CombatSports.org

Back when the UFC was booming in Brazil in the early 2010s, with Anderson Silva reaching superstar status, Allan Nascimento was one of the hottest prospects in Brazilian MMA.

But a lot has changed since.

Nascimento stumbled along the way in regional shows before finally joining the UFC a decade later. Now he’s more mature than ever for the challenges he’s facing inside the octagon, and one of the secrets behind that growth, Nascimento said on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast, is helping Chute Boxe leader Diego Lima as cornerman.

“It’s past time since I heard I was a MMA prospect, this kid coming up — time has really passed,” Nascimento said with a laugh. “Thank God I managed to make a name for myself in MMA. I’m with Diego Lima for 16 years now, I’m the longest tenured athlete with him since he started, so we have great chemistry together. A lot of fighters trust me and like having me in their corner. That’s great for me too.”

Chute Boxe currently has 10 fighters under UFC contract, including former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, and Nascimento has worked in their corners many times over the past few years. “Puro Osso”, whose UFC win streak in the flyweight division sits at two following victories over Jake Hadley and Carlos Hernandez, will fly to Mexico in February to corner Daniel Santos and Felipe dos Santos.

Being an active fighter and cornerman helps him in multiples ways, he explained, because “the vision we have from the outside is different. It helps in trusting what the [cornerman] is saying. Sometimes we’re in the octagon and we hear what they say but we try to follow the strategy we have inside our heads. And being a cornerman, I say what my fighter really needs to hear. In fighting, I’m like, ‘I’ll listen to what he’s saying because it’s more likely to happen.’ That learning is very important for us.”

Nascimento won’t be in Oliveira’s corner for the former champ’s next bout, but he’s confident that “do Bronx” will bring the UFC belt back to the team in 2024 if he’s next in line for Islam Makhachev. They were expected to rematch in October after Oliveira finished Beneil Dariush in June, but the Brazilian withdrew 10 days out due to a cut.

“The whole team is working for that,” Nascimento said. “We’re just waiting for the date, time, and place, and we’ll be there. It’s the fight that makes the most sense for everyone involved, UFC, Charles and Makhachev. It really is a tough fight, he’s the champion today, but I think Charles has a different mindset now on what needs to be done. The idea is not to give [Makhachev] any openings.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan is ready to welcome iconic comedian Katt Williams onto his popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.

While appearing on Club Shay Shay with NFL legend Shannon Sharpe, Williams vented his frustration over never having been invited onto an episode of Rogan’s show.

“If you were a comedian that cussed, you were ridiculed by the mainstream comedy-geist,” Williams said. “That would be like me being on Joe Rogan. Joe don’t want me on there, I need to be on Shannon. Joe got six comedians that never been funny he wants to push out, but that’s really how it is” (h/t BJPenn.com)

Joe Rogan Would Love to Have Katt Williams on JRE

It didn’t take long for Rogan to offer his reaction online, revealing that Williams is one of his all-time favorite comics and that he would love to have the longtime funnyman on his program.

“I love Katt. He’s one of my favorite comics and I’d love to have him on,” Rogan wrote on X. “We talk about him all the time. If he’s down I’ll make it happen.”

Katt Williams has not yet responded to Rogan’s invite.

Rising to prominence in the early noughties, Williams had four successful HBO specials and spawned a film career in the process, appearing in genre favorites including Friday After Next, Norbit, First Sunday, and Scary Movie 5. He also won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance on season two of the FX series Atlanta.

LowKickMMA.com

submitted by /u/Yodsanan [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Themba Gorimbo needs a new opponent for his next UFC appearance, and made sure his originally scheduled foe knew what he was feeling before turning the page.

Gorimbo confirmed an initial report from MMA Mania that Kiefer Crosbie was forced to withdraw from their Feb. 3 bout at the APEX with an injury. “The Answer” posted the news to Twitter, also sharing screenshots of social media posts and conversations between he and Crosbie.

Check out Gorimbo’s post below.

“It’s never nice to hear opponent got injured,” Gorimbo stated. “This guy had so much to say about me and now i guess he needs the insurance Lesson is, don’t be a hater. Be Lekker and good things shall come your way. Case closed.

