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      Inside world of bare-knuckle MMA dubbed ‘most VIOLENT show’ where ‘skulls vibrate’ in brutal bouts made by ex-UFC star

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      JORGE MASVIDAL is providing fans with the “most VIOLENT show” on Earth by mixing his two passions together. Masvidal became a cult hero during his UFC days and stands as the proud owner of the fastest knockout in octagon history. Ex-UFC stars Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum in bare-knuckle MMACredit: Gamebred Bareknuckle 5MMA legend Jorge Masvidal promotes the boutsCredit: Gamebred Bareknuckle 5Werdum left brutally marked upCredit: Gamebred Bareknuckle 5But nearly 20 years before rendering Ben Askren unconscious in five seconds with a flying knee, the American was a feared street fighter. He shot to underground fame on YouTube brawling on the streets of Miami for $500 at a time after being recruited by viral sensation Kimbo Slice. So when Masvidal launched Gamebred Fighting Championship in 2021, he married together his two loves to produce sweet violence. He introduced bare-knuckle MMA, where fighters compete without gloves on in the cage, which returns on Saturday streaming free on Kick. READ MORE IN MMAMasvidal, 37, told SunSport: “There’s more submissions, there’s more knockouts, there’s more cuts, it’s more violence. So it’s not everybody’s cup of tea.”But for the right type of person that wants to see two trained killers going at it with no gloves and see what would happen in real life this is it right here. “When we did Junior dos Santos’ fight with Fabricio Werdum over a period of five hours we had a million views. “That just shows, like man, we’re heading down the right path. This is the right cup of tea for a lot of people are we’re going to keep pushing this product that nobody has. Most read in SportCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS“And on March 2nd, I bring you the world’s most violent show, Junior dos Santos versus Alan Belcher for the heavyweight title.” Masvidal says bare-knuckle MMA bouts have a brutal 80 per cent stoppage ratio. Jorge Masvidal insists making amends with Jake Paul will not stand in way of mega-fight after confirming boxing switch He added: “People are just going to sleep, sleep from ground and pound. “Because they get hit with that bare-knuckle fist and they’re on that mat and they don’t get to absorb it. “It’s all on their skull freakin’ vibrating. Those are pretty gnarly. Some submissions and obviously a lot of blood. “You’ll see a guy with a submission and as he’s squeezing he’s pouring blood and this guy’s pouring blood and it’s just a bloodbath. “That’s definitely something you don’t see as much with the padded gloves. But the knockouts when they do happen are just violent.” Masvidal credits much of his career to Slice but what would the street fighting king think of bare-knuckle MMA? “He’d be sitting there ringside with me handing out belts, having a good old time just promoting fights and finding the future talent,” Masvidal replied.  Masvidal says bare-knuckle MMA bouts have an 80% stoppage ratioHe called it the ‘most violent show’Masvidal admits ‘it’s not everybody’s cup of tea’Bare-knuckle MMA launched in 2021“I always give a big shout out to Kimbo because he allowed me to come onto his platform back then when he was a rockstar on YouTube, getting millions of views. “Nobody knew me and he asked me, ‘Hey, do you want to come fight on my platform?’ He opened that door for me as a mixed martial artist and pro fighter to just build a platform.” Masvidal emotionally announced his retirement from MMA last April in his home of Miami following defeat to Gilbert Burns. But surrounding himself immersing himself in promoting fights has done nothing to itch the scratch that has plagued him since hanging up his gloves. And now Masvidal has confirmed he is coming back this year – but not in the MMA cage. He said:“Does a dog miss a bone, brother? Hell yeah, every mother f***ing day. “I’m coming back to do boxing this year, that’s definitely maybe something the UK didn’t know too much about. READ MORE SUN STORIES“I’m definitely going to be doing boxing this year.” Masvidal intends to come out of retirement for a boxing switchCredit: Getty More

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      I ate Uber Eats for 30 days to fill empty space after retiring… now I’m back for boxing switch, says Jorge Masvidal

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      JORGE MASVIDAL binged on a month’s worth of takeaways before being convinced to end his retirement. Masvidal emotionally hung up his gloves last April in his home of Miami following defeat to Gilbert Burns. Jorge Masvidal is coming out of retirement to make a switch to boxingCredit: GettyThe next day – with his 20-year and 52-fight MMA career over – the American superstar was left feeling so empty he decided to fill up on fast food. Ahead of Gamebred bare-knuckle MMA, Masvidal told SunSport: “It wasn’t the best feeling when I woke up the next day. “It was like, ‘Damn I’m not retired, am I really retired? Guess I’m retired, Uber Eats!’ “Then I started ordering food and just eating to like fill this f***ing empty space and I did that for a while for like 20 or 30 days of waking up and feeling the same. READ MORE IN BOXING“It just wasn’t right, it definitely didn’t feel right being retired.” Masvidal, 37, was soon back to training and as luck would have it he was approached to make a switch to boxing. He said: “As that was happening a lot of other things were happening and this great deal fell on my lap to come back and be able to come back and box. “I got to straighten out a lot of things in my life at that time on a personal level as that was the only way I was going to be able to go forward on a professional level. Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS“I got those things done and here I am, pushing forward.”Masivdal is still under contract with the UFC but looks to have their blessing to make a move into boxing. Jorge Masvidal boasts of having ‘world’s most violent’ sport as bare-knuckle MMA leaves fighters’ ‘skulls vibrating’ And despite making amends with YouTuber-turned 8-1 boxer Jake Paul, 27, it will not stand in the way of a mega-fight between them. Masvidal said: “Being friends with him or not, I mean that has nothing to do with us fighting. “I’ve got respect for him for all the things he’s doing in his life in terms of turning his life around, these personal conversations, that’s how I’ve grown respect for him. “How he told me how his life was going and how boxing switched it and changed it because of the discipline that sport demands and how he grew up in the media world and the Disney world, it was very different.“I respect that and it’s very commendable but it has nothing to do with us fighting. If the UFC allowed me to, I don’t have all these permissions yet to be calling out people. “But I’d fight anybody, I don’t have friends in this sport. I didn’t get into this sport to make friends, I got in this sport to provide for myself, my family and be number one.” Masvidal is looking to face a fellow crossover star as he prepares to swap the cage for the ring. He said: “I would like to fight a couple of MMA guys, some YouTube influencers and get my feet wet in the traditional boxing way. “The same way that boxers do, they go get a gold medal and they come out and they fight ten guys that could never hurt them in the sport. “And that’s the same thing I want to do, I want to push myself as much as possible but within my MMA-boxing experience. READ MORE SUN STORIES“I’m not going to go and fight a world champion off the rip, is what I’m saying.” Masvidal is back in trainingCredit: @gamebredfighter More

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      How heavyweights Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou compare on punch machine – and it’s bad news for Brits

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      FRANCIS NGANNOU is a harder hitter than Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury – if punch machine numbers are anything to go by. Ngannou had fans fearing for AJ ahead of their March 8 showdown in Saudi Arabia after effortlessly hitting the top score of 999. Fans feared for Anthony Joshua after his punch machine scoreCredit: Instagram / @ francisngannouJoshua clocked a score just under NgannouCredit: InstagramTyson Fury and AJ both used their weaker left handCredit: InstagramDAZN posted a video in 2023 which showed Joshua clocking 965 – but it was with his weaker left hand. And Fury also has a similar machine in his gym and once ranked a score of 993 – but he too refused to use his stronger right hook.The three efforts were compiled in a video by Boxing Science but fans were not convinced it proves anything. One said: “They should do it on the same punching machine to get a accurate result. READ MORE IN BOXING”All matches would be slightly different. All there readings were not that far apart.” Another added: “Unless they’re all calibrated perfectly, the number mean nothing. All different machines. Pointless.”One agreed: “Think they all need to hit the same machine.” Ngannou’s ferocious fists were on full display when he dropped Fury on his boxing debut in October despite losing a controversial split-decision.Most read in BoxingANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUTCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSHis frightening power was once tested and found to be the equivalent to 96 horse power.That means it carries the same ferocity as a 12lb sledgehammer being swung at full force or being hit by a moving Ford Escort. Fans fear Anthony Joshua will be ‘sleeping for a week’ after Francis Ngannou BREAKS scale on punch machineFormer kickboxer Dewey Cooper has been the man tasked with honing Ngannou’s hands since joining the camp in 2017.But along with coach John Mbumba, their roles became even more important last year when Ngannou put on hold his MMA career to cross over to boxing.But Cooper admits neither him or Mbumba can take credit for his devastating power.Instead, he puts it down to Ngannou’s years spent working in sand mines in Cameroon for £1.50 a day from the age of ten.Cooper told SunSport: “As far as his punching power, no that was something that he naturally had.”He dug sand mines as a kid all the way up to his early 20s. READ MORE SUN STORIES”Of course, his DNA, his Cameroonian heritage and that hard manual labour as a kid all the way up, I feel was the main attribute to that ungodly power.”Ngannou with boxing coach Dewey CooperCredit: Reuters More

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      Amir Khan backs Anthony Joshua to force Battle of Britain with Tyson Fury and reveals Francis Ngannou fight prediction

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      AMIR KHAN has backed Anthony Joshua to knock out Francis Ngannou and force Tyson Fury to the negotiation table. Joshua faces Ngannou on March 8 in Saudi Arabia in the same Riyadh venue where Fury was dropped by the MMA star in October.
      Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou ahead of their March 8 boutCredit: Getty
      Tyson Fury fought Ngannou in his last boutCredit: Getty
      The Gypsy King needed a controversial points victory to escape with his unbeaten record and reputation barely intact.
      So if AJ can make mincemeat of Ngannou, it could rejuvenate demand for a Battle of Britain bout with Fury.
      Khan told SunSport: “If he gets the knock out or outboxes Ngannou and makes it look so easy, I think it will be a big statement in the world of boxing, especially the heavyweight division.
      “There’s still that talk that the Joshua and Fury fight should still happen so this is a good chance for Joshua to show how good he is.”
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      Fury, 35, got off the floor in round three to escape with a disputed split-decision verdict in his favour.
      And he now faces Oleksandr Usyk, 37, on May 18 after a cut sustained in sparring forced him to postpone from February 17.
      Ngannou, 37, meanwhile turned his attention to Joshua, 34, after he was denied an immediate rematch with Fury.
      But AJ goes into the bout with ten rounds of valuable video evidence to study as Khan, 37, backed his fellow Brit to get the job done in style.
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      ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
      He said: “Obviously, Ngannou surprised us all because that massive fight he had with Tyson Fury and how close the fight was, it could have gone either way.
      “I don’t know if Tyson took his foot off the gas, not expecting what he came to do.
      Amir Khan, 37, back in training and reveals mega-fight to bring him out of retirement while aiming dig at Jake Paul
      “But the fight with Joshua, Joshua’s gonna know now how hard he gave a fight to Fury.
      “So I’m sure he’s going to be on his A-game. He’s not going to make the same mistakes and he’s going to train very hard for this fight.
      “Because like I said, maybe Tyson overlooked him and thought it was going to be a walk in the park but really he surprised us all.
      “So I think this is only going to make Joshua train even harder. But, I got Joshua winning.
      “I think it could be a mid-round, mid-fight knockout maybe four, five, six rounds. Or, it could be a 12-round decision.”
      Amir Khan speaks to SunSport in Saudi ArabiaCredit: SunSport More

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      Fans fear Anthony Joshua will be ‘sleeping for a week’ after Francis Ngannou BREAKS scale on punch machine

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      FRANCIS NGANNOU has fans fearing Anthony Joshua will be “sleeping for a week” after BREAKING the scale on a punch machine. Ngannou faces Joshua on March 8 in Saudi Arabia in only his second boxing bout after making his ring debut against Tyson Fury in October.
      Francis Ngannou broke the scale on a punch machineCredit: Instagram / @ francisngannou
      Anthony Joshua faces Ngannou nextCredit: Getty
      The ex-UFC champion’s power was on full display as he dropped Fury in round three despite losing a controversial split-decision.
      Ngannou’s power has never been in doubt but he proved he is far more than just a heavy-hitter.
      Although if fans did need any reminding, the Cameroonian showed off his sensational strength on a punch machine.
      He effortlessly throws a right hand on the target and clocked the top score of 999 – leaving fans in fear for Joshua.
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      One said: “If AJ gets caught with one of these, he’s sleeping for a week straight.”
      Another added: “That’s an absurd amount of power.”
      One said: “That is terrifying.”
      Another commented: “AJ is going to have a tough night, if anyone gets hit with a bomb like that it’s night night.”
      Most read in Boxing

      ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
      Ngannou’s frightening power was once tested and found to be the equivalent to 96 horse power.
      That means it carries the same ferocity as a 12lb sledgehammer being swung at full force or being hit by a moving Ford Escort.
      Francis Ngannou’s coach FEARS for Anthony Joshua’s health after fight with ‘ungodly’ ex-UFC champ
      Former kickboxer Dewey Cooper has been the man tasked with honing Ngannou’s hands since joining the camp in 2017.
      But along with Frenchman John Mbumba, their roles became even more important last year when Ngannou put on hold his MMA career to cross over to boxing.
      But Cooper admits neither him or Mbumba can take credit for his devastating power.
      Instead, he puts it down to Ngannou’s years spent working in sand mines in Cameroon for £1.50 a day from the age of ten.
      Cooper told SunSport: “As far as his punching power, no that was something that he naturally had.
      “He dug sand mines as a kid all the way up to his early 20s.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      “Of course, his DNA, his Cameroonian heritage and that hard manual labour as a kid all the way up, I feel was the main attribute to that ungodly power.”
      Ngannou with boxing coach Dewey CooperCredit: @DeweyCooper More

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      I sparred Francis Ngannou years before Tyson Fury fight… I remember staying out of the way of his dangerous power

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      WHEN Francis Ngannou knocked Tyson Fury down and took him to a split-decision the boxing world watched in shock – but not Joe Joyce. That is because before Joyce beat Daniel Dubois in 2020, he sparred then-UFC contender Ngannou in Las Vegas.
      Francis Ngannou dropped Tyson Fury on his boxing debutCredit: Getty
      Ngannou sparred Joe Joyce in Las Vegas in 2020
      What Joyce did not know is that three years later, Ngannou would put his MMA career on hold to make a sensational switch to boxing.
      And on his debut bout, he dropped Fury in round three only to lose a controversial decision.
      Joyce insisted Ngannou proved he could compete at the highest level of boxing, something he found out first hand all those years ago.
      He told SunSport: “I thought he boxed a great fight there, even knocked him down.
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      “I thought it was very close. It just shows he can mix it at the top level. 
      “And from sparring him, I just remember staying out of the way of those power shots, the ones coming to the body and head. 
      “But I was a little bit more cute with my boxing, because I only train for boxing whereas MMA guys have to train in three disciplines. 
      “He started with boxing in the first place. It just shows you anything is possible.” 
      Most read in Boxing
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
      Ngannou won the UFC title two years after sparring Joyce but in 2023 he walked out on them to pursue boxing.
      And Joyce admitted: “I didn’t know he was going to go into boxing after that but it was a great opportunity for him to get that fight against Fury and he did really well in it.” 
      EXCLUSIVE: Ngannou wants Brit Hollywood star to play him in movie about crazy journey from sand mines to fighting Fury and Joshua
      Ngannou, 37, now faces Anthony Joshua, 34, on March 8 in Saudi Arabia in just his second boxing bout.
      Meanwhile Joyce, 38, is coming off his second consecutive defeat to China’s Zhilei Zhang, 40.
      The 2016 Olympic silver medallist now returns on March 16 against Kash Ali, 32, in Birmingham after refusing to retireme.
      Joyce is back with the freedom of not having to protect his unbeaten record as he eyes bigger bouts in the future.
      He said: “Right now, there’s so many different characters at the top of the heavyweight division where you’d like to see the match-ups. 
      “You wanna see me fight everyone really, everyone should fight everyone and especially now I’ve taken a loss, I don’t need to look after that coveted 0 and be scared to take fights. 
      “It means I can get in the mix with everyone, it doesn’t really matter.” 
      Joyce is back after two defeats to Zhilei ZhangCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

