THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD

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Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira will battle for a brand new championship belt this Saturday.

The massive heavyweights headline this weekend’s PFL pay-per-view event, and battle for the PFL Superfight heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia. The bout will be Ngannou’s first for the promotion since vacating the UFC heavyweight title to sign with PFL.

On Monday, PFL revealed the new Superfight titles that Ngannou and Ferreira — along with Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco — will be fighting for. Check out the new belts below.

Ngannou competes in an MMA fight for the first time since defeating Ciryl Gane in a UFC heavyweight title defense at UFC 270 in January 2022. Since then, “The Predator” has competed in the boxing ring, losing a pair of bouts to top-ranked heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Ferreira has stopped his past four opponents, including Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in 21 seconds at PFL vs. Bellator in February.

Cyborg makes her promotional debut, and first MMA appearance in over a year. The Bellator women’s featherweight champ picked up two boxing knockouts in her two combat appearances in 2024.

Pacheco enters the matchup coming off of back-to-back $1 million PFL championships, including a victory over now-UFC fighter Kayla Harrison at the PFL World Championships 2022 event.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those reader consensus picks will be part of the main card staff predictions we release ahead of UFC Fight Night 245 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex.

Make your picks below.

Robelis Despaigne vs. Austen Lane

Records: Despaigne (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Lane (12-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Past five: Despaigne 4-1, Lane 3-2
Division: Heavyweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Despaigne -450, Lane +325

Alice Ardelean vs. Melissa Martinez

Records: Ardelean (9-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC), Martinez (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Past five: Ardelean 4-1, Martinez 4-1
Division: Women’s strawweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Ardelean +125, Martinez -150

Jessica Penne vs. Elise Reed

Records: Penne (14-8 MMA, 3-5 UFC), Reed (7-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC)
Past five: Penne 2-3, Reed 2-3
Division: Women’s strawweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Penne +130, Reed -155

Joselyne Edwards vs. Tamires Vidal

Records: Edwards (13-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC), Vidal (7-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Past five: Edwards 3-2, Vidal 3-2
Division: Women’s bantamweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Edwards -235, Vidal +190

Brad Katona vs. Jean Matsumoto

Records: Katona (16-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), Matsumoto (15-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Past five: Katona 4-1, Matsumoto 5-0
Division: Bantamweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Katona +220, Matsumoto -270

Asu Almabayev vs. Matheus Nicolau

Records: Almabayev (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Nicolau (19-5-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC)
Past five: Almabayev 5-0, Nicolau 5-0
Division: Flyweight
Rankings: Almabayev honorable mention
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Almabayev -170, Nicolau +140

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda

Records: Elkins (28-11 MMA, 18-10 UFC), Pineda (28-16 MMA, 5-7 UFC)
Past five: Elkins 3-2, Pineda 1-2-2
Division: Featherweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Elkins +105, Pineda -125

Jake Hadley vs. Brady Hiestand

Records: Hadley (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), Hiestand (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC)
Past five: Hadley 3-2, Hiestand 4-1
Division: Bantamweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Hadley +125, Hiestand -150

Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji

Records: Johnson (16-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC), Mudaerji (16-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC)
Past five: Johnson 3-2, Mudaerji 3-2
Division: Flyweight
Rankings: Johnson honorable mention
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Johnson -235, Mudaerji +190

Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips

Records: Font (20-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC), Kyler (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC)
Past five: Font 1-4, Phillips 4-1
Division: Bantamweight
Rankings: Phillips honorable mention
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Font +300, Phillips -400

Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira

Records: Hernandez (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), Pereira (31-11 MMA, 9-2 UFC)
Past five: Hernandez 5-0, Pereira 5-0
Division: Middleweight
Rankings: Hernandez honorable mention
Odds (as of 10.14.24): Hernandez -150, Pereira +125

UFC Fight Night 245 fight card (as of Oct. 14, 3 p.m. ET)

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

• Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira
• Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips
• Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji
• Jake Hadley vs. Brady Hiestand
• Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

• Asu Almabayev vs. Matheus Nicolau
• Brad Katona vs. Jean Matsumoto
• Joselyne Edwards vs. Tamires Vidal
• Jessica Penne vs. Elise Reed
• Alice Ardelean vs. Melissa Martinez
• Robelis Despaigne vs. Austen Lane

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy says he was lent money by his then team-mates Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez when the club stopped paying him after he was charged with rape and sexual assault, an employment tribunal has heard.

The France defender is claiming £11.5m in unpaid wages from when he was charged in August 2021 and suspended without pay by City.

Mendy, 30, was cleared in 2023 of a series of rape and attempted rape charges made against him.

The club continued paying Mendy after his first arrest in November 2020, but argued they did not have to after he was charged as his bail conditions – one of which prevented him from going near the club’s stadium or training ground – and a Football Association suspension meant he was not able to perform his contractual duties.

Court documents said Mendy “very quickly ran out of money” and had to sell his Cheshire mansion to cover legal fees, bills and child support payments after his wages were withheld.

“Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez all lent me money to help me try and pay my legal fees and support my family,” Mendy said in his witness statement.

In November 2022, Mendy sent a Whatsapp message to Omar Berrada, who was City’s Chief Football Operations’ Officer from September 2020 to July 2024, to ask when he would receive his outstanding salaries but received no reply.

Mendy’s agent Meissa N’Diaye, who also spoke at the hearing, said on 20 September 2021 he spoke to Berrada and was told “once the trial was over Benjamin would be paid back all the salary that had been suspended”.

Berrada, who is now Manchester United’s chief executive, denied giving assurances when asked about this at the hearing.

The hearing also addressed how on 15 separate occasions Mendy either held or attended parties in breach of Covid-19 or bail conditions, or both.

