Ngannou calls UFC heavyweight title image ‘very irritating’
As Stipe Miocic landed the ultimate crushing blow to Daniel Cormier’s reign as UFC heavyweight champion on Saturday at UFC 241, former title challenger Francis Ngannou was watching intently. His eyes had been fixated on the display, and his ideas instantly turned to his subsequent combat.
Was he prepared for one more probability on the belt?
“(Miocic and I) nonetheless should do what must be executed,” Ngannou advised ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on Monday. “I feel I am within the spot now that I deserve the title shot.”
Ngannou, a 6-foot-Four, 255-pound heavyweight, has received three straight fights, all by first-round knockout. The outcomes had been so vicious that he was even not too long ago solid within the upcoming Quick and the Livid film. However whereas movie officers know precisely what they need out of the Cameroon native, the UFC decision-makers aren’t so sure.
And it irritates the 32-year-old Ngannou.
“I do not know precisely what is occurring for the UFC executives. I do not know what their mindset is,” he stated. “They aren’t actually clear on the reply of me deserving a title shot or me preventing subsequent or not. I do not perceive why it isn’t clear for them. It is a very irritating scenario proper now.”
The UFC’s return to China encompasses a strawweight division championship combat, one which followers in Shenzhen have been anticipating for a number of months.
Zhang Weili, who’s 19-1 and fights out of Beijing, will look to take the title from Jessica Andrade in the primary occasion subsequent Saturday night time.
UFC Struggle Evening: Andrade vs. Zhang
• Saturday, Aug. 31, Shenzhen, China
• Prelims: ESPN, three a.m. ET
• Most important card: ESPN+, 6 a.m. ET
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Ngannou and Miocic fought on one prior event for the heavyweight title, at UFC 220 in 2018. Miocic was capable of keep away from energy pictures from his opponent and took him down at will — and Ngannou struggled on the bottom. Miocic received the combat by unanimous determination to retain the title.
Ngannou has since responded with three wins in 4 fights. Requested by Helwani if he can be okay with Miocic taking up UFC gentle heavyweight champion Jon Jones subsequent, Ngannou instantly shot that down.
“As a result of I feel I am subsequent in line, it needs to be me,” he stated. “Sure, I might be upset about that.”
Miocic, who additionally appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Present on Monday, wouldn’t give a touch as to which opponent he was leaning for his first title protection since reclaiming the belt.
“Let me heal up, relaxation up and I am going to determine it out,” he stated.
Paulo Costa is able to combat for the UFC middleweight title
Paulo Costa fought a brutal battle towards Yoel Romero at UFC 241 — he claims he is by no means been hit more durable in his life — and on an evening with a handful of standout contenders, the bout received combat of the night time honors.
What’s extra, the unanimous determination victory set Costa up because the fighter probably to be subsequent in line to problem both Robert Whittaker or Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title after they do battle at UFC 243.
Costa shall be entrance row in Melbourne, Australia to see it occur in October, taking full benefit of a chance to scout each of his potential opponents up shut.
“I need to be there to observe my subsequent opponent stay,” he stated. “I need to be there to strain him. I feel Whittaker will beat Adesanya.”
Whereas he believes Whittaker will get the job executed, Costa hopes he will get an opportunity to get into the Octagon towards Adesanya, who has antagonized him on a number of events, together with a social media message instantly after Costa’s combat at UFC 241.
“I am rooting for Adesanya to win this combat,” Costa stated. “I’ll positively erase him — he would not have an opportunity. He would not have a chin. He would not trust. I noticed it towards Anderson Silva… Israel is afraid. Israel is a faux champion.”
Nick Newell: ‘Individuals can relate to me’
“Everybody has issues. Everybody has issues happening of their lives that folks cannot see,” Nick Newell advised Helwani. “Mine, you possibly can see it. It is apparent what I am going by means of, and I really feel like lots of people can relate to me.”
Newell (15-2), who makes his Bellator debut on Saturday on a one-fight contract, is a congenital amputee with a left arm that ends just under his elbow. The previous World Collection of Combating light-weight, who competed final season on Dana White’s Contender Collection, faces Corey Browning at Webster Financial institution Enviornment in Bridgeport, Connecticut — 10 minutes from his residence.
