UFC 260 – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Twitter Mailbag: Would the UFC rather Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou fight Jon Jones next?

MMA Junkie’s Nolan King answers three key questions surrounding the UFC 260 main event.

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Questions on your mind about recent happenings in the UFC or sport of MMA in general? MMA Junkie’s Twitter Mailbag is here – and this week, @mma_kings answers:

From the UFC’s perspective, who would the promotion prefer to fights Jon Jones in his heavyweight debut: [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] or [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]?
What are the ideal game plans for Miocic and Ngannou at UFC 260? How will it play out?
Will Miocic retire after UFC 260 if he wins?
What are the odds [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] happens?
Besides [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag], who is on the “All-Time Overlooked” list in the UFC?

Watch the video above for answers to those questions.

To ask a question of your own, follow @MMAjunkie on Twitter and let us know.

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UFC 260 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: Sean O’Malley feels ‘like a million bucks’

Go behind the scenes of UFC 260 as heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou, and others on the card prepare during fight week.

The UFC’s heavyweight title is on the line Saturday in a bout the promotion is billing as the “biggest, baddest rematch” when reigning champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] faces the hard-hitting [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].

The bout is the UFC 260 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) and Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) first met in 2018, in the main event of UFC 220. That night, Miocic dominated over the course of five rounds to prove himself the baddest man on the planet. But Ngannou has since strung together four consecutive knockouts to earn himself another crack. The highly anticipated rematch features the top two fighters in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings bidding for the UFC belt.

Ahead of the blockbuster matchup, the UFC’s traditional pre-fight series, “Embedded,” has returned. The fifth episode features Miocic and Ngannou, as well as Tyron Woodley, Vicente Luque, and Sean O’Malley. Here’s the UFC’s description from YouTube:

Sean O’Malley plays ping pong; Francis Ngannou shoots hoops. Vicente Luque trains with Gilbert Burns. Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic dresses for the press and faces off against Ngannou ahead of their rematch.

Also watch:

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UFC 260 video: Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou make weight for title rematch

Check out heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou make their trips to the scale for UFC 260.

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LAS VEGAS – The rematch between heavyweight champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] and [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] is official for UFC 260.

Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) and Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) made weight Friday for their headlining clash. Miocic came in at 234 pounds, while Ngannou tipped the scale at 263. For Ngannou, that’s how much he weighed for their first fight in January 2018; Miocic at that time weighed in at 246.

Check out highlights of Miocic and Ngannou and their trips to the scale in the video above.

UFC 260 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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UFC 260 predictions: Who’s picking Francis Ngannou to take Stipe Miocic’s title?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 260 main card, featuring champ Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou in a heavyweight title fight.

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	Miocic vs. Ngannou	Luque vs. Woodley	Almeida vs. O’Malley	Maverick vs. Robertson	Mullarkey vs. Worthy
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 25-22	Miocic (68%)	Luque (72%)	O’Malley (67%)	Robertson (53%)	Worthy (78%)
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 29-18	Ngannou	Luque	O’Malley	Robertson	Worthy
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 29-18 2018 Champion	Miocic	Woodley	O’Malley	Robertson	Worthy
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 28-19	Ngannou	Luque	O’Malley	Robertson	Worthy
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 28-19 2020 Champion	Ngannou	Luque	O’Malley	Robertson	Worthy
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 27-20	Miocic	Luque	O’Malley	Maverick	Worthy
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 27-20 2017 Champion	Ngannou	Woodley	O’Malley	Maverick	Worthy
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 27-20	Ngannou	Woodley	O’Malley	Maverick	Worthy
Simon Head @simonhead 2021: 26-21 2019 Champion*	Miocic	Luque	O’Malley	Robertson	Worthy
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 26-21	Ngannou	Luque	O’Malley	Robertson	Worthy
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 24-23	Ngannou	Luque	O’Malley	Maverick	Worthy
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 24-23 2014 Champion	Miocic	Luque	O’Malley	Robertson	Worthy
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 23-24	Ngannou	Luque	O’Malley	Robertson	Worthy
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 23-24	Miocic	Luque	Almeida	Robertson	Worthy
BetMGM Betting Favorites	Ngannou -125	Luque -250	O’Malley -300	Maverick -160	Worthy -135

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The UFC is back in Las Vegas this week, and the heavyweight title is on the line at the top of the card in a big rematch.