Under questioning from City’s counsel Sean Jones, Mendy admitted his behaviour in continuing to hold parties represented “a risk”.

When Jones said to Mendy: “The truth is you couldn’t care less it exposed you to risk,” the full-back replied via videolink: “At the time, yes.”

In statements submitted to the court, Mendy said he felt he had been singled out by City as “several first-team players, including the club captain, had attended the parties I had attended and hosted” without repercussions.

Mendy said he rejected an offer to cancel his contract because he “wanted to go back and train with his team”.

In his witness statement, he added: “I believe that it is fair and just for me to be paid the wages that I would have earned but for being falsely arrested for crimes that I did not commit.”

Mendy joined City from Monaco in a £52m deal in 2017 and won Premier League titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

His final appearance for the club was in the Premier League on 15 August 2021.

Mendy left City when his contract expired in June 2023 and currently plays for French side Lorient.

Mendy was remanded in custody for five months before he was released on bail in January 2022. The case went to trial for the first time in August 2022.

In January 2023 he was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

He was then cleared of raping a woman and attempting to rape another in July 2023 at a retrial.

The tribunal hearing is expected to last two days.

Khalil Rountree thinks he proved himself as a top light heavyweight in his loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 307, and now he wants to show he can be champion.

Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) put up a valiant effort earlier this month when he challenges Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) for the belt in a Fight of the Year candidate that resulted in a fourth-round TKO defeat. Rountree’s title shot was unexpected given his No. 8 ranked prior to the fight, but he surpassed the expectation of many before falling short.

Although he didn’t get his hand raised, the respect and admiration that’s poured in for Rountree from throughout the MMA community has been impossible to miss. He said it’s meant a lot to him, especially when coming from the UFC’s top power players.

“I’ve spoken personally with Dana (White) and Hunter (Campbell) and I feel like I got the steak dinner already because they were entertained,” Rountree told MMA Junkie Radio. “I think for me as a partner with the UFC it’s one of my biggest goals to make sure the guys at the top are pleased with what they see. After speaking with them and them being excited about the performance, they’re definitely pleased. That felt like a treat in itself. As far as what’s next on the fight end, I think there would be a little bit more room for me to say what I want. But that vision right now is not so clear.”

Rountree revealed he signed a new multi-fight UFC contract before stepping into the octagon with Pereira, and he intends to honor the whole deal. At 34, it seems this will be Rountree’s final big push in his career. He doesn’t want to take any backward steps, and that means facing a prominent name next

For Rountree, he is not picky outside of the numbers. He said he will need some time to recover from his various injuries and the nose surgery he underwent after the fight, but once he’s cleared for competition, the goal is to get the highest-ranked opponent possible so he can start to build another case for a crack at gold.

“I think right now any name in the top five or within title contention to me, makes sense,” Rountree said. “There’s not one name specifically. There’s not one person who I’m emotionally attached to or a fight I think I deserve next. But I would like to continue to fight people within the top five so I can get another shot at the title. It seems like the majority of the guys are booked or injured, but while I’m healing up there will be a good number of matchups to happen and I would love anybody that sets me up for another title fight.”

One name that has been frequently mentioned for Rountree is a rebooking with former champion Jamahal Hill, who he was supposed to face at UFC 303 in July before the matchup was scratched.

Hill went viral after UFC 307 for his yawning reaction to the main event, which he clarified wasn’t directed at Rountree. That’s a potential fight, but Rountree reiterated he’s not attaching himself to one name as of now.

“I saw it after the fact online – it’s nice to hear the clarification because based off the crowd response and everything I’ve seen, and other articles and post that I’ve seen – the majority of people seem to think it was an entertaining fight,” Rountree said. “So I was bit confused to see why he thoughts maybe it was boring or worth a yawn. But like I said, the clarification definitely helps. Not everyone is going to think the same. Not everyone is going to be entertained.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Alex Pereira didn’t impress Jamahal Hill at UFC 307.

This past weekend, Pereira picked up his third win of 2024, successfully defending his light heavyweight title with a fourth-round TKO of Khalil Rountree Jr. After the fight, Hill — who was in attendance — was caught on camera with a mocking yawn, which prompted Pereira to clown Hill in his post-fight press conference. But Hill stands by it.

“It’s crazy how y’all see a clip with no context, no nothing, and y’all just be ready to talk shit and just attack and come disrespectful as ever,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “It’s hilarious… I never said the fight was boring…

“It was an entertaining fight. You saw some adversity, you saw adjustments and game plan. That’s one thing I will give Alex credit for, he adjusted his game plan a few times in that fight until he ultimately found his way to the finish and to the victory. So I will give him credit for that.

“Now, to the yawn at the end. Was it entertaining? Yes. Was I impressed? No. I’m not impressed… Did I see anything in the cage that scares me or that I didn’t expect to see? No.”

Pereira knocked Hill out in the first round at UFC 300 back in April, and since then the former light heavyweight champion has continuously tried to pick a fight with “Poatan.” And Hill still seems committed to that plan.

“To be honest with you, I’m glad Alex won,” Hill said. “I’m happy Alex won, because I want him to be as big of a giant in your minds as possible the next time I face him.

“At this point, I don’t care, he can go Magomed [Ankalaev] next, if he fights him, and he can lose. That’s the fight that I want. I don’t want the belt. I want that fight.”

Since UFC 300, Pereira has added two more knockout wins to his resume, with successful title defenses against Jiri Prochazka and now this recent victory over Rountree. In contrast, Hill has yet to step back into the cage since his loss, but “Sweet Dreams” promises that’s coming soon enough.

“As far as what’s next, a contract is already on the way, name is already hit the desk,” Hill said. “Touch-Em-Up University will be in session, class will be in session soon.”