Derrick Lewis has claimed that he wants a rematch with Francis Ngannou but only after he does one thing and more — Fightful has the latest MMA news from around the world in your Fightful Fix.
Derrick Lewis "for sure" wants Francis Ngannou rematch
Derrick Lewis chatted to Joe Rogan on "The Joe Rogan Experience" and chatted about an array of topics. Rogan asked Lewis about his infamous clash with Ngannou in what was widely regarded as one of the more uneventful MMA fights in UFC history. And Lewis, despite earning the win in that fight, admits he has to "got to get that one." But before he fights Ngannou, Lewis has one thing he wants to do first.
“Right now, we’re just trying to renegotiate the contract and see where it goes from there,” Lewis said to Rogan (h/t MMA Fighting).
Despite wanting to fight the Cameroonian again, Lewis wants to stay active and doesn't intend on waiting for a rematch.
“For me, I want to stay active,” he said. “I don’t want to be waiting around to fight anyone. I’m not young like I used to [be]. So I don’t want to wait around and fight for the title, or wait around to fight a certain opponent. So I’m willing to fight anyone who’s ready.”
Derrick Lewis shares his favourite knockout of his
Derrick Lewis has the most knockouts in the UFC heavyweight division in history which is an incredible stat. When on "The Joe Rogan Experience," "The Black Beast" delved into what he considers his best KO he has. Lewis admitted that his KO of Alexsander Volkov was his favourite KO due to the reaction of the crowd, especially Hollywood star Chris Pratt.
“That was [my favorite], yeah,” Lewis told Joe Rogan on the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (h/t MMA Mania). “The crowd made it real satisfying because of the way they reacted. And seeing the one guy from Guardians of the Galaxy, seeing his reaction made it all worthwhile. I was telling my coach in my camp, ‘I’m fighting a Russian guy, it would be cool to have one of those Rocky-type fights,” he continued. “And sure enough it was a Rocky-type fight. So crazy. It ended just like a Rocky movie.”
Billy Quarantillo says Aljamin Sterling didn't want to celebrate after DQ win
Billy Quarantillo has come to the aid of Aljamain Sterling for the photos that emerged after Sterling won the bantamweight title from Petr Yan at UFC 259. Sterling took heavy criticism from social media and from his fellow fighters for appearing to celebrate the victory with a party despite winning the title in dubious circumstances. And Quaarantillo, who was a guest at the party, claims that Sterling didn't want to do any of the celebrations and was made to.
“All those memes and everything with him and the champagne and stuff, they made him do that. Like, (Sterling) didn’t want to do that. They’re like, ‘Yo, here’s the belt, take it, put it on, you fought for this forever.’ This wasn’t just this last fight, this was every UFC fight he’s had, every UFC win, going to every venue. It’s a lifetime that he’s celebrating," Quarantillo said to Elite Sports Network MMA podcast (h/t BJPenn.com). "And of course, I know how UFC Twitter is with the memes and all that. But that was a thing they made him do. He wasn’t drinking, he had like one thing of champagne. He basically said let’s watch the fight again. Watched the fight and broke it down. As a fighter, that showed me where he’s at because he just wanted to break the fight down right away and get to work. I think in the rematch he’s going to be a totally different fighter.”
Ryan Spann wants Anthony Smith or Jimmy Crute next
Ryan Spann rebounded from his first defeat in nine fights by earning a TKO victory over Misha Cirkunov. Spann bounced back from his loss to Johnnie Walker in his last fight to get back in the win column. And now he is targeting the winner of the upcoming Anthony Smith vs. Jimmy Crute fight which goes down at UFC 261 on April 24.
“Honestly, I don’t necessarily know the landscape of the division. I heard about a fight that’s ahead of me. … Anthony Smith and Jimmy Crute. We’ll probably take a look at the winner of that," Spann said to the media following UFC 259 (h/t MMA Junkie). “(I’ll) Keep doing what I’m doing – not what I was doing for the Johnny one, but what I was doing for this one. We’ll keep doing that!"
Judge temporarily suspended by WBA after Estrada-Gonzalez scoring
The WBA has temporarily suspended boxing judge Carlos Sucre after his scorecard for Saturday’s junior bantamweight world title unification fight with Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Sucre scored the contest as 117-11 for Estrada, which was brought into question. Estrada won via a split decision, however, the other two scorecards reflected a much closer battle. Judge Jesse Reyes scored 115-113 for Gonzalez and David Sutherland scored the fight 115-113 for Estrada.
#EstradaChocolatito2 We will temporarily suspend Carlos Sucre, while the Officials Committee evaluates his performance in the Chocolatito-Estrada 2 fight. We will give the judge the opportunity to speak about what happened
— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) March 14, 2021
Adrian Yanez warns Gustavo Lopez could "fall victim to a vicious knockout" at UFC Vegas 22
Adrian Yanez will look to go 2-0 in the UFC when he meets Gustavo Lopez (1-1 UFC) at UFC Vegas 22 on March 20. Yanez said he has a lot of respect for Lopez and his toughness and refusal to quit. However, Yanez is predicting a quick night and has warned Lopez he will have to tighten up his game before they face off.
“First-round knockout,” Yanez predicted in an interview with MMA Sucka. “I feel [Lopez] leaves too many openings, and if he hasn’t worked on them during his training camp, he’s gonna fall victim to a vicious knockout. He’s a good fighter, and he’s been tested against a lot of good fighters. To me, I know I’m different. As soon as he feels like he can’t touch me, I know he’s going to want to shoot. And whenever he shoots, I know I’ll land a big shot, and I’ll put him away.”
Angela Hill reflects on Ashley Yoder win
Angela Hill was happy to be on the right side of the judge's decision for once. Hill defeated Ashley Yoder in their rematch having defeated her by unanimous decision before in 2017. Hill has been frustrated and lost a razor-close decision to Claudia Gadelha in 2020 that many feel she should have won. Despite not getting the finish, "Overkill" was happy that the judges saw her dominance in the fight.
“I do want the finish. But 30-27, I’m pretty happy with it just because my history with the judges, the scorecards, and just having close fights,” Hill told reporters at the post-fight news conference. “If anything, not getting the finish, a consolation is not letting it get close, you know? Like, everyone was like, ‘OK, she won.’ There were no questions. So I’m really happy about that and about making it dominant," Hill said to the media following UFC 259 (h/t MMA Junkie). "That’s the easy way to get a finish – just to be dominant in the fight. I felt like my cardio was a little off today, but we’ve kind of been in this weird we’re-going-to-fight limbo. So yeah, it was nice to finally fight and get it done, and it was like a test to kind of see these new moves I’ve been working on to see how they’re working. Now I can go back and see how I can make them even better.”
Mohammed Usman invites fans to watch "phenomenal" PFL heavyweight roster
Mohammed Usman (7-1), the younger brother of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, will make his PFL debut riding a four-bout winning streak. Usman last fought at Titan FC 63 on Aug. 28, where he defeated Terrance Hodges via decision. Usman will face off against fellow debutant Brandon Sayles (5-1) and he is really impressed by the calibre of fighters in the PFL 2021 season.
“The PFL did an amazing job with the roster,” the 31-year-old told Sherdog. “The break just gave them more time to reassess their roster and come stronger. They signed some really good guys, they made it exciting. That’s all that is, you know? Everybody wants to watch fights, but they want exciting fights. The guys who have been put into this roster are exciting fighters. It’s going to be a spectacular year of fights. I just can’t wait. You definitely have to tune in. The PFL designed a ros-ter that’s phenomenal."
LFA lightweight champion Nick Browne ready for UFC
LFA lightweight Nick Browne is just two months removed from his title win over Arthur Estrázulas at LFA 97 and has completed his medical suspension. Brown is the current lightweight champion in LFA and is hoping to follow the trend of LFA champions getting opportunities in the UFC. Whether it be a short-notice fight or even "Dana White's Contender Series," Brown is looking to get his chance at the UFC.
“I just started training lightly,” Browne told Cageside Press. “I just want to heal up, get back in the mindset again, get in a full training camp and then I can [be like] ‘hey, we’re ready to go.’ No hesitation.” “One of our biggest things is, you don’t have to get ready when you stay ready. Soon as I’m able to open up a full camp, I’m going to stay ready, go in, hit it hard, and just be ready for any call-up or any drop-out. For any sudden call. I always feel like, not to sound cocky, but I deserve to be in the UFC,” said Browne.“I’d definitely sign with, not a lesser but an equally important fight for Bellator or PFL or even ONE. I’ve had some friends fight for them, they’re a great organization. You’re limited in this game, the faster you get to the top, the more you can thrive there.”
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