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      Joshua vs Wallin viewers in hysterics as TNT Sport cameras spot Cristiano Ronaldo looking ‘terrified’ of Conor McGregor

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      BOXING fans were in stitches as they saw Cristiano Ronaldo looking “terrified” of Conor McGregor.The global football icon was seated next to the outspoken Irishman to watch Anthony Joshua’s blockbuster bout with Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia.
      Conor McGregor and Cristiano Ronaldo were seated next to each other in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Getty
      But fans reckon football legend Ronaldo was terrified of the IrishmanCredit: Getty
      Manny Pacquiao was called out by McGregor once againCredit: AFP
      Cameras panned to the pair ringside, just as UFC legend McGregor was aiming a rant at a Saudi boxing boss, about old rival Manny Pacquiao.
      But viewers on TNT Sport were more interested in the incredibly uncomfortable Ronaldo..
      McGregor ranted: “I love Manny, tell Manny to grow a set of balls. Tell Manny to grow a set of balls and fight me at a higher weight.
      “Why not? It’s his sport. If he wants me to come down to a smaller weight he should let me use more of my weapons.
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      “I should be able to kick, I should be able to grapple. Shouldn’t that be fair? Say it to him, is he a man or a mouse? Is Manny a man or a mouse?”
      He signed off his demands by sharing a laugh with Ronaldo – but fans were convinced the Manchester United was petrified deep down.
      One said: “Ronaldo is terrified of him.”
      Another added: “Ronaldo looks terrified.”
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      While airline Ryanair chimed in too, joking: “Middle seat vibes.”
      Pacquiao signed with Paradigm Management, who also represent McGregor, in 2020, to set up a potential bout between them.
      But PacMan would later be embroiled in a legal dispute with Paradigm, which he lost in May.
      Pacquiao, 45, was ordered to pay $5.1 million (£4m) after he fought Yordenis Ugas, 36, without Paradigm’s involvement.
      He retired after the loss but the Filipino hero has talked up a comeback ever since.
      McGregor, 35, has not returned to the ring since his 2017 loss to American Floyd Mayweather, 46.
      And he needed special permission from the UFC to cross over to the ring and break out of his contract.
      McGregor has refused to rule out another boxing match in the future having struck up a relationship with the Saudis.
      Read more on The Sun
      He joined Pacquiao in Riyadh in October when ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou, 37, controversially lost to Tyson Fury.
      And McGregor was back out in Saudi with Ronaldo, 38, to watch as Joshua topped the bill against Wallin.
      Roberto Duran, McGregor, Mike Tyson and Manny PacquiaoCredit: @MannyPacquiao More

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      Jake Paul reveals reason Conor McGregor will ‘never’ fight him as he claims to be ‘bigger in the sport than he is’

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      JAKE PAUL has claimed Conor McGregor will NEVER fight him. The YouTuber-turned boxer has continuously called out McGregor since making his professional debut in 2020.
      Jake Paul has claimed Conor McGregor will never fight himCredit: Getty
      McGrego has been continuously called out by Jake PaulCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      But he now believes his skills and starpower has surpassed that of the UFC legend.
      Paul told DAZN: “A fight between me and McGregor would be massive, entertaining and fun. I would beat his ass but he wont fight me.
      “At this point you can see how it went from me calling him out and that seeming crazy to me being bigger in the sport than he is and him knowing my skill level is greater than his in such a short amount time. Life is crazy.”
      McGregor, 35, has boxed as a pro just once when he crossed over to the ring in 2017 to lose to American legend Floyd Mayweather, 46.
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      Meanwhile Paul, 26, is now 7-1 as a boxer and returns this Friday against 10-1-1 Andre August, 35.
      He was beaten for the first time in February by Tommy Fury, 24, losing a split-decision in Saudi Arabia.
      Paul, 26, bounced back in August by beating McGregor’s old UFC rival Nate Diaz, 38, on points.
      But he now returns against little-known August in a non pay-per-view bout as he looks to gain more experience against seasoned pros.
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      Paul said: “I’m a professional boxer and I want to be world champion, so I need to pursue the path towards greatness against people who have been boxing their whole life.
      “So far, my entire boxing career has been on pay-per-view, but now it’s about more than business.
      “Now I want to build my experience in the ring against seasoned fighters. I’m coming to prove my greatness for the world to see.” More