Gorimbo has made two octagon appearances since signing with the promotion, losing his debut to A.J. Fletcher via submission this past February before picking up his first UFC win with a unanimous decision victory against Takashi Sato three months later. The victory inspired actor Dwayne Johnson to gift Gorimbo a house in Miami.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

submitted by /u/Vikt1 [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

In many ways, UFC veteran Ben Rothwell could have easily slid into a title shot when he first arrived in BKFC.

With over 50 fights on his resume and a career dated back more than 20 years, the 6-foot-4 knockout artist became a key free agent pickup after he asked for his release from the UFC to explore new options. Since making his debut, Rothwell has quickly dispatched two opponents in impressive fashion but rather than earn a title shot, he was instead scheduled to clash with Todd Duffee this past December.

Unfortunately, illness wiped out that fight with Rothwell unable to compete but now as he looks ahead at 2024, he’s done waiting for an opportunity that should have already been earned.

“This isn’t like I’m bypassing Todd Duffee,” Rothwell explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “Mick Terrill and I had words a year ago. I was already going after him and he said ‘I’m going to get the belt first and then I’m going to take you out.’ OK, well here we are.

“He’s got the belt and he’s basically holding onto my belt. That’s ultimately the fight I’ve always wanted.”

Terrill, a 7-1 veteran in bare-knuckle fight, claimed the heavyweight title with a knockout over Arnold Adams at BKFC 56. That win avenged a prior loss to Adams back in 2021 with Terrill now riding a three-fight win streak overall.

Rothwell doesn’t really have anything against Terrill personally other than the British born heavyweight holding onto a belt he desperately wants to add to his collection.

Add to that, Rothwell just doesn’t see any other viable options in the division, especially if that means another champion from a lower weight class just packing on some extra pounds in an attempt to compete at heavyweight.

“For me, I feel it’s the biggest and best heavyweight fight, me versus Mick Terrill,” Rothwell said. “There’s talks of some other guys coming after Mick. You’ve got 185-pound guy [Lorenzo Hunt] fighting Mick Terrill does nothing for the heavyweight division. It does nothing for Mick Terrill. It’s a lose-lose for him. If he wins, he’s supposed to win. If he loses, it’s absolutely devastating for his career and him. Why would you do that?

“Fight me. We’re the two biggest heavyweights in the division. That’s what people tune in to see. A heavyweight fight. The two best heavyweights doing battle, that is a fight we can build. Everyone knows what I bring to the table so you know it’s going to be awesome to watch. It’s the fight that needs to happen.”

As disappointed as he was to miss out on his own fight at BKFC 56, Rothwell still watched the event and saw Terrill capture the title after stopping an exhausted Adams in the fourth round. If that performance showed him anything, it’s that Rothwell knows he’s more than ready to take out the new heavyweight champion.

“[That fight showed me] I don’t need to fight anyone else when I know I can beat the heavyweight champ right now,” Rothwell said. “Props to him for being a very tough guy. He gutted some hard shots and things of that nature but the competitor in me has to come out and say I don’t care, I have to take you out now. That’s just how it is.

“Outside of it, I’m happy for him. He gutted out a great fight and took on a guy that had kind ruled that division before all of us got here and he got revenge. They had fought earlier and Mick Terrill had reasons and excuses why he lost and he came and made it right.”

Ideally, Rothwell would like to compete sooner rather than later. He hoped he could fight Terrill as early as February, although that timeline seems unrealistic given the current lineup already confirmed for BKFC through the first two months of the year.

That said, Rothwell doesn’t really care where or when as long as the BKFC heavyweight title is up for grabs.

“I don’t give a s*** where it’s at,” Rothwell said. “I’ll fight him anywhere on this planet. If we’ve got to go to London, then ‘Big Ben’ is going to come show him what time it is.

“I haven’t been this excited to want to fight somebody in a long time. No offense to Mick, but we got it and this is the fight to make. I’m excited for this fight and I know I’ll deliver.”

More than anything, Rothwell hopes Terrill is listening because he knows BKFC will be interesting in putting together the biggest and best possible matchups in the year ahead.

That’s why Rothwell sent Terrill a direct message to ensure that he has the heavyweight champion’s undivided attention.

