Tag: UFC 260

Francis Ngannou says Kamaru Usman will corner him for UFC 260 title fight vs. Stipe Miocic

Francis Ngannou is turning to UFC champ Kamaru Usman for wrestling pointers ahead of his title rematch with Stipe Miocic.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s corner just got a lot more experienced.

Ahead of his second title shot against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in the UFC 260 main event on March 27, Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has decided to add welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] to his corner.

In the third episode of Ngannou’s “UFC 260 Fight Camp” VLOG, Usman (18-1 MMA, 13-0 UFC) guides Ngannou through some wresting drills at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas as he prepares for his own championship rematch against Jorge Masvidal, which is less than a month later at UFC 261.

“Yeah, so Kamaru Usman is gonna be in my corner for this fight,” Ngannou said. “So it’s good having him here helping me out for the fight. By this time, you need everything. Basically he’s gonna be in my corner, and it’s good for him to train where I am and to bring his own asset into the game. To have him work with us, this is like a very decisive moment leading up to the fight, so it’s very important to have him in my corner, basically helping me with my wrestling, which is great.”

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In the first outing back in January 2018, Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) used a grappling-heavy approach to stifle Ngannou, who had no answer for the pressure and pace. But Ngannou has been working diligently to make the necessary adjustments and is seeking help from one of the best wrestlers in the sport.

You can watch the third episode of Ngannou’s VLOG below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfGuLu-h-Tg

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UFC 260 video: Go behind the scenes with Francis Ngannou ahead of Stipe Miocic rematch

Francis Ngannou takes you behind the scenes as he prepares for his heavyweight title rematch with Stipe Miocic at UFC 260.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] has given fans an in-depth look at his preparations ahead of his upcoming heavyweight title rematch.

Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will challenge reigning heavyweight champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the main event of UFC 260, which takes place March 27 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 Predator” will look to avenge his loss to Miocic from their first meeting three years ago, where Miocic was able to weather an early storm and control Ngannou with his grappling as he claimed a landslide unanimous decision victory. Ngannou went on to drop a lackluster decision to Derrick Lewis at UFC 226, but since then the Cameroonian-French powerhouse has gone on a tear and has starched his last four opponents in the first round in a combined time of two minutes, 42 seconds.

As he looks to correct his wrongs from their first bout, Ngannou has released his first two episodes of his “UFC 260 Fight Camp” vlog, as he takes you behind the scenes at his training camp at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.

If you missed Episode 1, you can check it out via the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SBphZ9s_fs

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Fight booking wire (March 8-14): A familiar name returns to the Bellator cage

Use our fight booking wire throughout the week to keep tabs on all the latest matchups in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, ONE Championship and more.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.

Each week, we’ll compile all the new fight bookings right here – in one spot. Worried you missed a UFC or Bellator matchup, a playoff pairing for the PFL, or a title fight scheduled for ONE or LFA?

Our fight booking wire will keep tabs on it all and will update any time we’ve got new matchups — so you’ll want to come back throughout the week to see the latest.

Here are fight announcements that have been broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie for this week, March 8-14:

UFC 260 poster dubs Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou as ‘biggest baddest rematch’

The official poster for UFC 260 has landed and the Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou heavyweight title rematch takes center stage.

The UFC heavyweight championship will be back on the line, and two familiar participants will clash for gold in the UFC 260 main event.

Reigning titleholder [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] will attempt to further solidify his status as the greatest heavyweight of all-time when he runs it back with devastating knockout specialist [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].

Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) handed Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) a lopsided unanimous decision loss in their first meeting at UFC 220 in January 2018. Both men have endured some ups and down since, but now they’re set to cross paths again.

Check out the official poster for the event below, which dubs Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 as the “biggest baddest rematch” (via Twitter):

The latest UFC 260 lineup includes:

  • Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou – for heavyweight title
  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
  • Jimmy Crute vs. Anthony Smith
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Hannah Goldy vs. Jessica Penne
  • Vicente Luque vs. Tyron Woodley
  • Thomas Almeida vs. Sean O’Malley
  • Marcin Tybura vs. opponent TBA
  • Abu Azaitar vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs. Khama Worthy
  • Omar Morales vs. Shane Young
  • Miranda Maverick vs. Gillian Robertson
  • William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield

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After fight-day cancellation, Gillian Robertson vs. Miranda Maverick rebooked for UFC 260

The fight originally booked for UFC 258 has been rescheduled.

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag] is once again on the books.

The pair of women’s flyweights have been rebooked for UFC 260 on March 27 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The matchup originally was scheduled for Feb. 13 at UFC 258, but Robertson caught a non-COVID-19 illness on fight day, forcing the bout to be scrapped hours before the event.

Both fighters confirmed the booking on their Instagram pages Wednesday after an initial report from Fighter Path.

