Tag: Alexander Volkov

Francis Ngannou offers Alexander Volkov a free trip to UFC 246 in Las Vegas

Francis Ngannou has an opponent and date in mind for his return to the UFC cage.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] has an opponent and date in mind for his return to the cage.

Saturday afternoon, the Cameroonian heavyweight, who sits at No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, took to Twitter to issue a challenge to fellow contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag], who checks in at No. 7.

According to the tweet, Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) wants to fight Volkov (31-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) on Jan. 18 at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.

This isn’t the first time Ngannou has called for a fight against Volkov. In an interview with MMA Junkie in early November, Ngannou claimed Volkov refused to fight him on multiple occasions.

“Just for the record, Volkov turned down the fight against me twice,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie. “One was July 2017 and August 2018. He clearly denied to fight me.”

Both Ngannou and Volkov are coming off of winning performances. Ngannou has won his last three fights, finishing Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, and Curtis Blaydes in a combined 142 seconds.

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As for Volkov, he most recently competed at UFC on ESPN+ 21 on Nov. 9. After his originally scheduled opponent Junior Dos Santos fell off the card, Volkov was matched up with former NFL pro bowler Greg Hardy.

While Hardy was able to hang with the former Bellator champ Volkov for three rounds, the fight was largely one-sided. Volkov point-fought Hardy for the entire duration of the fight, picking him apart from the outside.

Immediately after the fight, Ngannou issued a public challenge on Twitter, much like the one on Saturday afternoon.

Will Ngannou vs. Volkov get booked for UFC 246? Stay tuned to MMA Junkie to find out.

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Greg Hardy, four others face lengthy medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN+ 21

Greg Hardy is potentially out up to 180 days after injuring his hand at UFC Moscow.

[autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] is one of five fighters facing lengthy medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN+ 21.

The event took place Nov. 9 at CSKA Arena in Moscow and streamed on ESPN+.

One half of the co-main event, Hardy (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) dropped a three-round, unanimous decision to heavyweight contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]. As speculated on the broadcast, Hardy injured his right hand/wrist and faces a 180-day medical suspension as a result.

Additionally, four other fighters have been handed out six-month suspensions. [autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag], [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag], [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag], and [autotag]Grigorii Popov[/autotag] were also handed 180-day suspensions for injuries sustained in their respective losses.

Check out the entire UFC on ESPN+ 21 medical suspension list below (acquired via MixedMartialArts.com):

  • [autotag]Grigorii Popov[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until nasal x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by ENT physician; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Alexander Yakovlev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until left elbow x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 14 days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for right eyelid laceration with 21 days no contact
  • [autotag]Rustam Khabilov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Sergey Khandozhko[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by OMF physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Shamil Gamzatov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Anthony Rocco Martin[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for nasal laceration with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Khadis Ibragimov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for hard bout with 21 days no contact
  • [autotag]Zelim Imadaev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for right temple laceration with 21 days no contact
  • Alexander Volkov: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • Greg Hardy: Suspended 180 days or until right hand/wrist x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
  • [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for hard bout with 21 days no contact

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MMA rankings report: UFC on ESPN+ 21, Bellator 233 fallout

What does another big weekend of MMA action mean for the rankings? We walk you through it all in this week’s rankings report.

It was another eventful weekend in the MMA world. Consider the highlights:

  • [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] continued his climb up the 145-pound ladder with a win over Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 21.
  • [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] returned to action, as the former Bellator champion decisioned Greg Hardy in the UFC Moscow co-feature.
  • [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] proved she’s still a factor in the Bellator featherweight division with her impressive unanimous-decision victory over Leslie Smith.

So what does this all mean for the weekly USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings? Let MMA Junkie’s John Morgan and “Gorgeous” George Garcia walk you through the changes in the video above.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Nov. 12: How high can Zabit Magomedsharipov fly?

After another impressive victory, how close is Zabit Magomedsharipov to the top of the 145-pound rankings?

With an impressive victory over the ultra-tough Calvin Kattar on Saturday in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 22, the only real question left for [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] is how close he might be to a featherweight title shot.

The Dagestani standout remained unbeaten in the UFC with his victory in Moscow, and there isn’t a whole lot of daylight left between him, champion Max Holloway, and top contender Alexander Volkanovski, who square off for the title next month at UFC 245.

