Francis Ngannou talks retirement, Jake Paul says he'd beat Alex Pereira, UFC 307 co-main loser demands rematch: MMA News Roundup
Francis Ngannou talks retirement, Jake Paul certain he'll defeat Alex Pereira and Raquel Pennington releases statement following UFC 307 loss.
Find out more details in today's (Oct. 10) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.
#3. Francis Ngannou discusses retirement ahead of PFL debut
Francis Ngannou has shed some light on his retirement timeline, as he prepares to make his PFL debut against Renan Ferreira on Oct. 19.
Ngannou's future has been a major topic over recent months following the announcement he is returning to MMA. 'The Predator' hasn't fought in the sport since January 2022, when he defeated Ciryl Gane in the UFC octagon.
Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, the 38-year-old stated he still has a few years left fighting at the top and wants to continue to do so in both boxing and MMA. He said:
"I have an appetite to go back into boxing. For sure, I still have a couple of fights in both [boxing and MMA] left. I just turned 38, so I will say my retirement, when I start getting around 41 or 42. It could be 40 but this is just in an exceptional case...But the thing here, I just want to say I want to leave the sport before the sport leaves me."
Catch Ngannou's comments here (8:02):
#2. Jake Paul "1,000 percent" sure he'd defeat Alex Pereira in a boxing match
Jake Paul recently made the bold claim he believes he would have no issue defeating Alex Pereira inside the squared circle.
Following Pereira's successful light heavyweight title defense against Khalil Rountree Jr., 'The Problem Child' was interviewed by Kick streamer Adin Ross. The pair discussed the Brazilian's performance and Paul claimed Rountree Jr. had exploited holes in Pereira's game that he could use to his advantage in the ring.
Jake Paul said:
''1,000 percent I would beat him. That's the thing is Rountree Jr. actually kind of exposed that he doesn't have a high volume output, he doesn't like body shots, and in the UFC, Pereira would rip my head off, but boxing is a completely different sport and the pace of it and the style of it.''
Check out Paul's comments here (11:07):
#1. Raquel Pennington releases statement following UFC 307 loss, demands immediate rematch
Raquel Pennington is demanding an immediate rematch against Julianna Pena following her women's bantamweight title loss at UFC 307.
Pennington was making her first title defense against the returning Pena in the co-main event of the card at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The pair went the distance in a back-and-forth contest, which saw Pena clinch the title via a controversial split decision.
Many fans, including Pennington, felt she had done enough to win the fight. She has since expressed an interest in running it back to determine a definitive outcome. Taking to Instagram, the now-former UFC champ wrote:
"I’m home and I’m healthy. My heart hurts but my head is high! I do not feel I lost that fight but this is just another wild detour in this journey of mine. I will be back better than ever! I want the rematch stat!"
Check out the full post here: