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Check out these photos highlighting UFC stars past and present who threw out the first pitch at MLB games – and hopefully didn’t embarrass themselves.
Check out these photos highlighting UFC and Bellator stars past and present – including Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Francis Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, Paige VanZant, and more – who threw out the first pitch at MLB games … and hopefully didn’t embarrass themselves.
Add Valentin Moldavsky to the list of names wlling to welcome Francis Ngannou to the PFL.
Add [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] to the list of names willing to welcome [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] to the PFL.
Moldavsky (12-3-1) meets 2022 PFL heavyweight champion Ante Delija (24-5) in Thursday’s 2024 PFL 1 (ESPN2, ESPN+) headliner, which takes place at Boeing Center in San Antonio.
The former interim Bellator heavyweight champion is looking forward to fresh blood and potential bigger opportunities such as Ngannou at PFL, but knows he has to get through Delija first in his regular season opener.
“Obviously we all try to improve and looking for better opponents in our future,” Moldavsky said through an interpreter during the 2024 PFL 1 media day. “Facing Francis at some point in the future would be great, but as of now, I need to focus on what I have in front of me. I want to focus on this fight. As we say, you do not start cutting bear’s fur until you kill the bear.”
Moldavsky fought twice both in 2023 and 2022. But now that he’s part of the PFL’s heavyweight season, he is excited to ramp up his activity.
“One of the main things I like is that I’m going to be more active,” Moldavsky said. “Because in Bellator, yeah I became heavyweight champion, I fought one of the best heavyweights out there, but I would get with Bellator let’s say, two fights a year?
“Here, providing that you keep winning, with the tournament format, you can have four fights a year. For me, that’s what I’m looking for. I’m trying to stay active, and yeah, I like PFL’s format.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 1.
Tyson Fury still views Deontay Wilder as the most powerful puncher he’s ever faced.
[autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] still views [autotag]Deontay Wilder[/autotag] as the most powerful puncher he’s ever faced.
Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) was knocked down in Round 12 of his WBC heavyweight title fight with Wilder in 2018, when he miraculously got up after being rendered flat on his back motionless. The pair battled to a split draw, but Fury was able to close out their chapter when he finished Wilder by TKO in their rematch and by KO in their trilogy bout.
Fury was also knocked down in his boxing match vs. former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] last October, but he rallied to win by controversial split decision. Fury says there’s no comparison when rating his former foes’ punching power.
“Deontay, by far,” Fury said on “The Stomping Ground.” “Francis Ngannou is a big puncher, but I wasn’t really troubled by any of his punches. It wasn’t like it was dynamite every time he hit me and I was wobbled or anything, no. Just one shot to the back of the head, and that was it. So, Wilder is still the biggest puncher I’ve ever been in the ring with, by a mile.”
WBC heavyweight champion Fury will face Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles, in an undisputed championship fight May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Like boxing? Be sure to visit Boxing Junkie for all your coverage of the sweet science and follow @BoxingJunkie2 on Twitter.
Francis Ngannou is seeking redemption in the ring.
[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] is seeking redemption in the ring.
Ngannou (0-2) was knocked out cold in Round 2 of his boxing match against Anthony Joshua (28-3) earlier this month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The loss doesn’t sit well for the former UFC heavyweight champion, who surprised the masses in his boxing debut with a valiant effort against WBC champion Tyson Fury. Ngannou has a sour taste in his mouth, which appears to have him contemplating boxing again before returning to the cage.
“What’s next for me? Maybe a third boxing match,” Ngannou said on his YouTube channel. “I feel like boxing owes me something now. I have to regain what boxing took from me. I think my ego will not let me step back and let this go like this without doing everything to reinstall and prove to the world that I am the man of this job.
“I can do it, you know. I slipped, but I didn’t fall. I stumbled, but I didn’t fall. I think if I go back, train, learn from it and use it as an advantage and experience for my personal growth, for my professional growth, I think it will not be a loss. I will be able to reverse it and make it a victory – a life victory, not only a sports victory.”
Ngannou never intended on leaving boxing. The plan was always to lace up the gloves again, but with PFL heavyweight Renan Ferreira awaiting him in the cage, many believed a return to MMA could be next after his loss to Joshua.
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For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Joshua vs. Ngannou.
Teddy Atlas reacts to Francis Ngannou’s KO loss to Anthony Joshua in second pro boxing fight.
[autotag]Teddy Atlas[/autotag] believes [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag] brought the conversation around [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] back to reality.
Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, made plenty of waves with his jump into the boxing world after he was able to go the distance in a very competitive fight against WBC champion Tyson Fury back in October. So much, that even the WBC ended up ranking Ngannou in the top 10 of their rankings with the one fight.
Well, in his second professional boxing match last Friday, Ngannou was knocked out by Joshua in the second round of their contest. It was a bad loss for Ngannou, who was dropped twice before getting viciously stopped. Atlas believes the result exposed the true nature of Ngannou.
“He exposed an amateur, because he did in reality,” Atlas said on his YouTube channel. “I know the great performance against Fury, I explained that, it was great, but that was different. Now he had to react. I even think Ngannou’s confidence hurt him because he thought he could be more aggressive, and he was ready to be more aggressive. He was right in front of him. I thought that hurt him this time because he wasn’t that guy yet.
“He was still an amateur, and we forgot that because of his brilliance performance against Fury. … (Joshua) reminded us he was an amateur, he’s not ready for prime time because he did what a top guy should do. You exposed him. You exposed the things he wasn’t yet.”
So how could an “amateur” fight and almost beat the WBC heavyweight champion? Atlas gives Ngannou credit for his showing against Fury back in October, but he does think a perfect combination of factors led to Ngannou over-performing.
“Styles makes fights,” Atlas said. “Fury’s style was completely different from Joshua’s, that’s No. 1. It does influence fights. No. 2. There was something missing that was there the first time, that helped Ngannou when he fought Fury. That something is the element of surprise. That’s a big something, not a little something. Fury was ready physically, he was, I’m making no excuses. Tremendous job by Ngannou, but Fury wasn’t ready mentally.
“You couldn’t be. It’s almost not human to have really taken him seriously, where every fiber of your body and mind would be ready for what was coming. It was his first pro fight, and you’re the champion of the world.”
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Where does Francis Ngannou go after a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring? Our “Spinning Back Clique” discusses.
Things did not go well for [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] in his second boxing appearance.
Anthony Joshua dispatched the former UFC heavyweight champ quickly and easily in their big showdown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua needed less than two rounds to score three knockdowns, including the final right hand that put Ngannou out cold on the canvas.
After what Ngannou won a scorecard in a split decision against Tyson Fury, the knockout result seemed a bit shocking to some. But where does Ngannou go from here?
Is it time for Ngannou to return to the MMA cage, where he has his debut under the PFL banner and an opponent in Renan Ferreria waiting? Should he take one more boxing bout against another well-known name?
That was a topic of discussion in this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” with Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, guest panelist “Big” John McCarthy, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
Watch the video segment above, or watch this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below.
Demetrious Johnson has made a bold claim in regards to Anthony Joshua’s chances vs. Francis Ngannou in MMA.
[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] has made a bold claim in regards to [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag]’s chances vs. [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] in MMA.
Ngannou (0-2) was knocked out cold in Round 2 of his boxing match against Joshua (28-3) Friday in the featured bout of Knockout Chaos at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.
Although he initially picked Ngannou to win, Johnson went as far as saying Joshua would get the best of the former UFC heavyweight champion in an MMA fight.
“Does Anthony Joshua beat Francis Ngannou in an MMA fight? I think he does,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “It would just be another striking match. AJ understands his distance. He understands the void. He has better hands than Francis, and he can make Francis even whiff and miss again. Unless Francis is going to change his tactic and go clinch him and wrestle him, (Joshua would win). But AJ is very athletic. He is smaller, he’s more limber. I think he’d be able to stuff the shot and be able to give it to Francis Ngannou.”
Johnson thinks if MMA fighters are going to continue to crossover to boxing, they need an adequate amount of time to prep.
“I’m not saying Francis has not taken it seriously,” Johnson said. “If I was to take a boxing match, I will probably spend eight months to a year preparing myself for the boxing match. Reason why is because the punches come faster. The movement is different. There’s only one weapon, and you only can use one weapon, right? I can’t use my kicks. I can’t use my knees. I can’t use my elbows. I can’t use my wrestling. How am I going to cross the void when I can’t use all the weapons I’ve been using for the last 18 years?
“Another thing that could have been Francis’ downfall was he had that boxing match with Tyson Fury. So Anthony Joshua got an opportunity to see Francis fight boxing. What he took from the boxing match on Francis vs. Tyson? He probably took, ‘OK, Francis doesn’t move his head. He doesn’t really move his head. He’s not very light on his feet,’ where Tyson Fury, he’s kind of light on his feet and Tyson’s trying to avoid the fight. This time, Anthony Joshua got right to work right off the bat, and that’s usually not a good sign if the other opponent doesn’t respond.”
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For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Joshua vs. Ngannou.
Weekend Review: Anthony Joshua embarrassed Francis Ngannou AND Tyson Fury on Friday in Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury must’ve have been embarrassed on Friday night.
Anthony Joshua did what his countryman should’ve done when Fury fought Francis Ngannou in October, which was to demonstrate that an MMA fighter without boxing experience has no business in the ring with a top heavyweight.
Fury survived a knockdown to eke out a pathetic split decision victory in Saudi Arabia. Joshua annihilated Ngannou in the same country, dropping the Cameroonian three times and stopping him in the second round to build on his momentum and restore some honor to the sport.