Rising up in southern Connecticut, Newell made different children conscious early on that he was not one to be pushed round.
“I did not actually permit myself to be bullied,” he stated, “I at all times kinda had slightly little bit of canine in me. I used to be at all times robust. It wasn’t till I turned a preferred fighter that, on the web, folks began bullying me. Man, persons are imply!”
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Nick Newell is aware of there are individuals who recognize his abilities, however he is aware of he has haters who’re ready on him to lose.
Mike Perry: ‘Am I going to die?’
Mike Perry earned a combat of the night time bonus at UFC Struggle Evening: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2 in Uruguay towards Vicente Luque, however he paid the worth late in a bout that he’d finally drop by break up determination.
The aftermath of a shot to the face was clear within the aftermath, with Perry’s badly damaged nostril pushed all the way in which to at least one aspect. Perry needed to keep in Uruguay lengthy sufficient to get his nostril surgically repaired, and mentioned the fast aftermath on Monday’s present.
Because the adrenaline began to put on off post-fight, Perry felt the complete impact of the harm executed.
“I knew he brought about some harm. I caught the leg and [afterwards] I used to be like rattling,” Perry advised Helwani. “You do not actually really feel it ’til later… Later I felt the ache from them, no matter they did within the again sticking steel rods up my nostril and cranking my face round attempting to get my nostril again in place — I felt that later. That gave me complications.
“With the current deaths in boxing, I used to be like, ‘Rattling, is my mind bleeding? Am I going to die?’ These had been actual ideas.”
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“Platinum” Mike Perry says when he broke his nostril, the ache in his head was so dangerous he thought he was going to die within the hospital.
Kurt Angle gave Colby Covington his blessing to make use of WWE entrance music
Once you get a complete area to shout “you suck!” in unison and in time to music, it is clear you have made an enormous impression on them. Such was the case with Colby Covington, who entered the Prudential Middle in Newark to “Medal,” the WWE entrance theme music initially utilized by WWE Corridor of Famer Kurt Angle.
At one level in Angle’s profession, when he portrayed a villain, followers started to shout “you suck” in time to the track, and Covington, ever the antagonist, wished the identical response from the gang earlier than he fought Robbie Lawler. Covington reached out to Angle by means of a mutual buddy — Bellator MMA fighter and energetic WWE star Bobby Lashley — and acquired Angle’s blessing to make use of the track.
“I feel it is extraordinary. I feel he has one thing that no one else has,” Angle stated of Covington’s potential to incite these sorts of reactions. “He will get the leisure issue of it… he has that thoughts for it, similar to Conor McGregor.”
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WWE Corridor of Famer Kurt Angle explains to Ariel Helwani why he gave Colby Covington permission to make use of his music and what he thinks of Covington’s character.
Eddie Alvarez believes followers following him to ONE
Eddie Alvarez is perhaps gone from the North American MMA scene, he says, however he has not disappeared for true combat followers.
After spending a decade competing in the USA, Canada and Mexico in prime time at UFC and Bellator occasions, “The Underground King” joined ONE Championship earlier this 12 months, and his final two fights have been within the Philippines and Japan, out there in on-line streams at odd hours.
Former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez is 1-1 since becoming a member of ONE Championship. AP Photograph/Bullit Marquez
Throughout an look on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Present, Alvarez spoke of his personal fandom, citing boxers Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.
“I am going to watch these guys combat in any platform,” he advised Helwani. “I do not care who the opponent is, who the promotion is. I really like watching them combat. So I anticipated the identical out of my followers.”
Because it seems, Alvarez followers on this continent will get to see their man on stay TV in prime time on Oct. 12, when he faces Saygig Arslanaliev within the remaining of ONE’s light-weight grand prix. The Tokyo occasion, which additionally will characteristic former UFC champ Demetrious Johnson towards Danny Kingad within the flyweight grand prix finale, shall be on TNT — a primary for ONE.
To these not aware of Arslanaliev and Kingad, Alvarez says, “The very best fighters on the planet are just about unknowns, They’re within the jungles of Brazil. They’re within the foothills of Dagestan. They’re everywhere in the world.”