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Fight vs. Breno ‘Temu version’ of Ngannou vs. Ferreira

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Fight vs. Breno ‘Temu version’ of Ngannou vs. Ferreira

Raufeon Stots expects his fight with Marcos Breno to serve as an appetizer for the PFL: Battle of the Giants main event.

Bantamweights Stots (20-2) and Breno (15-3) throw down in Saturday’s featured prelim at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with the main card on ESPN+/DAZN pay-per-view.

Having fought the likes of Patchy Mix, Danny Sabatello, and Juan Archuleta, Breno is a far less notable name for Stots. However, the 35-year-old is fully aware of the scenario that could play out, so he won’t underestimate him.

“I think he sees this as a big opportunity to make a name for himself right away and to erase that stink from his last performance off,” Stots told MMA Junkie Radio on Breno. “I think the trash talk kind of got the best of him this last fight, so I think he’s going to come in guns blazing. He’s got power in his hands. He’s a Brazilian (jiu-jitsu) black belt. He’s just a guy that hasn’t been around as long.”

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Stots thinks his fight with Breno is the featured prelim for a reason. He plans on getting the fans excited for the main card, and give them a small preview of the night’s main event between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira.

“If you look at the fight, the fight is kind of a Temu version of the main event fight with Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira,” Stots said. “I’m a veteran African like Francis, and he’s a young, powerhouse Brazilian.

“So I think that’s why they wanted me on that featured prelim. They wanted me to showcase and get the people interested and be like, ‘It’s going to be a big barnburner.’ They’re the big giants, we’re the little giants.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

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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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Ray Lewis to attend Ngannou vs. Ferreira showdown, address fighters

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Ray Lewis to attend Ngannou vs. Ferreira showdown, address fighters

In the PFL’s efforts to ensure this Saturday’s super fights pay-per-view event delivers action as promised, the promotion is turning to a Pro Football Hall of Famer for a bit of an assist.

PFL CEO Peter Murray recently told MMA Junkie Radio that Super Bowl-winning linebacker Ray Lewis, who played for the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 to 2012, will attend PFL: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Prior to the event headlined by the heavyweight showdown between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira, Lewis will address the fighters backstage in hopes of preparing them for the moment.

“We do have something special in store for this fight, an athlete who knows a lot about pressure and a lot about locker room and getting prepared, the moment – and that’s Ray Lewis,” Murray said. “NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champion, Ray’s part of our athlete advisory board, so Ray’s gonna go behind the scenes and give the fighters, alongside Ray Sefo and Mike (Kogan), a bit of a pep talk from the heart.

“This is not an interview. They’ve got to go out and do their jobs. They’ve earned that right. It’s a global stage, everyone’s watching, and these are the fights that make champions and legacy. It’s all on the line, and Ray Lewis will bring it from the heart.”

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Lewis, 49, has been head of the PFL’s athlete advisory board since 2021.

In addition to Ngannou’s highly anticipated return to MMA against Ferreira, PFL: Battle of the Giants will also feature a showdown between Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and reigning PFL champ Larissa Pacheco in the co-main event. A Bellator middleweight title-fight rematch between champ Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards is also featured on the main card.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

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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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Football

Bills rule RB James Cook out, elevate Frank Gore Jr. for MNF vs. Jets

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Bills rule RB James Cook out, elevate Frank Gore Jr. for MNF vs. Jets


The Buffalo Bills will be without running back James Cook on Monday night due to a toe injury. 

Cook will miss his first NFL game in three seasons, sitting out the Monday Night Football showdown against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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Ty Johnson and Ray Davis will likely handle the bulk of carries in Cook’s absence, but the Bills also promoted Frank Gore Jr. — son of the NFL’s third-leading career rusher who had one-year stints with each team at the end of his career that ended after the 2020 season. Frank Gore Sr. was a five-time Pro Bowler who spent 16 seasons in the NFL, most of them with the San Francisco 49ers.

Gore Jr. had been on the practice squad and will make his NFL debut after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi in May.

The 22-year-old finished his college career as the No. 3 rusher in Southern Miss history with 4,022 yards, catching 75 passes for 692 receiving yards. 

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Cook leads the Bills this season with 309 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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‘Mr. Anytime’ Junior Tafa has wild vacation story

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‘Mr. Anytime’ Junior Tafa has wild vacation story

LAS VEGAS – Junior Tafa beat Sean Sharaf with a second-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Tafa, who struggled in the first, but came on in the second to spoil Sharaf’s short-notice UFC debut.

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf

Junior Tafa

Result: Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:15
Updated records: Tafa (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Sharaf (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: Tafa stuffed seven of Sharaf’s eight takedown attempts.

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Tafa on the fight’s key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 12: (R-L) Junior Tafa of Australia punches Sean Sharaf in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I was really quite excited to have someone who’s going to trade off standing up – we can entertain the fans and get a better chance of winning that bonus, so it was quite freaking annoying when he started shooting on me.”

Tafa on two late changes

“I only got called up for this fight as a replacement fighter. I was actually on vacation with my family and my kids when I got told about this fight, and I ended up having like a week’s worth of training to coming in here. We had a game plan for Chris Barnett, and then they switched up fight week for a new opponent – which then, the game plan switches again. It just became fight whatever is in front of you. The game plan switched that quick. ”

Tafa on what he wants next

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf, UFC Fight Night 244

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“My name is ‘Mr. Anytime.’ Give me a call and I’m there. This is my second late-notice fight this year. I took a fight in Anaheim (Calif.) in March on less than 24 hours’ notice. I’m here less than a week’s notice (opponent), so it’s like you can call me ‘Mr. Anytime’ now … ‘Mr. Anytime, Anywhere.’”

To hear more from Tafa, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

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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Football

Bellamy praises ‘footballer’s footballer’ Wilson

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Bellamy praises 'footballer's footballer' Wilson


Wales manager Craig Bellamy was full of praise for Harry Wilson, whose penalty gave Wales a 1-0 win over Montenegro in the Nations League.

It was the third game in a row in which Wilson scored for Wales.

Read more: Nations League can boost World Cup hopes – Bellamy

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Can the Jets respond to ongoing drama with a win vs. Bills on MNF? | The Herd

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Can the Jets respond to ongoing drama with a win vs. Bills on MNF?



THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD

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PFL reveals new Superfight championship belts ahead of Ngannou vs. Ferreira PPV event

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PFL: Ngannou vs. Ferreira roundtable: Is this the most important fight in PFL history?

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.

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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.

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