UFC 260 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, heavyweight champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) puts his title on the line against [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in a rematch from a fight from more than three years ago. Miocic won that fight by unanimous decision, but despite that, Ngannou is a -125 favorite at BetMGM. It’s the opposite from our 13 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts, though. From them, it’s Miocic with an 8-5 edge.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (19-7-1 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is a -250 favorite against former welterweight champ [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (19-6-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC), who has dropped three straight. Luque has a big picks lead at 10-3 from our staff members.

Also on the card, [autotag]Thomas Almeida[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in a bantamweight bout. O’Malley is the biggest favorite on the card at -300, and he’s a near-unanimous pick at 12-1.

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout that was delayed a few weeks. Maverick is a -160 favorite, but Robertson has a big 9-4 lead from our pickers and the edge in our reader picks, as well.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) will look for his first UFC win against [autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout. Worthy only is a -135 favorite – but he’s our only unanimous pick on the main card at 13-0.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Miocic (68 percent), Luque (72 percent), O’Malley (67 percent), Robertson (53 percent) and Worthy (78 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Dana White says Justin Gaethje ‘couldn’t be in a better position,’ even without UFC title shot

UFC president Dana White assures that there’s no need for Justin Gaethje to be frustrated about his current standing at lightweight.

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LAS VEGAS – UFC president Dana White says there’s no need for [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] to be frustrated.

After Gaethje (22-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) voiced his discontent for being left out of the lightweight title picture, White was reassuring Thursday that big things are on the horizon for him.

“He fits very well in all this,” White said at the UFC 260 pre-fight news conference. “After this plays out, he’s probably next in line. It depends on what happens with Dustin and Conor.”

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Gaethje is coming off a title fight loss to then champion Khabib Nurmagomedov last October at UFC 254 and is the only top-five lightweight without a fight booked. The UFC opted to go with Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira for the vacant 155-pound title at UFC 262, but White said Gaethje – who especially thought Oliveira wasn’t worthy – could very well could be next in line depending on how things play out in the trilogy between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

“You know how that is. Timing is everything when these fights happen, how much damage did the guy who won take and what kind of personal sh*t does he have going on,” White said. “You know all that stuff factors into when the next fight would be, but Justin Gaethje couldn’t be in a better position.”

Despite his loss to Nurmagomedov, Gaethje is currently sitting at No. 2 in the UFC’s official 155-pound rankings. Prior to the loss, Gaethje had notched four consecutive stoppage wins, which included snapping Tony Ferguson’s 12-fight winning streak to claim the interim title.

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UFC 260 weigh-in results and live video stream (noon ET)

Check out the results from the official UFC 260 fighter weigh-ins, featuring Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC 260 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday’s card, which has a main card on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

Among those weighing in are heavyweight champion nStipe Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) and Francis Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who meet in a rematch for Miocic’s title. Plus, former welterweight champ Tyron Woodley (19-6-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) meets Vicente Luque (19-7-1 MMA, 12-3 UFC) in the co-feature.

The full UFC 260 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

Champ Stipe Miocic () vs. Francis Ngannou () – for heavyweight title
Vicente Luque () vs. Tyron Woodley ()
Thomas Almeida () vs. Sean O’Malley ()
Miranda Maverick () vs. Gillian Robertson ()
Jamie Mullarkey () vs. Khama Worthy ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

Fabio Cherant () vs. Alonzo Menifield ()
Jared Gooden () vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov ()
Modestas Bukauskas () vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk ()
Omar Morales () vs. Shane Young ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Abu Azaitar () vs. Marc-Andre Barriault ()

Will Jon Jones get next heavyweight title shot after UFC 260? Stipe Miocic doesn’t care

Stipe Miocic is happy the division is gaining contenders, but he’s not a matchmaker.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] is focused on one opponent – the one he’ll have in front of him at UFC 260.

Saturday, Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) headlines the pay-per-view event in a rematch against Francis Ngannou, whom he beat by unanimous decision at UFC 220 in 2018. Beyond that, his future opponents are anyone’s guess, according to the UFC heavyweight champion.

With former long-reigning UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] recently joining the heavyweight division, Miocic could have a big fight on his hands if he gets through Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC).

Miocic didn’t lobby for the matchup when given the chance at Thursday’s UFC 260 news conference, though. In his eyes, the matchmaking is the UFC’s call.

“If that was my decision, I wouldn’t be fighting. I’d be a matchmaker,” Miocic said. “It’s great Jon Jones is moving up, you know? There are new guys in the division. A lot of new guys are coming up. Right now, my focus is on Saturday. That’s all I care about. Once I take care of business on Saturday, then we’ll look into it.”

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Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) hasn’t yet competed at heavyweight, though UFC president Dana White has said he’s likely next for the winner of Saturday’s main event. That said, if Ngannou beats Miocic at UFC 260, it would be tough for the UFC boss to not match him up with Miocic for a third time.

“It would be tough to say, ‘No, (Miocic) doesn’t deserve the rematch,” White said at the news conference. “Of course (he does). Yeah, I don’t know (what we’d do).”

UFC 260 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

https://youtu.be/r9P2mXAcBp8

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Francis Ngannou ahead of rematch: I don’t recognize the fighter who lost to Stipe Miocic in 2018

Francis Ngannou explains how he’s crafted himself into a totally different fighter ahead of UFC 260.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] doesn’t think he’s the same fighter who lost to [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] more than three years ago at UFC 220.

In fact, as he watched fight tape from their first meeting in 2018 in preparation for their rematch Saturday at UFC 260, Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) didn’t even recognize himself.

“Honestly, I’m not taking credit off Stipe,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Thursday. “He was the better fighter that night. But when I look at that fight, I hate watching that fight because I don’t recognize myself. Even the way that I’m fighting and the way that I’m rushing, that guy looked like me – but I don’t recognize that style.”

Mistakes weren’t just made in the cage, but in the preparation for the fight, too, Ngannou said. Mentally and physically, Ngannou said he should’ve done things differently, as evidenced by the unanimous decision loss.

“I did a lot of mistakes leading up to that fight,” Ngannou said. “I wasn’t even there myself. I didn’t even have emotion in that fight. I was just there (with) a lack of emotion. This time, things will be different. I had enough time. Me and my team, we put everything down right and I think it’s going to be right.”

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Since then, Ngannou has used his first UFC loss as motivation. By his estimation, he’s made vast improvements and rounded out his game. Fans should expect to say that when he fights Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) for a second time, predicted the Cameroonian.

“I had better preparation this time,” Ngannou said. “I have that experience in what we’ve been working on. I put some good work on my wrestling, jiu-jitsu, even striking. So yeah, I think skill-wise, I’ve improved a lot. I still have a lot of places to (go) in this sport. I might be 34 years old, but I believe I’m very young in the sport and I have a lot of places to grow.”

UFC 260 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr1583cW8W0

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UFC 260 video: Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou’s first of two fight-week faceoffs

Check out the first fight week staredown between heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and surging challenger Francis Ngannou ahead of UFC 260.

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LAS VEGAS – It’s a moment we’ve scene before, and this week we’re seeing it again.

Heavyweight champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) meet in the UFC 260 main event Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

The two first fought in 2018, and Miocic dominated Ngannou for 25 minutes to defend his title. This time around, Ngannou comes in on the strength of four straight first-round knockouts that have averaged only about 40 seconds each, though.

So will Saturday’s headliner go down differently than the first fight and wind up with a new champ? Thursday, Miocic and Ngannou got face to face for the first time this week at the UFC 260 pre-event news conference. Check out that moment in the video above.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3143 with Rob Font, UFC 260 preview, more

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On episode 3,143, the boys brought on UFC bantamweight [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]. They also took a look inside Saturday’s heavyweight title rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou at UFC 260, discussed Miesha Tate coming out of retirement and more.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.