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      Conor McGregor bizarrely faces off with UFC star TWO weight divisions below as boxing match in 2024 is teased

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      CONOR McGREGOR bizarrely faced off with Petr Yan as a boxing match between the two was teased. The pair of UFC stars – who are two weight divisions apart – attended an IBA boxing event in Dubai when they went head to head in the ring.
      UFC star Petr Yan and Conor McGregor going face to face
      Umar Kremlev – president of the International Boxing Association – then announced that the pair would meet in the ring next year.
      But the UFC would be sure to disagree.
      UFC fighters are prohibited from competing outside of the promotion unless granted special permission.
      McGregor was given so in 2017 for his crossover bout with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, which ended in tenth-round defeat.
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      But heavyweight Francis Ngannou walked out on the UFC last year after being denied the chance to do the same.
      He instead signed for rivals The Professional Fighters League and fought Tyson Fury, controversially losing on points after scoring a knockdown.
      McGregor, 35, is out in Dubai training for his UFC return, which is set for next year against Michael Chandler.
      He is finally on track for a comeback bout, which will be his first since July 2021.
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      He has suffered a frustrating period on the sidelines since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier, 34.
      But after returning to the UFC’s all-year round random drug testing program, he will be eligible to fight again.
      Chandler, 37, has had frustrations of his own waiting for the bout to materialise but the American is willing to wait it out.
      He said on The MMA Hour: “I’ve fought extremely hard.
      “Some very, very tough fights I’ve had since I came into the UFC, especially [since] I fought everybody inside the top five basically.
      “Fights of the Year, Knockouts of the Year, all of those different things.
      “So any time I find myself being frustrated, I believe I’m always able to go back to my north star that, hey, it’s going to work out the way it’s going to, just like me coming to the UFC.
      “That door stayed closed until it was time for that door to open.
      “The door opening for this fight with Conor, whenever it’s finally supposed to be, it will be, and I’m just being at peace in the midst of the waiting.”
      McGregor is set to fight Michael Chandler in his UFC return More

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      I was a security guard for Anthony Joshua’s legendary fight with Wladimir Klitschko… it helped inspire my MMA career

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      WHEN Simeon Powell rocked up to Anthony Joshua’s fight with Wladimir Klitschko, little did he know the effect it would have on his life. The then-teenager – who had just started training in Muay Thai – arrived at the 90,000-seater to work a security shift.
      Wladimir Klitschko was beaten by Anthony Joshua in 2017Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      MMA star Simeon Powell was inspired by Joshua’s win over KlitschkoCredit: PFL
      What Powell did not know is that he would have a front row seat – for free – to watch one of the most dramatic and thrilling fights of recent years.
      He told SunSport: “It was crazy! Definitely didn’t do my job properly that day.”
      Joshua climbed up from the canvas to sensationally knock Klitschko into retirement after 11 classic rounds.
      Powell – an MMA hopeful at the time – watched in amazement with the inspiration to one day follow in AJ’s heavyweight heroics.
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      He said: “It gave me chills, I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.
      “It was crazy, the production, the atmosphere, I was like, ‘This is what I want.’” 
      Light-heavyweight Powell, now 24, made his professional MMA debut in 2021 and has since raced to an unbeaten 9-0 record.
      He was last year signed to the Professional Fighters League, a rivalling promotion to the UFC.
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      And this year, he entered the three-stage knockout PFL Europe tournament and returns in the final this Friday in Dublin.
      A win will bag him $100,000 and a spot in the PFL’s global season next year, where he can times his earnings by TEN in the $1m season.
      Powell takes on Jakob Nedoh at Dublin’s 3Arena and does so with more than just money and a title awaiting him.
      He said: “I feel like this is the fight which is going to elevate me. How I’m gonna get the job done, I feel like it’s my, ‘I’m him moment.’ 
      “This fight will be what gives me that global respect in a sense.”
      Impa Kasanganay, 29, took this year’s PFL light-heavyweight crown by winning his two qualifying bouts and the subseuqent semi and finale fights.
      And Powell was a keen viewer with his eyes on the $1m world championship prize.
      He said: “It was a great performance, Impa is a nice guy, nice story but I’m a competitor at the end of the day and I definitely feel like I can compete with them boys. 
      “I feel like I definitely could have won it this year as well. It’s always been the dream since day one to be world champion.”
      Simeon Powell now has his eyes on the $1m PFL prizeCredit: PFL More

