Just a few years ago, that sentence would have been near unthinkable to write, let alone read. But Ngannou, known to MMA fans as “The Predator,” has proven to be that rare figure able to almost will his dreams into existence. After winning the UFC heavyweight championship and defending the belt, Ngannou held out in a lengthy contract dispute with the promotion, during which one of his demands was to pursue a boxing match with Fury.

UFC heavyweight champ vs. boxing heavyweight champ certainly had a nice ring to it. But when Ngannou vacated his title and signed with rival PFL, it seemed like the boxing dream had fizzled. Dana White sent to far as to suggested his former employee (sorry, indepenent contractor) had “fumbled the bag.”

As it turns out, Ngannou fumbled the bag all the way to the bank, landing the Fury fight and knocking the heavyweight champ down in the bout. Many had Francis winning, though the scorecards say otherwise, but his performance landed him a ranking, and a second look against another boxing star in Anthony Joshua, in a card with the rather fun moniker “Knockout Chaos.”

Where to Watch Joshua vs. Ngannou: Knockout Chaos

The Knockout Chaos card can be viewed via either DAZN (with subscription) or PPV.com on Friday, March 8, 2024 with the event taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The undercard gets underway at 11AM ET. Full results from the event can be found below.

Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: Knockout Chaos Results

Anthony Joshua def. Francis Ngannou via R2 KO, 2:38
Joseph Parker def. Zhilei Zhang via Decision
Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball Ruled A Split Draw
Israil Madrimov def. Magomed Kurbanov via R5 KO
Mark Chamberlain def. Gavin Gwynne via R4 KO, 2:46
Justis Huni def. Kevin Lerena via Decision
Louis Green def. Jack McGann via KO, Round 1, 1:29
Roman Fury def. Martin Svarc via Decision
Ziyad Almaayouf def. Christian Lopez Flores via Decision
Andrii Novytski def. Juan Torres via KO, Round 3

The post Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: Knockout Chaos Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

10 – Kevin Holland VS Michael ‘Venom’ Page

The UFC’s signing of Michael ‘Venom’ Page drew attention after years of fan anticipation for the karateka’s unusual, swagger-driven stylings to switch over to the top MMA promotion after a high-profile Bellator career. A fight against the other popular modern karateka in MMA, ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, was expected, but with that being deemed too high a jump up the rankings, Kevin Holland made logical sense instead for MVP’s debut. Ever since his record year in 2020 with five victories, ‘Trailblazer’ has truly blazed his trail to the top of the sport, in the hearts and minds of fans if not in the rankings. Despite his losses, some of them woefully embarrassing, Holland’s exciting fighting style, magnetic personality, and headlines for stopping multiple crimes, even saving a life, have made him one of the UFC’s premier draws.

Kevin Holland's 2020 resume includes…

4️⃣ fights
4️⃣ wins
3️⃣ finishes
2️⃣ bonuses@Trailblaze2top concludes his breakout year Saturday at #UFC256 pic.twitter.com/v5hcRWNwym

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 10, 2020

Though some see him as a gimmick fighter, Holland has beaten genuinely good opponents like Michael Chiesa, Tim Means, and Santiago Ponzinibbio in exciting ways. Likewise, many fans see MVP as a gimmick fighter who faltered against the best competition, but none of them can deny his appeal with his flashy kicks and extensive highlight reel. Their combined highlight reel may be the best of any fight thus far this year, so no matter the relevance of the fight to the actual welterweight division – it is hard to see a path for either man to the belt – the excitement factor is as good as it gets at this level, even on a very deep UFC 299 card.

The post Top Ten Best Fights of the Week: UFC 299, PFL Europe, KO Chaos and More appeared first on Cageside Press.

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