Jon Jones will make his UFC comeback in March, it has been announced Jon Jones will face Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title in Las Vegas in March after promotion president Dana White confirmed that now-former champion Francis Ngannou has been released from the […]
Jon Jones will make his UFC comeback in March, it has been announced
Jon Jones will face Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title in Las Vegas in March after promotion president Dana White confirmed that now-former champion Francis Ngannou has been released from the company.
Jones and Gane will face off in the main event at T-Mobile Arena at UFC 285 on March 4, marking the return of the man many consider to be the greatest MMA competitor of all time.
Former light-heavyweight champion Jones has not fought since defending his 205lbs title against Dominik Reyes in February 2020. The ensuing period has seen Jones consistently tease a step up to heavyweight in a bid to be crowned the UFC’s latest two-weight champion.
Jones, 35, will now get that chance – although it won’t be the bout many had clamored for against Cameroonian fighter Ngannou, after White confirmed that the UFC had been unable to agree contract terms with the hard-hitting heavyweight star.
White said Ngannou, 36, had been offered a deal to make him the “highest-paid heavyweight” in UFC history – eclipsing former superstar Brock Lesnar – but that he had turned down the contract proposal.
Ngannou last fought in January 2022, when he made a first title defense with a unanimous decision victory over Gane. Ngannou later announced he would undergo major knee surgery, although relations have been strained with the UFC hierarchy for some time, with the fighter complaining that he has not been paid his worth. The heavyweight giant has also touted a crossover to boxing to face the likes of Tyson Fury.
Announcing the Jones-Gane fight following the UFC’s event in Las Vegas on Saturday, promotion president White explained the circumstances surrounding Ngannou’s exit after seven years and 14 fights.
“I’ve told you guys this before, if you don’t want to be here, you don’t have to be,” White told the media. “I think Francis is in a place right now where he doesn’t want to take a lot of risk. He feels like he’s in a good position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money. We’re going to let him do that, release him from his contract and give up our right to match.”
White said that Jones had been ready to fight anyone in the heavyweight ranks upon his return. Despite being involved in contract disputes of his own with the UFC in recent years, Jones has signed a new eight-fight deal with the promotion, according to White.
Jones regularly features in lists of the greatest MMA practitioners of all time. His only defeat in a 28-fight career has come via disqualification in a 2009 contest with Matt Hamill, while the other blemish on Jones’ record came in 2017 when his KO win against Daniel Cormier was later declared a ‘no contest’ due to a doping violation.
In addition to doping suspensions, Jones has faced notoriety for several run-ins with the law. In September 2021, he was detained in Las Vegas just hours after being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Jones will be welcomed on his return to the UFC by Gane – the highly-rated French star who claimed the interim heavyweight title and was undefeated in 10 fights before suffering a decision loss to Ngannou in their title fight 12 months ago. Gane, 32, bounced back from that defeat by knocking out Tai Tuivasa in the third round of their main event at UFC Paris in September.
Umar Nurmagomedov extended his unbeaten record with victory in Las Vegas on Saturday night UFC boss Dana White says surging bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov is “ready for anything,” after the Russian fighter scored a brutal knockout win over Brazil’s Raoni Barcelos in the first round of their bout […]
Umar Nurmagomedov extended his unbeaten record with victory in Las Vegas on Saturday night
UFC boss Dana White says surging bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov is “ready for anything,” after the Russian fighter scored a brutal knockout win over Brazil’s Raoni Barcelos in the first round of their bout at UFC Fight Night 217 in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Nurmagomedov flattened Barcelos with a savage left hook after stepping in for a kick with 20 seconds remaining of the opening round. The Russian followed up with a hammerfist on the ground but Barcelos was already out cold as referee Jason Herzog waved off the fight.
Dagestani star Nurmagomedov was without the presence of famous cousin Khabib in his corner at the UFC Apex, after the retired lightweight legend made the decision to step away from MMA this year, but the 27-year-old nonetheless got the job done in impressive fashion to extend his unbeaten record inside the UFC Octagon to 4-0 and 16-0 overall in his career.
UFC president White revealed in his post-event press conference that he had already spoken to Nurmagomedov about what lies in store, with the Russian in a hurry to fight competition higher up the 135lbs ranks.
“He actually wanted to come back and talk to me tonight,” White told the media. “He’s going home for a week and then he’s coming back here and he said he’s ready for anything we bring to him. I love that attitude and I’m excited about that kid.”
When asked if Nurmagomedov could potentially be thrown back into competition at UFC 285 on March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, White said he would discuss how the land lies with fellow management before making a decision.
