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It appears that Francis Ngannou is gearing up for his long awaited return to MMA, after what has been a difficult year for the former UFC heavyweight champion.

The PFL fighter recently announced that he will be hoping to step back inside the cage later this year in what is sure to be an emotional moment for both he and his fans.

Messages and support poured in from all angles of the combat sports world in April after Ngannou announced the tragic passing of his 15-month-old son Kobe.

A teammate of his said that “The Predator” appears to be building up some steam in training, and he’s doing it with fire in his eyes after what he has been through.

Tim Johnson Says Francis Ngannou Is Slowly Returning To The Gym With Motivation

Former UFC and Bellator veteran Tim Johnson is set to make his return in the main event of PFL 7 this weekend where he takes on Denis Goltsov.

During his training camp at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, he crossed paths with his teammate and fellow PFL fighter as he works his way back.

Johnson gave an update on Ngannou during a recent interview with MMA News, stating that one of the baddest men on the planet is slowly coming back to speed.

“He’s been in the gym, getting his wheels greased again. Kind of going slow but he’s in no rush like he doesn’t, it’s not like he’s fighting in eight weeks or anything but yeah he’s been back in the gym, feeling big, strong, like he always has.”

Johnson also said that Ngannou appears to be doing okay mentally from what he has been able to take away from their conversations.

He said that if anything, the heavyweight knockout artist is now in a position where he is using this difficult time in his life as fuel.

“He seems to be, yeah. I talked to him a little bit and as a father to father, I told him, me and my wife gave him our sympathies. I couldn’t imagine it, that’d be the worst scenario in any parents life and he seems to be harnessing it and utilizing it.”

Read also: 2024 PFL 7 Playoffs: Denis Goltsov vs. Tim Johnson Weigh-In Results

Continue Reading PFL Headliner Tim Johnson: Francis Ngannou ‘Harnessing’ Grief Of Losing Son In Training [Exclusive] at MMA News.

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As the world begins to change, many things are now acceptable that were once deemed despicable — but Sean Strickland isn’t sitting in silence.

The 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games may go down as one of the most controversial in its over 100-year history. Whether you side with their policies or not, it remains true that the backlash the Olympics has received this time around is unlike ever before.

One of the major concerns with this year’s Olympics falls under the women’s boxing event. Many are outraged with the inclusion of Imane Khelif into the women’s game — with most believing that the Algerian is a man, despite conflicting reports. The anger from supporters was only elevated when Khelif dominated a saddened Angela Carini in the ring.

Sean Strickland is the latest to get involved with the online assault on Khelif. The UFC star posted to social media to share his disgust.

“Such an utter disgrace,” Strickland stated. “This is a man, a mentally ill man beating up women.”

“There are 2 genders and that is a man. Never accept this woke corporate agenda”

“Harley Davidson would be proud, one of many companies who support this financially and ideologically.”

Such an utter disgrace. This is a man, a mentally ill man beating up women.

There are 2 genders and that is a man

Never accept this woke corporate agenda

Harley Davidson would be proud, one of many companies who support this financially and ideologically https://t.co/w6JdJo3ucy

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) August 1, 2024

However, this wasn’t the last Strickland had to say on the matter.

The former UFC middleweight champion posted a video giving his truth on why Imane Khelif shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near women’s boxing.

“So, guys, what do we know about this boxer? We know this boxer failed a gender test. We know that this boxer was not tested for her/his gender in the Olympics.”

Related: Angela Carini suffers controversial Olympics defeat, UFC fighters react

“We know the Olympics gender test consists of, ‘Hey, what does your passport say?’ You can’t blame us for being skeptical of the Olympics after they just f***ing shoved this transgender f***ing cesspool down our f***ing throats.”

“So, yes Olympics, we are a little f***ing skeptical with you. But, let’s give this boxer the benefit of the doubt. Let’s just say that yes, you did fail a gender test and yes, you do have male chromosomes.”

“Yes you were born a woman and you claim to be a woman. Let’s say this happened. You can do anything on this f***ing planet.”

“You can be a f***ing doctor, you can be a lawyer, you can cure f***ing cancer. But what you shouldn’t do, what you can’t do is go and f***ing beat up women. So, just f***ing stop.”

Here's the facts. The Olympics didn't test this boxer for political reasons. This boxer has failed a gender test in the past. The boxer may be intersex.. This situation was created because the Olympics failed their athletes and their fans out of political wokeness. pic.twitter.com/c5fRqGyiny

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) August 1, 2024

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Jiu-jitsu legend Mackenzie Dern is ready to face Loopy Godinez this Saturday at UFC Abu Dhabi, and she feels at home competing at the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Dern made a name for herself collecting gold medals in jiu-jitsu before transitioning to MMA in 2016, and the victory that brought her biggest jiu-jitsu spotlight onto her took place in 2015 in Abu Dhabi, when she defeated the much heavier Gabi Garcia en route to capturing the absolute title at the Abu Dhabi World Pro.

