Benoit Saint-Denis’ manager believes the Dustin Poirier fight was rushed in an attempt to take French attention away from Francis Ngannou’s boxing match with Anthony Joshua.

Did the UFC announce Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis prematurely in an attempt to screw over Francis Ngannou? According to Saint-Denis’ manager, that’s exactly what he thinks happened.

Poirier vs. Saint-Denis was announced by UFC CEO Dana White on January 7th, just two days after a Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua boxing bout in Saudi Arabia was revealed. In a new interview with GONG Gi Or No Gi, “God of War” manager Guillaume Peltier detailed how he had been pushing for a Poirier match-up, but wasn’t getting anywhere … until the Ngannou news broke.

“So what happened — I think, according to me, I have no confirmation, I’m talking to you with an open heart — things accelerated due to Ngannou,” Peltier said. “I think the UFC wanted to counter-attack [news of Ngannou vs. Joshua] and make this news flop a little bit in France.”

“To me, I think they said to themselves ‘We have Cyril Gane or Benoit Saint-Denis, and we have to react immediately to Ngannou’s announcement to ensure it goes by the wayside and no one talks about it.’ And I don’t know if you agree with me, but in the end we talked very little about the Ngannou fight, finally, with the announcement of Benoit Saint-Denis [vs. Dustin Poirier]. The counter-attack succeeded.”

Before the Ngannou announcement, Peltier said the Poirier booking was being repeatedly turned down by matchmaker Sean Shelby and UFC CBO Hunter Campbell. They were suggesting BSD vs. Beneil Dariush, and then everything suddenly changed.

Peltier also confirms what we’d heard previously (and what Dana White denied): that UFC announced the fight before confirming with either fighter. He was on a plane when White revealed the booking on Instagram, and it took several hours of negotiating after landing before terms were agreed to.

Things were left hanging much longer with Dustin Poirier, who would briefly declare the fight off weeks later when the UFC didn’t respond to his terms. A few hours later, Poirier announced that everything had been sorted out and the UFC 299 fight was back on.

So … would the UFC rush their own fight announcement just to try and hurt Francis Ngannou’s hype in France? Sure. Is that what happened here? As Peltier said, there’s no confirmation, but that’s how he read the situation.

And just look back to past Ngannou news days: the UFC announced Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 on the same day Ngannou vs. Fury was announced. And when Big Fran signed with PFL? The UFC announced Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier for the BMF belt at UFC 291.

What do you think, Maniacs? Coincidence or conspiracy?

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC 299 fight week is upon us.

The road to UFC 300 began as soon as we turned the calendar to 2024, and the PPV lineup has only increased in quality with each month. UFC 299 will see the promotion return to Miami, Fla. for the first time since April of last year and it’s such a loaded card that the community has made arguments it’s better than the historic upcoming April date.

Occupying the spotlight in the Sunshine State will be none other than the bantamweight division and its budding superstar champion Sean O’Malley. The main event will see “Sugar” look to avenge the lone loss of his 19-fight career (17-1, 1 NC) when he battles Marlon “Chito” Vera. It feels like a rematch that could have been anticipated at some point. The question was just whether it would be next after their last victories at UFC 292 in August.

Vera (23-8-1) will enter the bout with only one win — a unanimous decision against Pedro Munhoz — since a split decision loss to Cory Sandhagen. The divisional landscape along with Vera’s singular win “streak” is more than enough to use as evidence that O’Malley being champion is the only reason Vera is getting this upcoming opportunity, according to O’Malley.

“Zero percent chance,” O’Malley told ESPN of whether or not Vera would be getting a title shot against a different title holder. “There’s guys deserving. Cory, Merab [Dvalishvili]. You could argue those guys deserve a title fight over ‘Chito.’

“I went out there and knocked out the greatest bantamweight of all time [Aljamain Sterling]. I said, hey, I want one thing. Let me have that ‘Chito’ rematch. I’ve never asked for it. Never really asked for anything. Let me have this ‘Chito’ fight.

“I thought, okay, we’ll meet again. I never went to bed at night thinking, ‘I have to fight ‘Chito’ again,” he continued. “If he can make it, get close enough to where I can offer him a title fight, just get close enough, beat Pedro, I’ll give you the rematch. Everything’s just working out perfect.”

O’Malley, 29, fell short against his Ecuadorian rival in August 2020 via a first-round TKO. “Sugar” has often reflected upon the fight through a lens of “controversy” thanks to the foot injury he suffered from Vera’s leg kicks. Ultimately, “Chito” put away O’Malley with 20 seconds left in the opening frame with some nasty ground and pound elbows and punches.

