SANTA YNEZ, California - John Dato did not want to let down his family and friends, even if it meant facing a fighter physically bigger than him. Dato fended off a late rally from Ronal Ron to win a hard-fought unanimous decision before a partisan crowd Friday night at the Chumash Casino Resort. Scores were 79-73, 78-74, and 77-75 for ...
Hall of Fame trainer Teddy Atlas does not see any controversy in the outcome of last Saturday's crossover heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou. Fury had his share of struggles in winning a close ten round split decision win over Ngannou, who was making his pro debut in professional boxing. Ngannou stunned everyone when he dropped Fury in ...
Former two division world champion Shakur Stevenson believes some MMA fighters are getting way ahead of themselves due to last Saturday's fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou. Ngannou, a former UFC champion who was making his pro debut in boxing, nearly derailed Fury in their ten round contest in Saudi Arabia. Fury, who appeared to be underprepared, was shockingly dropped ...
Perfect as a professional and on the verge of taking a step up as 2023 draws to a close, welterweight Avious Griffin was scheduled to make his broadcast debut on November 4 in Costa Rica against Nolberto Casco before the injury bug bit, but even before that, the idea of the world getting to see him for the first time ...
Two high-stakes showdowns top the bill on a special Top Rank on ESPN card Saturday, Dec. 9 at Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida. In the main event, Cuban WBO featherweight king Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez puts his belt on the line against unbeaten Mexican contender Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza. In the 10-round junior middleweight co-feature, Puerto ...
Czech-Slovak promotion Oktagon MMA makes its UK debut on Saturday, November 3 as the AO Arena in Manchester plays host to Oktagon 48. Headlining the event is a battle for the vacant flyweight title, as Wales’ Aaron Aby takes on American contender Elias Garcia for the honor of becoming the promotion’s inaugural 125-pound champion, while the co-main event features the ...
Regis Prograis needed a big fight. Well, maybe he didn’t need it but he certainly wanted one. Picking up a win over Danielito Zorilla didn’t qualify as such. Simply put, the 34-year-old was a bit envious of what was happening around him. In practically every weight class, including his own, Prograis noticed that mouthwatering matchups were taking place everywhere. But ...
Francis Ngannou felt he neutralized Tyson Fury for large stretches of their high-profile showdown by fighting as a lefty. The former UFC champion failed to pull off the upset over WBC titlist Tyson Fury in their 10-round heavyweight bout on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but he shocked many viewers by being mostly competitive and even dropping Fury in ...
Buckle up, folks. It’s time for a post-weekend game of two truths and a lie. 1) Francis Ngannou was better in the ring than we thought he’d be. 2) Francis Ngannou will get a big audience for his next boxing match. 3) Francis Ngannou defeated Tyson Fury. Spoiler alert, everyone. The third one is the lie. Though ...
ONE bantamweight champion Fabricio Andrade steps out of his comfort zone at ONE Fight Night 16 as he crosses codes to kickboxing to challenge for the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing title on Friday, November 3, and he’s convinced he has the skillset to upset another of the promotion’s decorated striking champions. Andrade takes on reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai champion ...