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      Ebanie Bridges already planning for retirement after going into business with Conor McGregor for ‘rest of her career’

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      EBANIE BRIDGES already has a plan in place for retirement after going into business with Conor McGregor. The IBF bantamweight champion returns on Saturday in San Francisco, defending her belt against Miyo Yoshida.
      Conor McGregor pictured with Ebanie BridgesCredit: Instagram @ebaniebridges
      Bridges is sponsored by McGregor’s Forged Irish StoutCredit: Twitter
      The boxing champ is friends with UFC legend McGregorCredit: Twitter
      And she will do so sponsored by McGregor’s Forged Irish Stout.
      Bridges has formed a partnership with the brand and the UFC legend himself.
      She told Lucky Block: “Obviously, mine and his collaboration is a little bit deeper.
      “I’m a face for Forged Stout now. I can learn a lot from him as well for when I finish boxing – and what he’s doing in business, I think is really inspiring.
      READ MORE ON EBANIE BRIDGES
      ‌“It was natural and we’ll be working together for the remainder of my career. We work really well together.
      “I’m great for his brand and he’s great for my brand, and we get along really well.”
      Bridges, 37, was due to face Avril Mathie, 36, in what she dubbed the “Battle of the Boobs” but her Aussie rival pulled out.
      Meanwhile McGregor, 35, has been out since July 2021 when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier, 34, in the first round.
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      But he is now set to return next year against Michael Chandler, 37, with the Irishman preparing for the bout.
      Bridges revealed: “I don’t know who it will be but I know he’s training. I’ve seen clips of him training and he’s busy in the gym.
      “I don’t know if he puts it on his socials. I don’t really look at his social pages to be fair, but I’ve obviously seen some of his training stuff that he’s done.”
      Bridges is the bantamweight world championCredit: Alamy
      Bridges returns in San FranciscoCredit: PA
      McGregor poses with pal BridgesCredit: Sportsfile More

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      Ex-UFC champ left with horror facial injuries after losing brutal bare-knuckle fight to ‘king of violence’ Mike Perry

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      EX-UFC champion Eddie Alvarez was left with horror facial injuries after brutal bare-knuckle boxing defeat to Mike Perry. The pair of former MMA stars headlined a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
      Eddie Alvarez was left with horror facial injuries after defeat to Mike Perry
      Alvarez showed off his battle scars post fight
      And the two put on a hellacious show for two rounds until Alvarez’s corner pulled him out of the bout.
      The American’s left eye was so badly swollen he could not continue any longer.
      Alvarez, 39, showed off the extent of his battle scars in the post-fight press conference, sporting a severely swollen and bruised face.
      Perry, 32, was also marked up as he celebrated his vicious victory.
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      He roared: “I like to get hit a little bit sometimes. I like that s***. It makes me feel alive.
      “I work on the head movement but the last one ended so easily, I just wanted to have a battle so I let him get some shots off. I had a great time.
      “Eddie Alvarez is a hell of a competitor. Who owns combat sports now? The king of violence! ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry!”
      Perry, who left the UFC in 2021 after four losses in five fights, is now unbeaten in his four BKFC bouts.
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      And he called out Conor McGregor, 35, and Darren Till, 30, after extending his record to 4-0 with exposed fists.
      Perry said: “Conor McGregor would be a great matchup.
      “I just beat somebody he fought for a world title. Who’s bigger than that? There’s no one bigger than Conor McGregor except me.
      “These boxers don’t want to take the gloves off. Darren Till said he doesn’t want to do it with no gloves.
      “Who wants to fight Platinum Mike Perry with no gloves?”
      Mike Perry beat Eddie Alvarez in two roundsCredit: Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship More

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      Jake Paul sensationally backed to BEAT Nate Diaz in MMA fight by ex-UFC star amid £10m rematch offer