The 31-year-old Vera has scored two highlight-reel head kick knockouts over all-time greats Dominick Cruz and Frankie Edgar after his O’Malley win. Other notable wins include his wars with Rob Font and Davey Grant.

Meanwhile, O’Malley’s six-fight unbeaten streak consists of four knockouts with none bigger than his last against the aforementioned now-former champion Sterling. It should be noted that O’Malley’s fight with Munhoz in this stretch resulted in a no-contest after Munhoz was unable to continue after a series of accidental eye pokes.

Although the champion believes Vera is aware of the overall fight circumstance, O’Malley doesn’t see it as a mental hurdle to overcome.

“I think ‘Chito’s’ a cold-blooded killer,” O’Malley said. “I don’t think it’s gonna phase him that he’s being gifted this title shot. Do I think he knows that? Yeah. He knows he didn’t go out there — he didn’t even finish Pedro. I beat Pedro in two rounds. So, there’s no way he’s coming off this like, ‘I earned this title fight.’ He knows he’s getting this title fight because I’m champ.

“As far as it affecting him, dude’s a killer. I don’t think that will mentally play any problems for him.”

TOP STORIES

Roundtable. Joshua vs. Ngannou: Is this week make-or-break for Francis Ngannou’s boxing career?

Collab. Alex Pereira wants to train with Israel Adesanya if UFC rivalry is actually over

Rub. Tyson Fury: Francis Ngannou ‘needs to get on his knees and kiss my feet’ for what I’ve done for him

Ouff. Tyson Pedro jokes about financial difficulties after retiring: ‘I’m probably going to have to rob someone’

Unimpressed. ‘What an embarrassment’: Pros react to Jairzinho Rozenstruik stopping Shamil Gaziev between rounds at UFC Vegas 87

Farewell. Jamie Pickett retires following 5th straight UFC loss: ‘I got kids who count on me’

Aftermath. Umar Nurmagomedov fires back at critics claiming he pulls out of fights and doesn’t compete enough

Literally. Renan Ferreira to sit out 2024 PFL season to wait for Francis Ngannou, vows to be ‘a big problem for him’

Matchups. Merab Dvalishvili explains how he’ll beat Sean O’Malley, Marlon Vera in potential title fights

VIDEO STEW

UFC Vegas 87 Post Show.

UFC 299 Countdown.

Road to UFC 299.

Revisiting Bellator 300.

RIZIN Landmark 8 madness.

A Day In the Life of Durinho.

The War Room: O’Malley vs. Vera 2.

Holloway UFC 300 BTS.

Wrestling with Bo.

Cooking and breaking down with Volk.

Morning Poatan.

Wonderboy on the road.

MORNING MUSIC

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Classic Sean.

Vogue.

Dancin’.

Champ.

Just Ribas.

Madrid.

Still so wild.

Beef revisit.

Frame-by-frame.

Yadong looks ready to go.

Rolling.

Jose O’Malley.

Judo king Karo.

Reaction.

Violence

Determined.

Solid.

Wizard

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Victoria Souza (7-1) vs. Noelle Grandjean (4-1); ONE Fight Night 20, March 8

Karl Williams (9-1) vs. Justin Tafa (7-3); UFC Vegas 89, March 23

Mitch Ramirez (8-1) vs. Thiago Moisés (17-7); UFC Vegas 88, March 16

Elves Brener (16-3) vs. Myktybek Orolbai (12-1-1); UFC 301, May 4

Chase Hooper (13-3-1) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (7-3-1); UFC Fight Night, May 11

Trey Waters (8-1) vs. Billy Goff (9-2); UFC Fight Night, May 11

Ramiz Brahimaj (10-4) vs. Themba Gorimbo (12-4); UFC Vegas 92, May 18

FINAL THOUGHTS

UFC 299 is one of those cards that feels like it simply can’t not deliver. Apologies in advance if I jinxed it. Feel free to point your blame back here.

Thanks for reading!

POLL POSITION

Last Week’s Results:

Friday: 70% of 343 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Would Kamaru Usman have beaten Israel Adesanya had he attempted to become a two-division champion?”

Thursday: 53% of 290 total votes answered “Jairzinho Rozenstruik” when asked, “Who wins this weekend?” Rozenstruik defeated Shamil Gaziev via a fourth-round TKO (referee stoppage) at 5:00.