So where to rank Magomedsharipov after another impressive outing? We’ve settled on No. 4, for now. Maybe he gets the UFC 245 winner, maybe he’s one more fight away, but a title shot sometime in 2020 certainly seems plausible the way things are going.

That wasn’t the only matchup of note with divisional implications over the weekend. We also had former Bellator heavyweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]’s win over Greg Hardy. And over at Bellator 233, former featherweight title challenger [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] made her case for another championship match with a nice win over the well-respected Leslie Smith.

To find out where they landed in their respective divisions — or to learn where your favorite or least favorite fighters currently rank — scroll up above to check out the current USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

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Spinning Back Clique: What do we think of Greg Hardy now?

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 2 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze touch on the biggest storylines from UFC on ESPN+ 21 and around the world of MMA.

Show rundown:

  • [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] traveled all the way to Moscow on short notice for the biggest test of his early career and came away with a three-round unanimous decision loss to former Bellator heavyweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 21. What did this performance tell us about the controversial former NFL standout? Did it tell us anything significant about his MMA outlook moving forward?
  • [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] remained undefeated in the UFC at 6-0 with a three-round unanimous decision win over [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN+ 21 headliner. Afterward, Magomedsharipov called for a title shot. Was this the performance that sealed the deal? Or does Magomedsharipov need a more signature victory to stake his claim?
  • At first, [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] said he wanted an immediate rematch with Jorge Masvidal. Then he was like, “peace out fight game.” Now he’s clarified he isn’t actually leaving the fight game, after all. What does all of this mean for Diaz’s future?
  • UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has made it clear that [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] is his next title defense of choice over Corey Anderson. Is that the right next move? What about heavyweight?
  • [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] is off to Bellator and has detailed the reasons why he left the UFC to jump ship. What do we make of this move and his outlook with Bellator?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 2 of “Spinning Back Clique” in the video above.

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Francis Ngannou: Alexander Volkov is clearly dodging me, turned down two fights

Francis Ngannou has called out Alexander Volkov but believes he clearly wants no part of him.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] has been wanting to fight [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] for years now.

After Volkov defeated Greg Hardy this past weekend at UFC on ESPN+ 21 in Moscow, Ngannou called him out, but Volkov had other names in mind. He said he wanted to face either Junior Dos Santos, as originally scheduled, or Alistair Overeem next.

The way Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) sees it, it’s clear Volkov (31-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) wants no part of him. In fact, Ngannou claims that Volkov has already turned down a fight with him before.

“Just for the record, Volkov turned down the fight against me twice,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie. “One was July 2017 and August 2018. He clearly denied to fight me.”

However, Ngannou did show praise towards Volkov’s performance vs. Hardy, crediting him for his composed approach throughout the fight. Volkov has won five of his six UFC appearances, with his lone loss coming to Derrick Lewis at UFC 229, in a fight he was clearly winning.

“I mean, it was a good fight,” Ngannou said of Volkov’s last win. “Fighting with some guy, big guy like Greg Hardy, of course he doesn’t have much experience, but he still hits very heavy and powerful. He handled the fight very well, very smart as always. He always fights very smart.”

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And when asked if he’s surprised that Volkov doesn’t want to fight him, considering his high position in the rankings, Ngannou said he feels like the gatekeeper of the division, since the UFC is refusing to give him a title shot.

“The UFC have made it clear for everybody that I’m who you have to fight if you want to fight for the title,” Ngannou said. “It seems like I’m just there to be, to go to the gate. That’s how it looks now. If they want to fight for the title, they have to fight me, but how about me fighting for the title? It doesn’t seem to be in the talk, so that’s exactly what the UFC has made me appear, to be the gate holder. And, yeah, I think Volkov is dodging me clearly. That’s not a secret that he’s dodging me.”

Ngannou went on to elaborate that his last three opponents, Curtis Blaydes and former champions Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, would have all received title shots had they beaten him. Instead, Ngannou took them all out in the first round, notching three straight wins, and he takes issue with not being awarded a title shot.

“I think all my three opponents, they had a title shot promise,” Ngannou said. “I think so, because Curtis Blaydes was title (shot) guaranteed. Cain Velasquez I think it was the same thing. Junior Dos Santos after three wins, it was the same thing. But they are just forgetting about me.”

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