“Well, he’s coming right back, he’s leaving for a week… We’ll probably turn him around quick, when guys want to turn around quick, I love that. It’s about finding the right opponent. There’s a lot of fights that are already happening in that division… I don’t know, Tuesday, we’ll start looking at it,” said White.
Nurmagomedov said he is ‘ready for March’ in a social media post, sharing a photo alongside White and UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
Nurmagomedov had stepped things up as the opening round wore on against Barcelos, showcasing some slick striking – especially making use of kicks. The victory was a first by KO for Nurmagomedov inside the UFC, with his previous wins with the promotion coming via two submissions and a unanimous decision.
Barcelos became his latest victim as the Brazilian slipped to his third defeat in his past four fights, having won each of his first five contests with the promotion.
Raked number 11 heading into Saturday night’s action, Nurmagomedov used his post-fight interview to call out anyone willing to face him in March. He also apologized for landing a further blow on the downed Barcelos, saying he had not been aware that the Brazilian was already completely out when he hit the deck.
Watching from afar, Khabib Nurmagomedov expressed his approval of his cousin’s performance, issuing an Instagram post with a clip of the KO and describing it as a “statement.” Teammate and current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev also heaped praise on Umar Nurmagomedov, sending his congratulations in a social media post and predicting: “He will be champion.”
The Russian figure skater was declared to be free of wrongdoing in her case – but that does not mean it’s over Eleven months after the doping scandal involving teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva rocked the Beijing Winter Olympics, there were significant developments this […]
The Russian figure skater was declared to be free of wrongdoing in her case – but that does not mean it’s over
Eleven months after the doping scandal involving teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva rocked the Beijing Winter Olympics, there were significant developments this week when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that it had been informed of the outcome of a tribunal into the case.
But rather than mark the end of the saga, the statement from WADA on Friday merely indicates that the story is set to drag on.
For the 16-year-old Valieva, her legions of fans and numerous other stakeholders, it may be some time before there is closure in one of the biggest Olympic stories in recent memory.
Officials have shed light on the car crash which killed Leyla Salyamova this week The driver of the car in which Russian women’s high diving champion Leyla Salyamova was traveling most likely did not take into account the weather conditions before the crash which claimed […]
Officials have shed light on the car crash which killed Leyla Salyamova this week
The driver of the car in which Russian women’s high diving champion Leyla Salyamova was traveling most likely did not take into account the weather conditions before the crash which claimed both their lives, officials have said.
Salyamova died at the age of 23 in the fatal accident in Karelia on Thursday. Details have since emerged about the circumstances of the tragedy, which happened when the Mitsubishi Lancer in which Salyamova was a passenger collided with a Volkswagen Tiguan on a section of the Sortavala highway in the Lakhdenpokhsky District.
“The driver of the Mitsubishi car did not take into account the meteorological and road conditions, chose the wrong speed, as a result of which he lost control of the vehicle while cornering. As a result of an uncontrolled skid, the car swerved into the oncoming lane, where it collided with a Volkswagen,” local officials were quoted as saying on Friday.
Images of the aftermath of the crash were shared by the Republic of Karelia’s committee for public safety, and showed the mangled wreckage of both cars. The Mitsubishi Lancer appeared to have been torn into two pieces by the impact of crash, with one section of the car lying by the roadside in the snow.
The two people traveling in the Volkswagen – a 47-year-old male driver and 39-year-old female passenger – were both hospitalized. The woman, who was named as Ekaterina Zelenovskaya, said that she had lost her unborn child in the crash.
“I remember that we were moving towards St. Petersburg. We were moving at about 110 kilometers per hour. And, apparently, they came up from behind the hill… I saw that the oncoming car turned towards us, it was in our lane. We didn’t even have time to do anything,”said Zelenovskaya.
She added that she had undergone surgery for internal bleeding and ruptured intestines, explaining: “I was in my third month of pregnancy. Now there is no (chance). My collarbone is broken.” The driver of the Volkswagen also required surgery after suffering what was described as a “combined musculoskeletal injury.”
Following Salyamova’s death, tributes were paid to an athlete described as a pioneer for Russian women in her sport.
Artem Silchenko, a cliff diving world series champion in 2013, was among those to honor her as someone who lived life to the fullest. “Leila was active, she wanted to perform shows. We’d decided to include Leyla in our competitions next year… We are all shocked by what happened,” he told Match TV.
Salyamova was Russian women’s high diving champion in 2021 and was a silver medalist in synchronized high diving at the 2015 national championships. She also competed on the popular Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, making her debut at the iconic stage in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, last August.