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      JAKE PAUL has been backed to sensationally BEAT Nate Diaz in MMA by ex-UFC star Matt Brown. The YouTuber-turned boxer this year signed for the Professional Fighters League, a competing promotion to the UFC.
      Jake Paul beat Nate Diaz over ten roundsCredit: GETTY
      Paul, 26, is coming off the back of a ten-round points win over ex-UFC star Diaz, 38, in August.
      And both the American and the PFL have proposed a rematch in the cage and offered up to £10million.
      But Diaz has seemed uninterested and Brown insisted he has reason to.
      He told MMAFighting: “Jake Paul, I’m going to pick him to win. I’m going to pick him to beat Nate Diaz in MMA.
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      “We already know he can outbox him. When was the last time you saw Nate Diaz take someone down?
      “But I don’t think he’ll be able to take him down, even if he tries to [take him down].
      “He’s way, way undersized. Jake Paul is so much bigger than him. I don’t know what weight it will be at, probably 185.
      “Nate’s not a great wrestler, it’s going to end up staying on the feet. What difference would it be [from their boxing match] if it stays on the feet?”
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      Ex-high school wrestler Paul has called to fight Diaz in his MMA debut and Brown believes the styles clash favours the American well.
      He said: “First, Nate rarely throws elbows. Really doesn’t throw kicks a whole lot. He’s primarily an MMA boxer.
      “His MMA style is he pressures you, he outboxes you and pressures you until you take him down or grab hold of him, which, that’s what he wants. Now he can do his jiu-jitsu game. It’s just a bad matchup.
      “I wouldn’t pick very many people to be able to do that, but I don’t think Nate will be able to take [Paul] down and we already know what’s going to happen on the feet.
      “Jake will train for kicks and elbows and knees and all that stuff and they might have a little effect.
      “But I don’t see Nate finishing him with a kick or even really chopping him down or elbowing him. It’s just not his style.”
      Matt Brown backed Jake Paul to beat Nate Diaz in MMACredit: Getty More

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      Dana White blasts KSI’s ‘LYING’ team over Misfits PPV buys in X-rated rant on ‘horrible’ shows

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      DANA WHITE has blasted Misfits Boxing’s claim that their PRIME card did over a million pay-per-view buys.The influencer boxing promotion – which was founded by internet sensation KSI – put on a stacked card for its Manchester card in October.
      KSI locked horns with Tommy Fury on the Misfits Prime cardCredit: GETTY
      Logan Paul co-main evented the show. -which reportedly did 1.4 million pay-per-view buysCredit: GETTY
      UFC president Dana White has emphatically rubbished that rumoured numberCredit: GETTY
      KSI topped the bill against Tommy Fury, while Logan Paul faced Dillon Danis in a co-main event grudge match.
      It was claimed that a whopping 1.4 million people parted with their hard-earned cash to watch the social media stars do battle, a number veteran promoter White doesn’t buy for a second.
      The UFC Chief Executive told the Nelk Boys: “I haven’t heard about anybody selling a lot of pay-per-views lately.
      “Let me tell you how hard it is to sell 1.3 million pay-per-view buys.
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      “And if you did sell 1.3 million – if you sold 700,000 pay-per-view buys – they’d put putting on fights f***ing 10 times a year.
      “When you hear those kinds of numbers fly around the pay-per-view world, they’re lying motherf*****s. Don’t ever believe that s**t.”
      Despite the glaringly obvious lack of skill and technique, the influencer boxing scene has caught on like wildfire among Gen Zers.
      And White, like many others, can’t understand for the life of him why.
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      Dana White insists Misfits would be doing cards every week if they really did 1.4m buysCredit: Getty
      He said: “Anybody who’s been on any of these f***ing horrible boxing shows.
      “And I like Logan [Paul] and some of these guys that are involved in this s**t, if you come out and you say you did 1.3 million pay-per-view buys on your event, you’re lying through your f***ing teeth.
      “Lying through your teeth.”
      The MMA mogul added: “The amount of money you’d f***ing make, they’d be doing pay-per-views all the f***ing time.
      “Let me tell you what, every pay-per-view distributor out there would want them, and Showtime wouldn’t have went out of business.”
      It didn’t take long for White’s comments to come to the attention of KSI’s manager and Misfits co-president Mams Taylor.
      And he didn’t hold back in his response to the UFC supremo, writing on X: “I know all the REAL numbers for every event.
      “Don’t play w[ith] me or I’ll go Fofty on EVERYONE!!”
      KSI’s manager Mams Taylor hit out at Dana White after learning of his rant More