“Mick Terrill, we’re the two biggest heavyweights in the division, we have the opportunity to have the biggest BKFC heavyweight title fight of all time,” Rothwell said. “It’s an opportunity and it’s not going to come around again. Because I’m here and I’m ready. All the naysayers out there ‘I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to do that.’ — no, I’ve done enough in my career, I beat in my mind I beat the second best heavyweight in Josh Copeland. I earned my shot. I don’t need to fight anybody else when I know I can beat the heavyweight champ right now.

“Mick, you don’t like that? Then prove everyone wrong and do what a champion does and earn that belt by defending it because I’m coming to take it regardless.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Response
| BJPenn.com

Oscar De La Hoya seems ready to bury the hatchet with UFC CEO Dana White, but that doesn’t mean the two will ever see eye-to-eye when it comes to MMA fighters crossing over into the world of boxing.

White, who was a major proponent in setting up Conor McGregor’s historic boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in 2017, has refused to book any more crossovers fights since then. UFC had a prime opportunity to retain former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and help him test his skills inside of the boxing ring, but instead the promotion battled Ngannou over his contract and eventually cut ties in early 2023.

That freed up Ngannou to sign a deal with Professional Fighters League (PFL), which is allowing the former UFC heavyweight champion the luxury to pursue a few major boxing matches. The first came against Tyson Fury late last year — in which Ngannou lost but showed just how good he can be — and now the second is set to come this March as “Predator” meets Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.

De La Hoya, who is still entrenched in the sport of boxing since ending his own professional career over 15 years ago, has always had bad blood with White. The two can never seem to get on the right track, but entering the new year it seems as if “Golden Boy” has no issues with the UFC frontman.

“I have no beef with him whatsoever,” De La Hoya told Mania’s Alex Behunin on Friday. “He’s in the MMA world, I’m in boxing. Now if he’s going to come into boxing that’s a whole different story. Then you’re coming into my world. Then we’ll hopefully sit down and talk, but in the meantime I have nothing to say about him. I literally have nothing to say about him.”

It’s nice to know that De La Hoya is ready to bury the hatchet with White, but there’s still one major thing that separates the two. That is White’s disdain for crossover fights and De La Hoya’s belief that more MMA fighters should take a run at bigger boxing paydays.

“The only thing I have to say about that is I think I heard Dana White say something about, ‘These MMA fighters are not making more money in boxing.’ All I can say or do is laugh. Like are you kidding me? Why do you think MMA fighters are going into boxing and crossing over for the payday?

“That’s the bottom line. And to test their skill, which is admirable because a MMA fighter going into a ring with an elite fighter not only takes balls but you have to believe in yourself and your skill. And that’s admirable.

“When Dana White’s saying they’re not making more money it’s bulls—t. They’re making tons of money inside of the ring in boxing. That’s the bottom line. That’s why you’re seeing Joshua with Ngannou. These guys are warriors.”

MMAmania.com – All Posts

submitted by /u/bighandsomewoman [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Francis Ngannou almost shocked the world against Tyson Fury, but he’s still an underdog heading into his second professional boxing match.

Opening odds for Ngannou’s just-announced fight with ex-champ Anthony Joshua have been released, and the former UFC titleholder remains in the underdog category, albeit not as deeply as for his fight this past October with Fury.

SportsBetting.ag has set the opening odds for Ngannou vs. Joshua, which reportedly takes place March 9 in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia.

Anthony Joshua: -500

Francis Ngannou: +325

The odds imply Joshua has an 83 percent chance of winning the bout. A $ 100 bet on the ex-champ would return $ 20. Ngannou, meanwhile, has a 25 percent chance of winning, and a $ 100 bet would return $ 325.

The sportsbook gives Ngannou a much better chance of winning than his fight with Fury, which he lost via split decision despite knocking down Fury in a highly competitive fight. Fury opened at -1400 to Ngannou’s +750, putting an Ngannou win in the territory of massive upset.

Joshua was expected to face power-punching ex-champ Deontay Wilder after defeating Otto Wallin at Day of Reckoning this past month, but Wilder lost to Joseph Parker in a big upset. Joshua’s promoters clearly pivoted to Ngannou for the March 9 date, the originally planned host for Joshua vs. Wilder.

A press conference formally announcing Joshua vs. Ngannou will take place Jan. 15 in London.

MMA Fighting – All Posts