“I have so much love for Abu Dhabi and the people here, the sheik, and their support for jiu-jitsu and fight itself,” Dern told MMA Fighting. “They’ve been investing so much in the sport for so long. The vibe I feel being back here is so good, I’m feeling 100 percent that the win will come Saturday.”

Photo via Eduardo Ferreira

Dern defeated Michelle Nicolini and Vanessa Oliveira to win double gold at the 2015 World Pro, but it was her hard-fought absolute semifinal win over Garcia that changed everything in her career.

“If that hadn’t happen, maybe I wouldn’t have taken the next step of coming to MMA and everything else,” Dern said. “It’s crazy the steps we take in life, and now I’m back here. I believe it’s going to be another incredible moment here.”

Grappling promotion ADXC will hold an event Friday featuring the likes of Urijah Faber, Bibiano Fernandes, and Chad Mendes in no-gi matches, and Dern said she’s in talks for a potential match on Oct. 25, the night before UFC 308 lands in Abu Dhabi. Her father, jiu-jitsu legend Megaton Dias, could also be on the card.

For now, she’s focused on beating Godinez at UFC Abu Dhabi to snap a two-fight losing skid at the hands of Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos, and feels more motivated having her daughter Moa with her during fight week.

“I joke that I lost those fights and Moa wasn’t there watching me fight, so she’s here in Abu Dhabi with me,” said Dern. “I came here two weeks early and I’m feeling at home. It calms down my heart a bit, and that’s something I’ve been working on more because sometimes I go in too emotional and turn the fight into a brawl after the first punch lands, and sometimes that’s unnecessary. The fight can be 10 times easier for me if I stay calm.”

“I know it won’t be an easy fight, not at all, but I just fought Amanda Lemos, Jessica Andrade, Amanda Hill, who also beat Loopy,” she continued. “I’ve fought a former champion, former contenders. Loopy is very tough, but I don’t know if she’s fought opponents like that, you know? I believe Loopy has to evolve in some areas to win this fight, but I’ve been evolving as well.”

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Carla Esparza is ready to hang up the gloves.

MMA Fighting confirmed with sources with knowledge of the matchup that Esparza and Tecia Pennington are set to face off at UFC 307, which is expected to take place at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5. MMA Junkie was first to report the strawweight bout.

Esparza, a two-time champion at 115 pounds, announced Friday that this is to be the final fight of her 15-year career.

The Oct. 5 matchup is actually a rematch from 2014, when Esparza defeated Pennington (then Torres) via majority decision in an exhibition bout to advance to The Ultimate Fighter 20 semifinals. Esparza went on to win that season’s tournament and become the UFC’s inaugural strawweight champion.

Esparza (19-7) has not fought since a loss to Zhang Weili at UFC 281 in November 2022, which ended her brief second reign as strawweight champion. The following March, Esparza announced that she was pregnant and she gave birth this past September.

Among Esparza’s career highlights are a who’s who of notable wins, including Rose Namajunas (twice), Yan Xiaonan, Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, and Alexa Grasso.

Also a proud mom, Pennington (13-7) recently returned from a long layoff after giving birth in June 2023. She lost a split decision to Tabatha Ricci in her most recent outing.

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| BJPenn.com

With the UFC Abu Dhabi early (and official) weigh ins already in the books, the promotion will send all 26 fighters back to the stage for the ceremonial festivities, popping off LIVE at 10 a.m. ET in the embedded video above. This marks the final stop before the “Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov” MMA event on ABC, ESPN2 and ESPN+ tomorrow (Sat., Aug. 3, 2024) at Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Get complete UFC Abu Dhabi early weigh-in results right here.

“Umar is a unique fighter,” Sandhagen told reporters at the UFC Abu Dhabi media day. “Stylistically, he’s a really tough fight. I had to work in a lot of overtime hours in order to make sure I was prepared for this fight. But the rankings, him coming up, the odds, the bettors, I couldn’t honestly give a sh*t less. I’m focused on what I’m going to do Saturday, and that’s executing underneath the lights, and I can’t wait for that peace because it’s weird that people are counting me out for this one, but I just can’t wait to prove all those people wrong.”

“No one’s seen me defensively wrestle ever almost except the situation with (Aljamain) Sterling,” Sandhagen continued. “That’s what we’ll call that loss, a situation. The situation with Sterling — and that was what, four years ago? I was two years into my career. I’m six, seven years into my career now and still no one’s really seen it. So, just another element that I get to show to people, and man, I’m excited for this one just to show how great I am because Umar is going to bring out the best in me, and he already has in this camp, and I’m pumped for it. I can’t wait to watch myself fight.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Abu Dhabi fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ preliminary card matchups, which are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ABC/ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Abu Dhabi news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archives here, here, and here. For the updated and finalized “Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov” fight card and ABC/ESPN+ lineup click here.

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