UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will require surgery to repair MCL and ACL injuries, his manager has confirmed.
Ngannou retained his heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane in Anaheim on Saturday.
The 35-year-old got the better of his former training partner Gane for the first victory by decision of his 17-3-0 UFC career.
Ngannou then revealed he had actually torn his MCL and damaged his ACL while sparring in preparation for the fight.
His manager, Marquel Martin, told ESPN on Wednesday that Ngannou will spend some time resting back home in his native Cameroon and that the "plan" is to have surgery once he returns to the United States.
It is estimated Ngannou will be out for nine months recovering from the injuries.
"I continue to be amazed and inspired by Francis' heart and resilience," Martin said.
"Fighting on one leg to overcome all odds and remind the world he is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I think we can all agree he deserves some time to go back home and be with his family and countrymen.
"Upon his return, we plan on getting surgery and starting the recovery process so we can get him back to 100 percent as soon as possible.
"In the meantime, we hope we can find a peaceful resolution in these contract talks [with the UFC]. We'd like to thank all the fans for their continued support and belief in Francis."
“There’s levels to this”- Brown believes experience will give him the edge over Battle at UFC 310
Jamaican UFC Welterweight Randy Brown is feeling good ahead of his next trip to the octagon at UFC 310 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday.
The 34-year-old will take on surging contender Bryan Battle on the back of wins in seven of his last eight including three straight since a loss to Australian Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 284 on February 11 last year in Perth, Australia.
“Life has been good. Just been grinding. Nothing’s changed for me,” Brown said at UFC media day on Wednesday.
“I’ve just been on the clock, developing and getting better, doing what I need to do,” he added.
In an ideal situation, Brown said he would’ve been fighting a ranked opponent on Saturday.
However, with Battle being a fighter with star power and momentum, also coming into this fight on a three-fight win streak, Brown plans to use this opportunity as a springboard into bigger fights.
“Yeah, for sure but I’ve seen them before. They come and they go. They get their moments. I’m happy for him and proud of him for doing what he’s doing but I do think he’s someone I can bounce off of to help me move forward,” said Brown.
“He’s someone I need to get past in order to move to my ultimate goal,” he added.
Brown was also complimentary of his opponent’s skills heading into Saturday, calling him “a tremendous athlete and martial artist.”
“He puts it together well,” he said.
“I’m most impressed with his durability. His ability to take damage and move forward. He’s a grinder,” Brown added.
With that in mind, Brown believes his experience will lead him to a fourth victory in a row. Brown has been in the UFC since 2016 while Battle made his UFC debut in 2021.
“With that being said, I’ve seen him before. I think that this is one of those fights that he’s going to run into someone that’s more experienced and has seen it all before and that’s going to be a shocker for him. There’s levels to this, ultimately,” he said.
Randy Brown to face Bryan Battle at UFC 310 in Las Vegas on December 7
Jamaican UFC Welterweight Randy Brown will make his return to the octagon when he takes on the streaking Bryan Battle at UFC 310 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 7.
Brown (19-5) is currently on a three-fight win streak with his last fight ending in a unanimous decision victory over Brazilian veteran Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos at UFC 302 on June 1 in New Jersey.
Brown’s opponent Bryan “The Butcher” Battle (12-2, 1NC) is also coming into this fight on a three-fight win streak, all three wins coming via stoppage.
Battle recorded a 14-second first round knockout of Gabe Green at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida on May 13 last year before recording a round two submission against AJ Fletcher on September 23 that year at UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs Gamrot.
His last fight ended in a knockout in the second round over Kevin Jousset at UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Saint Denis on September 28.
The winner of this clash of streaking welterweights could see themselves stepping into the Welterweight rankings and lining themselves up for a big fight very soon.
“They’ll bear witness to a slaughter”- Blake promises dominant display in RFL Ocho main event on Saturday
Rough Fight League (RFL) Amateur Lightweight Champion Shiaeine ‘Da Great’ Blake says fans can expect him to make quick work of opponent Daron ‘Avatar’ Weir when the two lock horns in the main event of RFL Ocho at Funland in Hope Gardens in Kingston on Saturday.
‘Da Great,’ who has held the number one spot across three weight classes in the Caribbean, will be making his professional debut against Weir, an accomplished boxer, who is now stepping into the professional MMA scene after taking this fight on short notice.
“I envision him laying on the canvas within eight minutes looking up at me and wondering what went wrong,” Blake told Sportsmax.tv on Tuesday.
“Fans are coming out expecting a fight but they’ll bear witness to a slaughter,” added Blake.
Knowing that Weir is coming from a strictly boxing background and this being an MMA fight, one would think that the obvious play for Blake is to lean into a wrestling-heavy style on Saturday.
The 29-year-old has other ideas, however, noting that his ego has got the best of him ahead of their bout.
“Knowing that Daron’s style is boxing heavy, I’ve allowed my ego to get a hold of me and challenged myself to beat him primarily with boxing,” Blake said.
“I’ve prepared to beat him where he’s best at. Boxing is his hope, but there cannot be despair without hope so I’ll beat him where he’s best and watch him crumble,” he added.
Blake last fought at the IMMAF Pan American Championships in Monterrey in September, losing via kneebar submission to Mexico’s Diego Rangel in round two of their three-round fight.
That fight is in the past and Blake says he’s going into Saturday’s fight with a clear mind.
“The loss hasn’t really affected me mentally of physically. You win and you lose in sports. That’s given, analyze it, learn from it and move onward,” he said.
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