in Tyson Fury, and his coach is confident that he can put Anthony Joshua down for the count.

Coach Dewey Cooper is predicting a knockout win this Friday for Ngannou, who faces heavyweight boxing star Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This will be just the second boxing match for the former UFC champion and current PFL fighter, but Cooper saw enough in Ngannou’s near upset of Fury this past October to call his shot.

Ngannou lost a split decision to Fury, but scored the lone knockdown of the bout in Round 3, a moment that sent the combat sports world into a frenzy. If he has the same kind of success with his power punches against Joshua, Cooper expects the bout to end inside the distance.

“Tyson Fury may go down, but he gets up,” Cooper said on The MMA Hour, when comparing Fury and Joshua’s durability. “He’s been dropped in numerous fights, even multiple times, but he gets up and he still fights. We can’t say the same for Joshua. So that’s just basic mathematics. Arithmetic-wise, you’ve got to say Tyson Fury’s definitely more durable, if not having the better chin.”

“In the heavyweight division, especially with a guy like Francis punching, everyone’s chin is [vulnerable] and can be broken,” Cooper continued. “So I’m not going to say [Joshua is] chinny, it’s just that if he gets hit clean in the heavyweight division, a lot of guys will go down. I don’t think he’s necessarily chinny, but does he have the wherewithal, the intestinal fortitude to get up? He did it against [Wladimir] Klitschko, but that’s a 40-year-old Klitschko. Can he do it against one of these tigers that’s hungry, that’s coming to hit you hard and really do some damage? We’ll see. A lot of questions are going to be answered in four days. Media said Francis was a hoax, didn’t take him serious. People said that Joshua’s chinny, etc. We’ll see in four days.

“But I can tell you one thing: Francis is ready to go. He’s ready to shock the world again. Lightning will strike twice.”

Given Joshua’s vast advantage in boxing experience, a Ngannou knockout would surprise many. But after he took Fury to the limit, it would likely be less surprising than if the outcome had been suggested six months ago. There’s also the fact that Ngannou earned a reputation as one of the most feared finishers during his time with the UFC, winning 10 of his 12 bouts inside the octagon via strikes.

Cooper was also asked to compare how difficult it is to prepare for Joshua compared to Fury, and while he conceded that Fury provided a fair share of headaches, Cooper and his team also have plenty of respect for the sheer punching power of Joshua.

“Tyson Fury, 100 percent, just because he’s trickier,” Cooper said. “Tyson Fury is way more dynamic. He’s multidimensional. He has many styles he fights, so he’s definitely trickier. But don’t confuse being tricky with being effective and being dangerous. Anthony Joshua, for sure, is the more dangerous opponent, Tyson Fury is the more trickier opponent.

“So we understand the danger of this fight and Francis is ready for it.”

“Good, old-fashioned power,” Cooper added, pointing out what makes Joshua a major challenge. “I knew Tyson Fury could not hurt Francis with one punch. Tyson Fury is a multitude guy, he wears you down with pace, numbers, and some dirty boxing. He burns you out psychologically first and then he just wears on you and breaks you down.

“Anthony Joshua actually has one-punch knockout power as well, so the danger element is more intensified against Anthony Joshua, and we understand that. Francis will be sharp, he’ll be smart, and most importantly he’ll be dominant.”

As much respect as Cooper has for Joshua, if the winner of Friday’s bout comes down to who hits harder, he knows who he’s betting on. He made sure to double down on his bold prediction, just in case there was any doubt.

“The furious, ferocious, feisty fists of Francis finishes Joshua in four more days.”

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Vince McMahon, who resigned from his role as executive chairman over TKO Group Holdings in January, is selling off more than $ 400 million worth of stock that he holds in the company.

According to a public filing made to the Securities and Exchange Commission, McMahon filed to sell 5.35 million shares — currently worth $ 411.95 million — of TKO stock, which accounts for about a quarter of his remaining holdings in the company. The move comes after McMahon previously sold off $ 700 million worth of stock in TKO this past November, which was around 25 percent of his original shares in the company.

The paperwork filed shows that McMahon intends to sell the shares, which means nothing has been finalized just yet, so the actual price he’ll receive from the sale could change based on the current price of the stock. As of closing on Monday, TKO stock was trading at $ 81.67 per share, which is up from the $ 77 per share listed in McMahon’s filing for the sale.

The latest sale of TKO stock comes after McMahon left the company following a lawsuit filed against him by a former WWE employee alleging sexual assault, sex trafficking, and other abuses she suffered working for him. McMahon has maintained his innocence regarding the lawsuit, but he ultimately tendered his resignation “out of respect” to the WWE, TKO, and the other shareholders in the company.

While McMahon is no longer associated with the business, he still stands as one of the largest shareholders in the company. Endeavor, the parent company to TKO Group Holdings, acquired WWE this past April and maintains a 51-percent controlling interest over the company, with Ari Emanuel installed as CEO.

WWE was then merged with UFC in the new company, which was valued at more than $ 21 billion.