Wednesday: 62% of 467 total votes answered “Yes” when asked, “Will Alexander Volkanovski get an immediate rematch against Ilia Topuria?”

Tuesday: 61% of 456 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Will Sean O’Malley compete in a crossover matchup at some point?”

Monday: 65% of 452 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Did you watch PFL vs. Bellator?”

Today’s exit poll:

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

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Matt Schnell was on the wrong side of one of UFC Vegas 87’s most brutal knockouts.

Just 26 seconds into the second round, Schnell’s opponent, Steve Erceg, unleashed a hellacious left that instantly sent ‘Danger’ crashing to the canvas. Perhaps more brutal than the final blow was the sound of Schnell’s head bouncing off the canvas.

The KO earned Erceg a well-deserved $ 50,000 performance bonus. Sadly, all Schnell got for his trouble was being roasted by referee Chris Tognoni who was assigned to the main card opener.

“Man, I’m not sure what was worse, the punch or you hitting your head on the canvas, man,” Tognoni said while patting Schnell on the chest. “You’ll see on the film.”

“Did you hear it?” he asked Schnell’s corner, who responded with a small nod.

Though the subject of some criticism in the past, Tognoni has proven himself to be a competent referee, for the most part, and likely meant well with his comments. However, his poor choice of words and/or delivery made it seem like he was sh*t-talking Schnell seconds after his soul was separated from his body.

A 13-fight veteran of the UFC, Matt Schnell has now lost three of his last four bouts inside the Octagon, the lone win coming against Sumudaerji via second-round submission in July 2022.

As for Steve Erceg, the Aussie standout is now 3-0 since signing with the promotion last year. In addition to his victory inside The APEX on Saturday, ‘Astro Boy’ has also scored wins over David Dvořák and Alessandro Costa.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Jake Paul has made a splash in the combat sports world since dedicating himself to boxing in 2020. Since then, the YouTube star has gone on to earn wins over some huge fighting names, and he now has his sights set on another legend to add to his resume.

‘The Problem Child’ served up yet another dominant performance last time out. Living up to expectations, the 27-year-old knocked out Ryan Bourland in under three minutes to claim his third straight victory in the ring.

Following his win, Jake Paul sat down with the media for the post-fight press conference. Speaking on his anticipated debut in mixed martial arts, Paul named Tony Ferguson as a possible opponent.

“Anyone [from the UFC roster] who can get out of their contract, I’ll fight,” Paul said while referring to his PFL debut. “That’s easy work as far as I am concerned.”

“I do want to do a PFL-MMA match, it just has to be the right opponent. But Nate did duck my $ 15 million offer so we’ll see who else is on the chopping block. Tony Ferguson? He said he wanted to fight.”

“I don’t want to see him go out like that, that would be said. He’s a great guy, we don’t want that for Tony.”

Tony Ferguson is a much smaller athlete, is riding a devastating run of losses, and is noticeably years past his prime, which is why he is the ideal matchup for Jake Paul.

Related: Jake Paul calls out Canelo Alvarez: ‘I want all the smoke’

The Ohio native has a knack for finding the perfect opponents at the right times. Although long past their best, Paul holds wins over multiple former UFC champions and title challengers.

Paul earlier stated his interest in staying active and his hopes of competing at least twice before the year comes to a close.

“I am going to stay as active as possible and it’s about finding the right opponents. This is my life now and it’s a lifestyle and I’ll be back hopefully two more times before the end of the year.”

Watch the press conference below.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Merab Dvalishvili should be the next man up to fight for the bantamweight title, and he has two potential opponents in waiting.

Behind one door is Sean O’Malley, who recently became champion with a second-round knockout of Dvalishvili’s close friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292; behind the other door is Marlon Vera, one of the division’s stoutest contenders and the only man to have beaten O’Malley. The two collide in the main event of UFC 299 in Miami next Saturday, with Dvalishvili expected to face the winner after defeating Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 to notch his 10th straight victory.

While Dvalishvili’s next fight is a long ways away from being signed, he was asked by Demetrious Johnson to break down how he’d fare against the UFC 299 headliners.

“I see [O’Malley] as a dangerous opponent because he has good footwork, he has knockout power, he has a very strong right hand, and he has good timing,” Dvalishvili said on the MIGHTYcast. “I see him as a dangerous fighter. Once he won on the Contender Series and I saw him in the UFC, I wanted to fight him because I want to challenge myself and I’m still looking that way.