The difference between Fury and Joshua in their respective fights with Ngannou?
Not complicated: Fury wasn’t professional, Joshua was.
Fury wasn’t prepared – mentally or physically, it seemed — when he stepped into the ring to face Ngannou, who had some experience in the gym early in his combat sports career but was making his professional boxing debut.
The WBC titleholder obviously thought he could defeat Ngannou just by showing up, a notion shared by many. That’s not how it’s done, however. Not even against a rookie.
Fury rallied from a third-round knockdown to outpoint Ngannou, a decision that wasn’t controversial if you understand how scoring works. However, the competitive nature of the bout was mortifying for both Fury and boxing.
Joshua clearly prepared for his meeting with Ngannou as he would any big fight. When he stepped through the ropes, he was at his best. And the former two-time champion’s best was far too good for Ngannou.
Many of those who care about boxing probably had the same thought after they celebrated the slaughter: Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) should’ve done exactly the same thing against Ngannou.
The fact he didn’t, the fact he struggled merely to have his hand raised against a newbie is a blot on his resume. It also changed my perception of him. I had predicted that he would beat the crafty, but much smaller Oleksandr Usyk handily when they meet for the undisputed championship on May 18, also in Saudi Arabia
Now I’m not so sure. Now I see it as a 50-50 fight, which shouldn’t be the case given Fury’s ability and massive size advantage.
Of course, the blessing for Fury is that he has a golden opportunity to redeem himself immediately, as a victory over Usyk would do. We’ll see which Fury shows up: the wonderfully athletic, skillful behemoth of the past or the disappointment who fell flat against Ngannou.
Meanwhile, Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is on a tear. He’s now 4-0 since his back-to-back setbacks against Usyk in 2021 and 2022 — including consecutive knockouts of Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and now Ngannou — and bursting with confidence.
I and many others thought Joshua was in the last throes of his elite career after the Usyk losses. Now I have had to rethink that notion, too. The way he has performed of late has me convinced that the 34-year-old once again has the tools to beat anyone in the game.
I don’t mean to be too hard on Ngannou. He deserves credit for his performance against Fury. He, unlike Fury, trained to be at his best and that paid off in the form of a strong performance. However, Joshua proved that a fighter with limited boxing skills and experience can only accomplish so much. I hope Ngannou doesn’t go away, however. I’d like to see how he does against second-tier heavyweights – if he’s willing to fight them — and whether he has another surprise in him. … Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) is another fighter who proved me wrong. I thought the Kiwi was finished after he had two tough fights against Derek Chisora in 2021 and was knocked out by Joe Joyce in September 2022. The 32-year-old former beltholder has won five consecutive fights since the setback, including decisions over Deontay Wilder in December and Zhilei Zhang on the Joshua-Ngannou undercard in his last two fights to reestablish himself as a genuine title contender. He nearly shutout Wilder and deserved better than a majority decision over Zhang, who was coming off back-to-back knockouts of Joyce. The fact Parker had to overcome two knockouts to beat his Chinese counterpart only added to the significance of the victory. Fans love a fighter who overcomes adversity to have his or her hand raised. Make no mistake: Parker is back. …
Can Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) bounce back in his 40s? He established himself as a heavyweight to be reckoned with by stopping Joyce twice. However, his performance on Friday was a significant step backward. He didn’t show much against a good, experienced boxer aside from the two punches that put Parker down. I imagine he won’t walk away now, though. The knockouts against Joyce are still fresh in his mind. And he did lose a competitive decision to Parker. … I get why people were aghast over the announcement that Jake Paul will face 57-year-old Mike Tyson in what evidently will be an exhibition July 20 at AT&T Stadium near Dallas. It has freak show written all over it. At the same time, it makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. Paul and Tyson stand to make untold millions for dancing around the ring for a few rounds because many people worldwide will find value in the event. How many of us, if we had their abilities, wouldn’t do the same thing? Be honest.
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Weekend Review: Anthony Joshua embarrassed Francis Ngannou AND Tyson Fury on Friday in Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury must’ve have been embarrassed on Friday night.
Anthony Joshua did what his countryman should’ve done when Fury fought Francis Ngannou in October, which was to demonstrate that an MMA fighter without boxing experience has no business in the ring with a top heavyweight.
Fury survived a knockdown to eke out a pathetic split decision victory in Saudi Arabia. Joshua annihilated Ngannou in the same country, dropping the Cameroonian three times and stopping him in the second round to build on his momentum and restore some honor to the sport.
The difference between Fury and Joshua in their respective fights with Ngannou?
Not complicated: Fury wasn’t professional, Joshua was.
Fury wasn’t prepared – mentally or physically, it seemed — when he stepped into the ring to face Ngannou, who had some experience in the gym early in his combat sports career but was making his professional boxing debut.