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      I’m an MMA expert, Francis Ngannou will BEAT Anthony Joshua as Brit is easier to rattle than Tyson Fury

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      MMA expert Dan Hardy has backed Francis Ngannou to BEAT Anthony Joshua because the Brit is easier to “rattle” than Tyson Fury. Ngannou put his cage career on hold last year to make a stunning switch to boxing.
      Anthony Joshua facing off with Francis NgannouCredit: AFP
      And in his ring debut, he astonishingly floored Fury, only to fall victim to a controversial points loss in Saudi Arabia.
      But the disputed decision did not stop AJ coming to the table to agree another crossover clash for Ngannou, set for March 8 in Riyadh.
      And ex-UFC star-turned pundit Hardy believes this is a more favourable match-up for the Cameroonian, who he expects to cause an upset.
      Hardy told Sky Sports: “I’m going with Ngannou genuinely.
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      “I picked Fury in the last one. I felt Fury was going to be able to catch him fifth or sixth round once he started to get tired. But this for me is a much better match-up for Ngannou.
      “I feel like AJ’s easier to hit, easier to rattle psychologically and I feel like because of the unknown commodity of Francis Ngannou there’s going to be a shock to the system.”
      Hardy knows Ngannou is not going to be the only heavy hitter in the ring but he believes the former UFC champion’s power will shock Joshua.
      He said: “There’s an unquantifiable power about Ngannou and that’s concerning because he can punch through a decent guard.
      Most read in Boxing

      ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
      “I feel like AJ’s going to feel punches coming through his guard and they’re going to surprise him a little bit.
      “Because Ngannou will let them go and try and really hurt him. But they’ve both got to respect one another’s power.
      EXCLUSIVE: Ngannou wants Brit Hollywood star to play him in movie about crazy journey from sand mines to fighting Fury and Joshua
      “If Ngannou gets tired, he gets over-extended, he leaves himself open, AJ’s going to pick him apart and it could look like a very easy night for him.
      “AJ knows how to land and deliver a punch. He’s very precise. He’s very powerful as we know.”
      Dan Hardy has backed Ngannou to beat JoshuaCredit: Getty More

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      MMA star Renan Ferreira scores 20 second KO in front of Mike Tyson to secure Francis Ngannou fight and huge $2m payday

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      RENAN FERREIRA sent a brutal message to Francis Ngannou following his stunning 20 SECOND knockout of Ryan Bader. The Professional Fighters League champion headlined in Saudi Arabia against Bellator star Ryan Bader.
      Renan Ferreira knocked out Ryan Bader

      And not only would the winner leave Riyadh with bragging rights and a championship belt but also a life-changing bout against Ngannou.
      The PFL announced the victor would be the man to welcome Ngannou back to the MMA cage.
      And Ferreira made short work of Bader after dropping the former UFC contender with a right hand in the opening stages.
      It did not take very long for the referee to then jump in as the giant 6ft 8in Brazilian reined down brutal strikes.
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      Ngannou sat next to Mike Tyson cageside and watched on as Ferreira called him out following his KO of the night.
      He said: “I’m the record breaker, I’m the record setter. Francis, where you at? I’m waiting, let’s do this. I’m the champion out here.”
      Ngannou, 37, last year walked out on the UFC to sign for rivals PFL, who allowed him to pursue boxing along with his MMA commitments.
      He faced Tyson Fury, 35, on his boxing debut and astonishingly dropped the Gypsy King, only to lose a controversial split-decision.
      Most read in Boxing
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
      Now, Ngannou returns on March 8 back in Saudi against Anthony Joshua, 34.
      But the PFL have already confirmed he will fight Ferreira by the time he makes his MMA comeback.
      Boxing star Claressa Shields breaks down in tears after MMA win and reveals her arm nearly ‘SNAPPED’ in nasty submission
      And when Ngannou entered talks to sign with the PFL, he negotiated that his next opponent in the cage must be paid $2m (£1.5m).
      So Ferreira – who won the PFL’s $1m season last year – looks in line for another healthy payday when Ngannou swaps the ring for the cage. More