Although nine of his ten appearances have come off the bench, his six goals top Villa’s scoring charts and made him a Holte End hero.
The Colombian’s pace and power makes him impossible to knock off the ball.
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But in his early days at Envigado FC back home, that heart for a battle and refusal to back down once brought more cards than a casino croupier.
Youth coach Wilberth Perea, the man Duran sees as a second father, knew he was a special talent.
Perea, whose assistant was Colombian legend James Rodriguez’s father, revealed: “He first got my attention at 11 and always had an overwhelming personality.
“Jhon had such a strong character who didn’t back down from anyone and was afraid of no one.
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“He had the heart and soul of a child but when competing was totally different. He always played at the limit, no matter the cost.
“He’s doing it against the best defenders in England but even as a young player, against older and more experienced ones who played dirty, he didn’t care.
“Even then he was like a runaway train. Jhon just crushed them without giving them a chance and his style of play meant he got so many cards.”
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Jhon Duran ’causes chaos with s—housery’ as Aston Villa ace performs controversial gesture amid West Ham transfer link
Fining the up-and-coming Duran was no option as the kid from the humble background had little money.
The solution came with punishing laps of the pitch — plus a series of rockets from his coach that often reduced him to tears.
Perea added: “We couldn’t impose fines, so made him run round the athletics track at the stadium, that’s why he has an explosive capacity and such a long sprint trajectory.
“There were many moments in the Under-15 locker room I had to show such a temper at times it made him cry.
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“His mother and father, Saturnina and Regino, are humble people and I knew how hard it had been for them to support their family. I told Jhon, ‘You have to give your parents a better life. Please don’t waste the chance’. It touched his pride and, at times, he didn’t like it.”
Yet he knuckled down and, when he signed pro, the club gave him a place to live where he could bring his parents.
Skipping school
There were still hiccups along the way, though — like skipping school so often that Perea would make regular trips just to check he had turned up.
He joked: “I would make surprise visits to school and if Jhon wasn’t there, I’d furiously go round to his house and he’d be in bed listening to reggae!
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“Sometimes I felt like grabbing him by the ears and throwing him out of the window. The school janitor used to laugh and said I was the student, not Jhon.”
Duran is passing every footballing test with honours this season.
After a stuttering start to life at Villa, who signed him from MLS side Chicago Fire for an initial £14.75million last term, his career has exploded.
And when he hit that stunning lobbed winner against Bayern, Perea admitted it left him sobbing with pride.
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He said: “I called Saturnina and we were both crying. All those days he said he was fed up and wanted to throw in the towel, now he’s scoring against the best teams in the world.”
SAM GILLEY will put his Commonwealth title on the line against Jack McGann in London TONIGHT – with Jack McGann a late challenger
Gilley, 30, had been preparing to renew his bitter rivalry with Louis Greene.
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Louie Greene has withdrawn from his fight against Sam GilleyCredit: Getty
But in devastating news for boxing fans, the Magic Man was forced to withdraw due to injury.
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However, in steps Liverpool’s McGann who has been granted the opportunity to fight at the top of the bill after originally being scheduled to box Ryan Maycock.
McGann ironically bounced back from his defeat against Greene on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou with a TKO win vs Lukasz Barabasz in June.
But the champ Gilley will be eager to prove why he has been signed by Queensberry Promotions – Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley are also under contract with them just to name a few.
When is Sam Gilley vs Jack McGann?
Sam Gilley vs Jack McGann will take place on Friday, October 18.
The main card is expected to get underway from 7pm BST.
York Hall is the chosen venue for this Commonwealth title clash and it can host approximately 1,200 spectators.
What TV channel is Sam Gilley vs Jack McGann on can it be live streamed?
Sam Gilley vs Jack McGann will be broadcast LIVE on TNT Sports 3 in the UK.
TNT Sports customers can stream the entire action on discovery+ via a compatible mobile or tablet device.
Who is on the undercard?
Sam Gilley vs Jack McGann; Commonwealth and British Super Welterweight titles (MAIN EVENT)
Courtney Bennett vs Nick Webb; British Southern Area Heavyweight title
Anthony Hernandez has one goal in mind: Get his hands on the UFC middleweight title. The next step for the surging middleweight is a victory in his first promotional main event this weekend.
Hernandez faces Michel Pereira in the headliner of UFC Vegas 99 at the APEX this Saturday. “Fluffy” enters the bout on a five-fight win streak, and believes a victory will send a message to Dana White and company that he’s ready to fight the tippy-top guys at 185 pounds. Eventually, he’d like to make his way to a title fight with current champion Dricus du Plessis, not just for the chance to accomplish his goal, but because of the stylistic matchup it can produce for the fans.
“He mixes it up, you know what I mean,” Hernandez told MMA Fighting. He’s a big, strong motherf*cker but he mixes MMA up very well, and I think it would be a f*cking great fight with him. He’s a tough motherf*cker. He’s got a chin, he can hit. Like, he hits people and puts them to sleep. You know what I mean? It’s an exciting fight to me. That would be f*cking fun.
“And he’s just doing his thing, good on him. I’ll see you soon.”
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After losing to Kevin Holland at UFC Jacksonville in May 2020, Hernandez has done nothing but win. But he also learned a valuable lesson in the loss to Holland in that he won’t compete unless he’s as close to 100-percent healthy.
The 30-year-old certainly feels as healthy as he’s ever been as he prepares to face Pereira, who is now 2-0 with a pair of quick finishes since making the move up to middleweight. To say Hernandez was excited to face somebody like Pereira would be a massive understatement.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, the f*cking wild guy, the guy who does backflips,” Hernandez said. “I really don’t watch f*cking fighting that much, but I know who he was because that motherf*cker, he’s dope to watch, I’m not gonna lie. He f*cking does backflips and shit. I’m like, ‘Bro, I can’t do none of that shit.’ Motherf*cker is like a f*cking freak athlete, all like backflips and like all that fancy shit.
“But now I’m f*cking stoked. This is one of those fights where I see Fight of the Night all over it because we’re both some tough motherf*ckers. We both can take a shot and we’re both f*cking pretty violent, you know what I mean? So I’m f*cking stoked for this fight. It’s going to be a f*cking big test and I’m looking forward to showing you guys how I do that shit.”
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Hernandez is known for his finishing ability, a fan-friendly style, but also the incredible pace he puts on his opponents. He plans on doing the same thing to Pereira
“I think my style is perfect to beat him,” Hernandez explained. “I just have to have my hands up and not get caught with no crazy shit. I mean, he’s f*cking wild. He’s calmed down a lot… I’ve noticed he’s, he knocked the last two 185 [pounders] out with just straight rights.
“So yeah, I don’t plan on standing in front of him in the distance. I plan on fighting this motherf*cker and taking it to him. I know that he has like wild, f*cking crazy two rounds, but I’m in shape for 10 so I can keep that pace for all five.
“I hope he’s in shape, that’s all I’ve got to say.”
Southampton manager Russell Martin speaks to Football Focus’ Glenn Murray about his team’s struggles in the Premier League and why he’s continuing to stick to his principles.
Watch Football Focus, Saturdays, 12:00 BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app.
The former UFC heavyweight champion finally returns to MMA after almost over two and a half years away from the sport. Ngannou takes on PFL champion Renan Ferreira in the main event of PFL: Battle of the Giants this Saturday in Saudi Arabia, and plenty has happened (and not happened) in the heavyweight landscape.
Is Ngannou still considered the best heavyweight in MMA today? What can we expect from his return? Does Ferreira have a solid chance at pulling off the upset?
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MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells, Danny Segura, and host Gorgeous George discuss Ngannou’s return at PFL: Battle of the Giants, along with other key bouts on the card, including Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
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