As far as McMahon selling off more stock in the company, TKO president Mark Shapiro addressed that possibility just a few days ago during a quarterly financial call.

“He’ll do whatever he’s going to do, and we’re all on the sideline,” Shapiro said of McMahon. “We’ll have a look, we’ll see. We have no idea on timing. We’re not having any discussion with him. He’s given us no point of view on his motive or his plans to sell or not sell, or if he does, how much. So, we’re going to wait around and find out just like you.”

It appears McMahon made that decision with this latest filing to sell off more than $ 400 million more in his shares in TKO Group Holdings.

Emanuel and Endeavor previously bought up more than $ 100 million worth of the stock that McMahon sold, but there’s no word yet if a similar deal will happen with this latest sale.

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Ahead of his huge clash against Devin Haney on April 20, fans have been worried about Ryan Garcia’s actions on social media.

‘King Ryan’ established himself as a fan-favorite in the boxing world but it seems his personal life has been in a downward spiral of late. First, the sportsman was accused of taking recreational drugs before a strange video surfaced that had supporters fearing for his life.

Now, to address the unusual past few days, Ryan Garcia posted a video on social media. An uneasy Garcia vaguely spoke of his recent troubles, insisting he no longer has access to his mobile phone or bank account.

“Hey, guys. It’s me, Ryan. I’m coming on here to explain what’s going on,” Garcia stated. “I’m not in possession of my phone.”

“I can’t get access to my Instagram. My cards are locked and I’m just being really taken advantage [of].”

He then went on to reassure those who were fearing for his safety amid the recent rumors surrounding his name, though he did vaguely claim somebody tried to put him in jail.

“I personally wanted just to send out a video to the people that love me, and my fans and family that’s concerned that I’m ok.”

“I’m not dead. I believe in Jesus, all those are lies. You know, they tried to put me in jail. They’re blocking my cards, I can’t access my money.”

“Nobody’s hitting me back. I don’t know what’s going on but just know I’m ok. Love.”

Clearing things up pic.twitter.com/nVapB4EuwG

— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) March 4, 2024

Related: Sean O’Malley and Ryan Garcia trade shots on social media as fight talks heat up

Ryan Garcia heading to the UFC?

Aside from one loss to the generational Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia has been largely successful in his boxing career. He has the chance to prove himself when he collides with Devin Haney next month.

Despite preparing for a boxing match, Garcia has his sights on a potential future move to the UFC. Though talks have likely not taken place between the fighter and the MMA promotion, the 25-year-old did call out Sean O’Malley during a rant on social media. 

Ryan Garcia believes he would shock the world by stepping into the cage and beating the UFC bantamweight champion, though O’Malley believes otherwise. ‘Sugar’ labeled the boxer ‘delusional’ for believing he could enter the highest level of mixed martial arts and be a success.

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UFC

Jairzinho Rozenstruik has headlined more Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events than all current champions not named Leon Edwards and Jon Jones.

UFC Vegas 87 was the sixth time in Rozenstruik’s 13-fight UFC career (8-5, 14-5 overall) that he’s headlined an event inside the Octagon, which ties him with the same amount as the Welterweight champion, Edwards. Suriname’s Rozenstruik, 35, brought his record in headliners back to .500 when he earned a fourth round stoppage over Shamil Gaziev this past weekend (March 2, 2024).

The Heavyweight Fight Night king was unaware of the stat before his recent bout but believes it only further proves the level he’s been at since his UFC arrival in February 2019.

“I didn’t know that going into the fight,” Rozenstruik said on The MMA Hour. “While I was at fight week on media day everybody started talking about it so I paid a little bit closer attention to that. I’m happy that the UFC sees that I have the main event caliber in me and they know I can bring the main event action. That’s a plus for me as a person and also as a fighter.”

Rozenstruik was undefeated for his first 10-plus fights like his recent opponent Gaziev. Dejected from the first time loss, Gaziev expressed his feelings in the aftermath, which led to a classy response from “Bigi Boy.”

“.@GazievMMA, don’t worry about the loss,” Rozenstruik tweeted. “Imagine what I’ve gone through when I lost my undefeated status. I hope you recover soon! Be good.”

For complete UFC Vegas 87 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.

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A lightweight showdown between Elves Brener and Myktybek Orolbai is set for May 4 at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Both fighters confirmed the bout on social media following a report by Ag. Fight.

Brener (16-3) won back-to-back $ 50,000 performance bonuses in his most recent octagon appearances, knocking out Guram Kutateladze and Kaynan Kruschewsky. The Chute Boxe talent is 3-0 since joining the promotion and has won five straight with four stoppages.

Orolbai (12-1-1) made the most of his first UFC opportunity this past November by tapping out welterweight Uros Medic with a neck crank with less than a minute left in the second round. The 26-year-old Kyrgyzstan native rides a seven-fight finishing streak into UFC 301.

UFC has yet to announce the headlining attraction for UFC 301. The lineup currently includes matchups such as Paul Craig vs. Caio Borralho and Joaquim Silva vs. Drakkar Klose. UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja is also expected to defend his title on the card, however his opponent has yet to be determined.

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