Ex-UFC star plans on using illegal moves in boxing match, Francis Ngannou praised for negotiation skills, and more: MMA News Roundup
A former UFC star, set to compete in a boxing match next, is prepared to use illegal means to be the last man standing, even risking a disqualification. Elsewhere, Francis Ngannou was highly praised for his negotiation skills.
Read on to learn more about today's top combat sports updates.
Darren Till wants to kick Tommy Fury in the face
Former UFC star Darren Till to fight Tyson Fury's brother Tommy Fury in a boxing match on Jan. 18 next year at the Co-Op Live in Manchester. In the press conference held on Tuesday after the contest was confirmed, things got heated between the two parties. As always, the presence of John Fury did not help the matter.
Till told Fury:
"Not one person in this room, security, you, your dad are not a threat to me. I’m an MMA fighter, so if I want to kick you or elbow you in the face, I will, and no one can do anything about it."
Fury reminded Till that this was a boxing match, which meant he would not be able to use his MMA skillset inside the ring, to which Till responded:
"How are you going to stop me? If I'm losing the fight, I'm going to kick you straight in the face."
Things soon escalated as Fury Sr. began squirting water at Till and the pair had to be separated by security.
Frank Mir praises Francis Ngannou for "intelligent" negotiation
Frank Mir was all praises for Francis Ngannou during a recent appearance on Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's JAXXON Podcast. The former UFC heavyweight champion commended 'The Predator' for his patience and poise during the infamous negotiation period with the UFC. It ultimately did not come to fruition and Ngannou landed a lucrative deal with the PFL instead.
Mir said:
"Francis Ngannou is] a clever guy, man. I remember when he was talking about his last contract with the UFC and he was sitting there and we're talking. And he kept saying, 'Time's on my side... My contract's gonna run out. They either pay me or they don't.' ... The fact that he was able to put himself in a position where he was able to be patient just is another testament to his intelligence."
Watch Frank Mir's comments below (12:00):
UFC 309 put Michael Chandler in "most pain" he has ever been in
Michael Chandler physically suffered the most in his entire career in the rematch against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. The American shared during a recent appearance on Bussin' With The Boys that it was also the one to inflict the most injuries on him.
Chandler said:
"[My] body - the most pain I've ever been in my entire life. The most injuries I've ever had in a fight, for sure. Peed blood, inflammation all over, my whole body is swollen... I think something happened to the knee in that first exchange where he had the leg and I did that a full 360, he did a kneebar thing because I walked back to the stool and I looked down at my left leg and it was not working right."
Catch Michael Chandler's comments below (1:20):
Chandler added that he suspected the reason behind the blood in his urine was rhabdomyolysis, a condition that causes your muscles to disintegrate.