“But how I see [the fight playing out], I think I should stay smart, just patient, keep striking and just wait for my time to shoot. If he defends, I let him go and then I’m going to shoot again, make him slow, make him tired, and eventually I will take him down.”

Dvalishvili has developed a reputation as one of the bantamweight division’s most fearsome grapplers, which on paper seems to make him the perfect foil for the more striking-minded O’Malley. That may be one reason why O’Malley recently entertained the possibility of challenging featherweight champion Ilia Topuria should he get past Vera, an idea that “Sugar” walked back when he received a negative reaction to passing on a Dvalishvili fight.

Should “Chito” defeat O’Malley, it’s unlikely that the company man would campaign for a specific opponent, so it may be a matchup that Dvalishvili will have to consider soon.

“I think ‘Chito’ is also a good fighter,” Dvalishvili said. “Very smart, he’s waiting in his pocket, he’s patient. He’s slow, but he’s sharp. Of course, he has a lot of experience in the UFC, he’s been in so many fights, won and lost. He’s dangerous, he has good kicks as well. But I don’t study him much, ‘Chito’ Vera, yet, but one thing is for sure, I will just train hard. What I learned is that you’ve got to just go step by step every fight. I’m focused on my next fight, next fight, next fight, that’s how I believe. I realized that a couple of years ago, just focus on the next fight.

“So if ‘Chito’ wins, I will just start studying him, but just keep doing my thing. It’s nothing personal, if I lose against them then OK, God bless you, no problem. It’s a fight.”

Dvalishvili has said on multiple occasions that he is so eager to return to action that he is willing to serve as a backup for the UFC 299 main event. It’s a stance that hasn’t changed with the card less than two weeks away.

Even if he’s not needed in that role, he hopes that whoever is champion at the end of next weekend is ready to fight him soon.

“Actually, I want to be back as soon as possible because my last fight, even though I was preparing hard and I was ready, I don’t know, somehow I didn’t feel like I was in a fight,” Dvalishvili said. “I don’t know. I feel like nothing happened and I’m just very hungry for a fight. I still want to compete, my body feels good.

“Usually, after weight cuts, you’re just hungry, crazy, you’re sore, next week you usually feel it and you don’t even want to go to the gym. Now, I feel like I missed it. Today I was at the gym, sparring, training, I love it. I enjoy it. I have motivation. I don’t feel like I just won the fight. Hopefully, the next fight will be soon.”

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Fury believes Ngannou should be thanking him for putting millions in his pockets and positioning him for more superfights in the boxing world.

It’s Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua fight week, and things are heating up as the former UFC heavyweight champion prepares to try and shock the boxing world once again.

Ngannou is getting this opportunity on March 8th because of how well he did in his boxing debut against Tyson Fury back in October 2023. While “The Gypsy King” walked away with a win, it was a controversial split decision many thought he’d lost (watch the highlights here).

Given how “The Predator” had never boxed before, his competitive outing with Fury changed everyone’s perspective on his foray into the sport — including Tyson Fury’s. In a new interview with The Stomping Ground, Fury shared his thoughts on Ngannou vs. Joshua and how the world is looking at it very differently to Ngannou vs. Fury.

“I think it’s a great fight,” Fury said. “When I was fighting Ngannou it was ‘a mismatch’ and it was ‘a bulls— fight,’ but it is what it is and styles make fights.”

“I’m not sure what people expected of the man before that,” Fury added. “I know it was supposed to be a 1000 to 1 shot and he was useless and he couldn’t fight and all that. But he proved everyone wrong, so … fantastic for him. I put him on the map, made him a multi-millionaire. And now I’m making him even more money. So he needs to thank me, he needs to get on his knees and kiss my feet, doesn’t he? For what I’ve done for him.”

“The Gypsy King” refused to provide a prediction for how the Knockout Chaos main event would end.

“I don’t know and I don’t care, to be honest,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens, best man will win on the night, they’re heavyweight giants so anyone can win. Some good, brilliant fights on Friday, I’m looking forward to the whole bill.”

Fury has his own superfight to worry about: a May 18th bout against Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed, unified heavyweight title. In the past, immediate rematches have been standard for match-ups of this significance. But with Saudi Arabia paying the bills and calling the shots, things are a little different.

Saudi matchmaker Turki Alalshikh has said the winner of Fury vs. Usyk will be fighting the winner of Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou. With tens of millions getting paid out, we actually believe we’ll see it in 2024.

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