Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Ngannou vs. De Fries? Plus Istela Nunes’ X-Ray Is Wild

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Phil De Fries, KSW
Phil De Fries Credit: KSW

It was a crazy night at UFC Vegas 77, where a former champion was upset, and a struggling strawweight saw injury added to insult when a dislocated elbow took her out of her fight early. Plus, there’s a growing push for a Francis Ngannou vs. Phil De Fries match-up, and an AEW star tries his hand at jiu-jitsu. It’s a quick one this week — it’s your Sunday MMA Quick Hits!

Terrance McKinney reacts to UFC Vegas 77 loss

It was a rough night for UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney on Saturday, as he was submitted by Nazim Sadykhov at UFC Vegas 77. Shortly after the loss, McKinney was on social media giving his response.

AEW star Jon Moxley wins Jiu-jitsu match

Per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, AEW pro wrestling star Jon Moxley won his division at the NAGA Cincinnati Grappling Championship on Saturday (no-gi, over 30, super heavyweight division). Formerly known as WWE’s Dean Ambrose, Moxley has incorporated the odd bit of jiu-jitsu into his wrestling moveset over the years.

Istela Nunes’ elbow injury — yikes!

UFC women’s strawweight Istela Nunes found herself in a must-win situation at UFC Vegas 77, down 0-3 in the promotion. But things went from bad to worse when Viktoriia Dudakova took her down — only for Nunes to post on her arm to break her fall, dislocating her elbow in the process.

UFC President Dana White later posted the x-ray on his Instagram. And while nasty it looks like a dislocation rather than a break. We’re not doctors, so take it with a grain of salt, but fingers crossed.

Nunes, meanwhile, posted an update from her hospital bed.

Boxer Gets the Boobies Out to Celebrate Win

Whatever Kyngpin Boxing is, it took place at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday. The card featured social media content creators, because outside of the top names, that’s apparently where the money remains these days. In any case, after BKFC’s Tai Emery did it not too long ago, boxer Daniella Hemsley opted to flash the crowd after a decision win against someone named Ms. Danielka.

The crowd in Dublin clearly got an eyeful. As for Hemsley, what sort of content creator is she? She’s an OnlyFans girl. Well at least the math checks out.

For those so inclined, Twitter has the full, uncensored, bouncy celebration.

Ngannou vs. De Fries

Ever since Francis Ngannou signed with the PFL, there has been ample speculation about who his debut opponent will be. Ngannou first has a boxing match with Tyson Fury later this year, and is then expected to return to the cage some time in 2024.

Enter Phil De Fries. There’s a growing movement to have the current KSW heavyweight champ face off with “The Predator.” And it’s not as crazy as you think. De Fries notched his ninth consecutive title defense at KSW 84 on Saturday. He’s 10-0 in KSW, and on a twelve-fight win streak overall. It doesn’t matter what promotion you’re competing for: at heavyweight, where one punch can change everything in the blink of an eye, that is impressive.

Following De Fries’ submission win over Szymon Bajor on Saturday, Ariel Helwani got on the bandwagon. “Gimme Big Phil x Francis. That’s the fight. Make it happen,” Helwani wrote on social media, tagging both KSW and PFL. De Fries replied positively, saying “let’s make it happen.”

We spoke to De Fries earlier this year, and asked him about the possibility of fighting Ngannou. Here’s what he had to say about the possibility in February:

“I would love that fight, that would be fantastic. But I would also want loads of cash!” De Fries exclaimed. “I’m at a stage of my career, I’m 36. I’ll fight bloody anyone on the planet. I’m ready to fight anyone, I can prepare for anyone, I’m not going to say no to anyone, but I am going to say ‘yes, give me some more money!’”

KSW, meanwhile, stated that “the ball is in their court” (referring to the PFL), so it appears they’re at least open to some kind of co-promotion.

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