Robertson (9-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC), 25, competed in December when she lost a unanimous decision to Taila Santos and her two-fight winning streak was snapped. Robertson, a Din Thomas pupil, enters UFC 260 having won four of her most recent six outings.

As for Maverick (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), the former Invicta FC standout made her promotional debut at UFC 254 in October. She defeated Liana Jojua when the fight was stopped in between the first and second rounds due to a laceration.

The UFC 260 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou – for heavyweight title
  • Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
  • Jimmy Crute vs. Anthony Smith
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Hannah Goldy vs. Jessica Penne
  • Vicente Luque vs. Tyron Woodley
  • Thomas Almeida vs. Sean O’Malley
  • Marcin Tybura vs. opponent TBA
  • Abu Azaitar vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs. Khama Worthy
  • Omar Morales vs. Shane Young
  • Miranda Maverick vs. Gillian Robertson

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Injury forces Blagoy Ivanov out of UFC 260 bout vs. Marcin Tybura

Heavyweight Blagoy Ivanov suffered an undisclosed injury and has been forced out of a bout against Marcin Tybura at UFC 260 on March 27.

[autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag] won’t be competing next month.

The heavyweight has suffered an injury and been forced to withdraw from his bout against [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] at UFC 260 on March 27. The news was confirmed on social media by both Ivanov and Tybura following a report from 24Chasa.

Details on Ivanov’s injury are unknown. It’s also uncertain if the UFC intends to reschedule the matchup or find a new opponent for Tybura.

Ivanov (18-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) was looking to snap a two-fight losing skid that’s kept him winless since June 2019. Both defeats were split decision losses to ranked opposition in Derrick Lewis and Augusto Sakai.

Tybura (21-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) is looking to build on his four-fight winning streak. The Polish fighter had an impressive run in 2020 with decision wins over Sergey Spivak, Maxim Grishin, Ben Rothwell and, most recently, a stoppage of former NFL star Greg Hardy.

The UFC 260 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou – for heavyweight title
  • Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
  • Jimmy Crute vs. Anthony Smith
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Hannah Goldy vs. Jessica Penne
  • Vicente Luque vs. Tyron Woodley
  • Thomas Almeida vs. Sean O’Malley
  • Marcin Tybura vs. opponent TBA
  • Abu Azaitar vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs. Khama Worthy
  • Omar Morales vs. Shane Young

Nevada Athletic Commission approves four UFC events for March in Las Vegas

The NAC has approved four UFC events to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Four UFC event applications have been approved by the Nevada Athletic Commission for the month of March.

The NAC’s monthly meeting was held Tuesday via conference call with all five commissioners present. The governing body swiftly granted approval for events on March 6, March 13, March 20, and March 27 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The event license approvals don’t mean the UFC will certainly hold events at the UFC Apex, though it’s expected for the promotion to continue there after a busy February.

Various fights have been revealed for the March stretch:

  • March 6, UFC 259, is headlined by a superfight between light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. It also features women’s dual champ Amanda Nunes defending her featherweight title vs. Megan Anderson, as well as bantamweight champ Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling.
  • March 13, a UFC Fight Night event, is currently headlined by Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev.
  • March 20, a UFC Fight Night event, features a headlining bout between middleweights Derek Brunson and Kevin Holland.
  • March 27, UFC 260, is headlined by heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic’s rematch against Francis Ngannou. It also features a featherweight title fight between champ Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

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Torn pectoral muscle forces Johnny Walker out of UFC 260 fight vs. Jimmy Crute

Johnny Walker has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming fight vs. Jimmy Crute at UFC 260.

[autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag] has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming fight due to injury.

Walker (18-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who was scheduled to face [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] on March 27 at at UFC 260, has suffered a torn pectoral muscle that will require surgery. MMA Junkie confirmed the injury after an initial report from MMA Fighting.

In an Instagram post late Monday night, Crute (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) claimed he already has a replacement opponent that’s a bigger and better name than Walker.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLDrK3FjLeQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

A wise man called @danielkellyjudo once told me “in a sport that’s supposed to be full of tough guys you’d be surprised at how many pussies there are in this sport” very true words. Disappointed that my opponent has ducked me yet again but I can’t say that I am surprised that being said I can’t express how excited and grateful I am that a true fighter has decided to step in and fight me. This is a better fight, better name and bigger challenge but I’m ready for it.

Currently training out of SBG Ireland, Walker bounced back from a two-fight losing streak with a first-round knockout over Ryan Spann last September.

Crute is coming off back-to-back first-round “Performance of the Night” finishes over Michal Oleksiejczuk and Modestas Bukauskas. All four of the Aussie’s UFC wins have come by stoppage.

With the change, the latest UFC 260 lineup now includes:

  • Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou – for heavyweight title
  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
  • Jimmy Crute vs. TBA
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Hannah Goldy vs. Jessica Penne
  • Vicente Luque vs. Tyron Woodley
  • Thomas Almeida vs. Sean O’Malley

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