The WBC titleholder obviously thought he could defeat Ngannou just by showing up, a notion shared by many. That’s not how it’s done, however. Not even against a rookie.
Fury rallied from a third-round knockdown to outpoint Ngannou, a decision that wasn’t controversial if you understand how scoring works. However, the competitive nature of the bout was mortifying for both Fury and boxing.
Joshua clearly prepared for his meeting with Ngannou as he would any big fight. When he stepped through the ropes, he was at his best. And the former two-time champion’s best was far too good for Ngannou.
Many of those who care about boxing probably had the same thought after they celebrated the slaughter: Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) should’ve done exactly the same thing against Ngannou.
The fact he didn’t, the fact he struggled merely to have his hand raised against a newbie is a blot on his resume. It also changed my perception of him. I had predicted that he would beat the crafty, but much smaller Oleksandr Usyk handily when they meet for the undisputed championship on May 18, also in Saudi Arabia
Now I’m not so sure. Now I see it as a 50-50 fight, which shouldn’t be the case given Fury’s ability and massive size advantage.
Of course, the blessing for Fury is that he has a golden opportunity to redeem himself immediately, as a victory over Usyk would do. We’ll see which Fury shows up: the wonderfully athletic, skillful behemoth of the past or the disappointment who fell flat against Ngannou.
Meanwhile, Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is on a tear. He’s now 4-0 since his back-to-back setbacks against Usyk in 2021 and 2022 — including consecutive knockouts of Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and now Ngannou — and bursting with confidence.
I and many others thought Joshua was in the last throes of his elite career after the Usyk losses. Now I have had to rethink that notion, too. The way he has performed of late has me convinced that the 34-year-old once again has the tools to beat anyone in the game.
I don’t mean to be too hard on Ngannou. He deserves credit for his performance against Fury. He, unlike Fury, trained to be at his best and that paid off in the form of a strong performance. However, Joshua proved that a fighter with limited boxing skills and experience can only accomplish so much. I hope Ngannou doesn’t go away, however. I’d like to see how he does against second-tier heavyweights – if he’s willing to fight them — and whether he has another surprise in him. … Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) is another fighter who proved me wrong. I thought the Kiwi was finished after he had two tough fights against Derek Chisora in 2021 and was knocked out by Joe Joyce in September 2022. The 32-year-old former beltholder has won five consecutive fights since the setback, including decisions over Deontay Wilder in December and Zhilei Zhang on the Joshua-Ngannou undercard in his last two fights to reestablish himself as a genuine title contender. He nearly shutout Wilder and deserved better than a majority decision over Zhang, who was coming off back-to-back knockouts of Joyce. The fact Parker had to overcome two knockouts to beat his Chinese counterpart only added to the significance of the victory. Fans love a fighter who overcomes adversity to have his or her hand raised. Make no mistake: Parker is back. …
Can Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) bounce back in his 40s? He established himself as a heavyweight to be reckoned with by stopping Joyce twice. However, his performance on Friday was a significant step backward. He didn’t show much against a good, experienced boxer aside from the two punches that put Parker down. I imagine he won’t walk away now, though. The knockouts against Joyce are still fresh in his mind. And he did lose a competitive decision to Parker. … I get why people were aghast over the announcement that Jake Paul will face 57-year-old Mike Tyson in what evidently will be an exhibition July 20 at AT&T Stadium near Dallas. It has freak show written all over it. At the same time, it makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. Paul and Tyson stand to make untold millions for dancing around the ring for a few rounds because many people worldwide will find value in the event. How many of us, if we had their abilities, wouldn’t do the same thing? Be honest.
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UFC CEO Dana White shares his opinion on Francis Ngannou’s KO loss against Anthony Joshua.
MIAMI – UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] was not surprised to see [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] get stopped in his second professional boxing match.
White expected Ngannou to lose to former boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua during their colossal crossover bout on Friday in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou was dropped twice before getting knocked out in the second round in what was a seamless performance by Joshua. White believes the result was predictable.
“I saw it on social media,” White said regarding Ngannou’s KO loss at the UFC 299 post-fight press conference. “Yeah, going into the Fury fight, if Fury trained for the fight and didn’t show up and look like he ate Tyson Fury, that’s probably the way that fight would’ve ended too.
“I mean, listen. You know how I feel about crossovers into boxing, that’s how they end, just like that.”
The UFC is expected to make its debut in Saudi Arabia later this year. White is impressed by the type of promotion Saudi Arabia has been doing around their big boxing fights. Although he’s a fan, he assures the UFC production will remain the same.
“I think the difference is that – and I don’t know this for a fact, I’m just assuming – but the boxing events that they’re holding, they’re their events, and they own all the production and everything else,” White said. “They put some money into those things. They really do. But when we go, we’ll be running the production.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.
