"Where is the pride within your sport?" - Chael Sonnen not impressed by 'silly' Twitter exchange between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou
Chael Sonnen is clearly unimpressed with the recent Twitter back and forth between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou. During the latest episode of his Bad Guy Inc podcast, Sonnen termed the interaction between the two as 'silly'.
The feud started when Fury posted a tweet asking his fans if they would like to see him box Ngannou wearing UFC gloves. Ngannou countered by suggesting an MMA fight with boxing gloves instead.
How about MMA rules with boxing gloves? I can do you that favor. twitter.com/Tyson_Fury/sta…
Tyson Fury replied to the tweet guaranteeing that he'll knock Ngannou out if they ever face off in a boxing ring. He also promised the UFC fighter the biggest paycheck of his career. In response, Ngannou said he'll fight Fury in MMA, boxing, or the streets after defending his title against Ciryl Gane at the upcoming UFC 270 pay-per-view.
After I handle business on Jan. 22 I'll fight you under any special rule set you want. In a ring, an octagon or a phone booth. twitter.com/Tyson_Fury/sta…
'The American Gangster' pointed out that the two men agreeing to box each other wearing MMA gloves doesn't make sense and will hardly create any intrigue among fans. Sonnen said that the use of MMA gloves in boxing takes away a lot from the essence of the sport. He claims Fury is in some way undermining the sweet science by agreeing to box wearing MMA gloves:
"So Francis has let Tyson know that as soon as he finishes business here with Ciryl Gane, he will fight Tyson anywhere, in a ring, in a cage, or in a phone booth... Tyson Fury added to the silliness himself by letting Francis know he'd box Francis wearing MMA gloves... It's just weird. Where is the pride within your sport? If you're a boxer, you don't change the rules of boxing, you stand by your sport."
Check out the latest episode of the Bad Guy Inc podcast below:
Ciryl Gane's coach claims stiff challenge awaits Frenchman when he faces former pupil Francis Ngannou at UFC 270
Francis Ngannou's former coach Fernand Lopez believes the reigning UFC heavyweight champion will be the toughest test of Ciryl Gane's career when the pair meet at UFC 270. Gane is currently coached by Lopez, who feels 'The Predator' is a completely different beast to Derrick Lewis, whom Gane beat to become interim champion.
During an interview with MMA Junkie, Lopez also hailed Ngannou as one of the quicker heavyweights in the promotion:
"Francis Ngannou is a different animal, moving faster – he’s pretty quick for that weight class. He’s kind of fast for that weight class. People underestimate how fast Francis can be. He’s fast. Ciryl is faster, but Francis is fast. He’s kind of quick when he moves. He has decent footwork and he’s athletic."
The former teammates will meet for a heavyweight title unification bout at UFC 270 on January 22 in Anaheim. Ngannou holds a professional MMA record of 16-3, while Gane's record stands at a perfect 10-0.