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WASHINGTON DC — Francis Ngannou is back in the mixed martial arts (MMA) world.

It’s been a rough but financially fruitful road traveled for Ngannou outside of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The former Heavyweight champion has fought twice in professional boxing matches after he relinquished his title and parted ways with UFC in January 2023. Unfortunately for “The Predator,” the results didn’t come as he hoped, losing both his matches to top pound-for-pound boxers, Tyson Fury (watch highlights) and Anthony Joshua (watch highlights).

Ngannou, 37, finally returns to caged competition when welcomed to Professional Fighters League (PFL) by the 2023 Heavyweight champion, Renan Ferreira, at PFL Super Fights PPV in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 19, 2024. The banter took a surprisingly dark turn when Ferreira made a controversial comment that alluded to the death of Ngannou’s 15-month-old son.

“Francis has been going through a tough year in his life, but the toughest challenge in his life and his year is gonna be me,” Ferreira said at the PFL Super Fights PPV pre-fight press conference. “I’m gonna be the biggest problem of his year.”

Several Brazilian fighters have come out to say there was a lapse in translation from the interpreter, or at least believe that it wasn’t meant in the way it was stated.

The fight will be Ngannou’s first in MMA since he successfully defended his title by unanimous decision against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022. The 6-foot-8 Ferreira, 24, has fought eight times since then, going 5-1 and 2 no contests (13-3, 3 no contests overall) with a PFL title among the victories.

UPDATE: Ferreira has since clarified his comments.

“I just want to make something clear,” Ferreira tweeted. “@francisngannou is a great man & i respect him. When i said that i was going to be his biggest this year i was talking about Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury, not about his family. I am a father myself.”

For all the latest PFL news and notes click here.

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The Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III fight card will feature 12 fights at the Arena CDMX on Saturday night in Mexico City, Mexico.

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather will step into the ring against John Gotti III in an exhibition rematch. The last time Mayweather and Gotti III a massive brawl broke out after the fight was stopped in the sixth round.

Former champions Victor Ortiz and Rodrigo Damian Coria will also clash in an exhibition fight.

Get the Mayweather vs. Gotti III fight card below.

Main card (DAZN and PPV.com at 8 p.m. ET)

Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III

Victor Ortiz vs. Rodrigo Damian Coria

Alan David Picasso vs. Azat Hovhannisyan

Curmel Tramayne Moton vs. Victor Vazquez

Prelims

Luis Ocana vs. Cesar Espinoza

Aaron Silva vs. Alfonso Flores

Silvia Torres vs. Cecilia Rodriguez

Luis Arjas vs. Francisco Amezquita

Jursly Vargas vs. Bryan Carrillo

Sekaye Terry vs. Carlos Rosas

John Easter vs. Luis Duran

Trenton Brown vs. Jose Antonio Guadaramma

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Despite both fighters sharing immense skills in their respective Judo and Sambo practices, fans are sure to be surprised to learn that a United States Olympic coach had previously picked now UFC bantamweight contender, Kayla Harrison to beat former lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov in a grappling showdown.

Harrison, a former two-time Olympic gold medal winner in Judo, as well as a two-time PFL lightweight tournament winner, is set to make his sophomore outing under the banner of the UFC in October, taking on perennial Brazilian contender, Ketlen Vieira in a title eliminator in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Making his long-anticipated bow in the promotion on the preliminary card of the massive UFC 300 event back in April, Kayla Harrison landed in the organization with aplomb, courtesy of a dominant second round rear-naked choke win over former champion, Holly Holm in a bantamweight bow.

Coach picks Kayla Harrison to topple Khabib Nurmagomedov in grappling match

And given her expertise in grappling and wrestling, Ohio native, Kayla Harrison was once backed as a severe threat to the ability of the above-mentioned, Nurmagomedov — by a renowned Judo head coach.

“I’d put my money on Kayla (Harrison) unless he’s (Khabib Nurmagomedov) at a really high level of Judo,” Jimmy Pedro told Lex Fridman during a podcast appearance. “If he’s not at that level of JUdo, a brown belt or not a high-level Judo player, she will win.”

Nurmagomedov, a former undisputed lightweight champion in the promotion, also scooped an induction into the Fighter Wing of their Hall of Fame following his retirement back in 2021.

Scoring a perfect 29-0 professional record across mixed martial arts, Nurmagomedov would bow out of combat sports following a dominant second round triangle choke submission win over former interim gold holder, Justin Gaethje that same year.

The victory came as Dagestan native, Nurmagomedov’s third as undisputed champion, following prior submission wins over both former titleholders, Conor McGregor, and Dustin Poirier.

LowKickMMA.com

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s common knowledge in MMA circles that Francis Ngannou and Dana White have a rocky relationship. After being the UFC’s biggest heavyweight superstar for quite some time, Ngannou left due to contract-related conflicts, and White has never been happy about it.

Since Ngannou’s departure, White has frequently taken jabs at the former UFC heavyweight champ. The UFC President has blamed him for not fighting Jon Jones and has discredited his boxing career as well.

In the press conference for his PFL debut against Renan Ferreira on Oct. 19 in Saudi Arabia, Ngannou finally fired back at White’s latest comments…

Francis Ngannou Reveals Why Jon Jones Fight Didn’t Happen Despite His Request

While talking to journalists at the PFL press conference, Ngannou flipped the script and claimed that Jones didn’t want to fight him in the UFC. He allegedly requested the fight multiple times but was told that “Bones” wasn’t willing to fight as he was enjoying life in Albuquerque.

“As far as I’m concerned, it was Jon Jones didn’t want to fight for me, according to them. And so many time that we sit down on the meeting, I’m like, oh it can’t happen Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight anymore. You know, like he live in Albuquerque. He live his small life. He has a lot of money in his bank account, you know. So, I think, the guy who control the narrative can say whatever he wants but that’s just the narrative. I never, I was the one requesting the Jon Jones fight but I didn’t want that like a trap, to get into some deal and get to something I didn’t want.”

As per “The Predator”, another reason why the Jones fight couldn’t happen was his contract. He was down to fight the UFC light heavyweight GOAT but wanted a contract that benefited him in ways other than just money. This included the freedom to box, in-cage sponsorships, and health insurance, among other things.

Ngannou’s relationship with the UFC fell apart when both parties couldn’t negotiate a contract that fulfilled the former’s demands. Instead, the UFC heavyweight champ left the promotion and signed with the PFL.

• Read More: Chael Sonnen Feels Khalil Rountree Fight Will Fast Track Alex Pereira’s Heavyweight Move: ‘The Best Way, Get Him Beat!’

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Clears The Air On Dana White Claiming He Ducked Jon Jones: ‘The Guy Who Control The Narrative…’ at MMA News.

MMA News

Renan Ferreira warns Francis Ngannou that his return to mixed martial arts could end up badly for him if he’s not fully committed and focused on the sport, dividing his attention between MMA and a potential return to boxing in the future.

The former UFC heavyweight champion shocked the world in his boxing debut against Tyson Fury in late 2023, putting on an impressive performance in a split decision loss to “The Gypsy King,” but then lost via second-round knockout to Anthony Joshua this past March.

Ferreira brutalized Ryan Bader in just 21 seconds in a champion vs. champion clash between PFL and Bellator stars earlier this year to win the ticket to welcome Ngannou to PFL, and they will face off Oct. 19 in Saudi Arabia.

“Francis is going through a rough year, but [the task] is even tougher ahead of him,” Ferreira said at Thursday’s PFL press conference in Washington. “He knows he has a big problem ahead of him that will be very hard to solve.”

Ferreira said he’s followed Ngannou’s career for a long time and has been preparing to face someone like him “my whole life.” The Brazilian talent will enter the cage riding a four-fight knockout streak. Ngannou hasn’t competed in MMA since his final UFC appearance in January 2022, when he defended his UFC title against Ciryl Gane.

“It’s a long time away from the cages, and it’s completely different [from boxing],” Ferreira said. “Francis has done boxing matches and it’s a whole different game so I think he will feel the difference, but he’s a warrior. It’s going to be difficult for him on the feet, and in the grappling area, because he knows I can either knock him out or submit him at any moment.

“Many things can happen, but I know Francis is a big champion and is definitely taking this next fight seriously. If his head is not 100 percent on this fight, he has a big problem ahead of him.”

Ferreira said he never doubted that he would be the one to welcome Ngannou to the PFL cage, and used the extra time to enjoy some time with his family and sharpen his tools.

With Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall holds heavyweight belts currently in the UFC, and Ferreira ending 2023 as the division king in PFL, the Brazilian feels that his clash with “The Predator” defines who’s the No. 1 heavyweight in the world today.

“This is the most anticipated fight of the year, two great heavyweights with similar styles, who move forward for the knockout,” Ferreira said. “So this is definitely going to be a great fight and will definitely define who’s the world’s best heavyweight.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has ramped up his calls for an undisputed title fight against champion Jon Jones.  Jones is expected to face former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic later this year and Aspinall is the backup fighter on standby incase one of them has to pull out.  

In a video posted to YouTube on Thursday, Aspinall said he doesn’t understand why Jones and Miocic are even fighting and called them ‘two old men.’  

“I’m back training, started taking over a little bit in the gym preparing for the rumored fight, which isn’t confirmed yet, which is obviously Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, New York City.  As I said, this fight hasn’t been confirmed,” Aspinall said.  

“After my last fight against Curtis Blaydes, there was some talk about me being the backup fighter.  The UFC spoke to me directly about that and I said, ‘I’m in.’  Somebody pulls out, I’m in.  One days notice, ten days notice, ten weeks notice, one-hours notice, I’ll be prepared for that date, so you let me know,” Aspinall continued.  

“I’m ready to take the fight.  I’m No. 1 in the division, not Jon Jones, not Stipe Miocic.  They’re a couple of older fellas having a fight, fighting for the title for some reason.  I don’t know why that reason is.  I am the guy at heavyweight, so I”m ready to prove that on an hour’s notice if I need to.  No problem.  I’ll be there.”

Aspinall. has heard rumors of potential injuries and believes both Jones and Miocic are ‘injury prone’ at their ages.  

“I’m hearing rumors that Stipe is potentially injured.  These are stuff that I’m hearing from inner circles.  Stipe, I believe his birthday was yesterday actually, he’s 42-years old.  The guy is going to be injury prone.  Jon Jones, a million miles on the clock, he’s going to be injury prone,” said Aspinall.  

“Me, I’m ready to go.  I’m not even in my prime yet.  I’m hungry for it.  I’m not sure these two guys are, but I am and I’ll fight either of them for the undisputed title on any notice.  I’m ready,” continued the interim champion.

“Jon Jones had an amazing career.  I ain’t putting Jon Jones down.  Jon Jones isn’t the best heavyweight in the world right now.  That’s me, so I want what’s mine.  I’m pissed off for greatness.  I believe that I should be the No. 1 heavyweight in the world.  I feel like I’ve done what it takes to deserve that and I’m ready to prove it.  Jon Jones isn’t.  That’s all.  My issue with Jon Jones is he’s got the belt and I want it.  I want it.  I’ve got the belt too and I want to unify the belts.  There shouldn’t be two heavyweight champions.  There should be one.” 

“I just want the belt.  The issue is not with Jon.  The issue is not with Stipe.  The issue is with them holding the belt hostage.”      

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The PFL 9 weigh-in video features all 20 fighters set to compete on Friday’s card at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

The fight card features semifinal matchups for the featherweight and welterweight divisions as fighters vie for their chance to compete in the championship event for the chance to win $ 1 million.

In the main event, past featherweight season winner Brendan Loughnane faces UFC veteran Kai Kamaka III. Both fighters have to hit the 146-pound limit for a non-title fight.

For co-main event competitors Magomed Umalatov and Neiman Gracie, both semifinalists will have to hit the 171-pound welterweight limit for a non-title fight.

The PFL 9 ceremonial weigh-ins kick off at 6 p.m. ET. Watch a live stream above.

Official PFL 9 weigh-ins took place Thursday morning.

See official results below.

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

Brendan Loughnane (146) vs. Kai Kamaka III (145.6)

Magomed Umalatov (170.6) vs. Neiman Gracie (170)

Gabriel Braga (146) vs. Timur Khizriev (145.8)

Shamil Musaev (170.2) vs. Murad Ramazanov (171)

Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

Ray Cooper III vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov

Eric Alequin vs. Luca Poclit

Tyler Diamond (145.6) vs. Enrique Barzola (145.4)

Jesse Stirn (145.6) vs. Jose Perez (145.3)

Maxwell Djantou Nana (263.8) vs. Kent Mafileo (248)

Shido Boris Esperanca (170.8) vs. Tyler Hill (171)

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