標籤: Francis

It was highly anticipated that the New York Giants would take the Ohio State Buckeye with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But few expected it to be linebacker Arvel Reese.

Many were expecting Reese to be taken second or third overall, but when he slipped and was still on the board with the Giants, the team did not hesitate to draft him.

The 6’4 243-pound linebacker had 69 tackles and six and a half sacks in his final season at Ohio State in 2025, and was a unanimous All-American. The selection comes as a surprise as the team already has Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. But he played inside linebacker before 2025. It will ultimately be up to defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson to find ways to utilize Reese’s potential to ensure he has a successful rookie season.

Following Reese’s selection, the team took right tackle Francis Mauigoa of the University of Miami with pick 10.^th Overall selection. Mauigoa appeared in 42 games in his three years at Miami. Although the 6’5 329-pound All-American tackle was viewed by many as the best tackle in the league, it was also a bit of a surprise. The team re-signed right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to a three-year, $39 million contract this offseason, and Mauigoa is nursing a herniated disc.

But the team clearly isn’t worried about his injury history, and they would like to move him or Eluemunor inside to play the guard role. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds during training camp.

What we learned from the giants in Round 1

For several months, New York was primed for Caleb Downs and could potentially take him with the first pick, or with the 10.^th Which they acquired by trading Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals. But it appeared to be a blurry screen as the team passed him twice.

Downs will try to show that New York made a mistake by leaving him, as he will play with them twice a year since the Dallas Cowboys took him with the 11 pick.^th Overall selection.

With the selection of Reese it is clear that Kayvon Thibodeaux’s time in New York is coming to an end. He is entering the final year of his contract, and his role with Burns and Carter on the roster was already in question. Now with another premier pass rusher on the team, expect the team to move on from the 25-year-old edge rusher.

The Giants currently do not have a third-round pick and could try to trade Thibodaux on the second day of the draft to acquire one. New York’s next pick will be 37th overall, where they can take either a wide receiver or defensive tackle.

RELATED: 2026 New York Giants mock draft, Nos. 5 to 193

Francis Ngannou believes Alex Pereira faces one of the toughest stylistic challenges of his career against Cyril Gane in June.

Speaking with TMZ, Ngannou offered his opinion on the upcoming interim UFC heavyweight title fight between Pereira and Gane at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 in Washington, DC, and based on his firsthand experience facing the Frenchman, explained why he sees the matchup favoring Gane.

Pereira is attempting to become the first three-division UFC champion, having previously held titles at light heavyweight and middleweight. Before setting his sights on heavyweight gold, he defeated Magomed Ankalev in his most recent fight to capture second place at 205 pounds. A victory over Gane would cement his place as one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC history.

However, Ngannou thinks the road to reach that milestone won’t be very easy. In his last UFC appearance four years ago, Ngannou defeated Gane via unanimous decision to retain the heavyweight title, but he had to rely heavily on his wrestling after struggling to solve Gane’s footwork and technical striking in the early rounds. He expects Perera to face the same problems.

Could Cyril Gane’s distance game become a problem for Alex Pereira?

“It’s going to be an interesting fight. Alex Pereira is big; he’s a heavyweight,” Ngannou said. “Gane moves a lot; he’s faster. Pereira will be more hard-nosed, steady and strong, solid. Cyril will be faster, moving around. He’s good at that. It will be very difficult for Alex Pereira to figure out what he can do, just get to distance, which Cyril will manage very well. Gane will frustrate him. I think it’s a very good matchup for Cyril Gane.”

The main difference between Ngannou’s position and Pereira’s position is that Ngannou struggled when his striking failed to close the distance against the gain. Pereira, a former kickboxing world champion whose game is built almost entirely around his striking, doesn’t have the same option. If he cannot find a way to get within the limit, the path to the end becomes more difficult.

Gain’s durability has made that task more difficult. The French former interim heavyweight champion has only finished inside the distance once in his career, when Jon Jones submitted him at UFC 285 three years ago. Neither fighter ever stopped Gane with a strike. If Pereira is to make history on the White House lawn, he will have to accomplish something that no one in MMA has yet accomplished against one of the division’s most technically sophisticated competitors.

弗朗西斯·纳甘努 (Francis Ngannou) 相信亚历克斯·佩雷拉 (Alex Pereira) 将在六月对阵西里尔·加恩 (Ciryl Gane) 的比赛中面临他职业生涯中最艰难的风格挑战之一。

纳干努在接受 TMZ 采访时，对即将于 6 月 14 日在华盛顿特区举行的 UFC Freedom 250 比赛中佩雷拉和甘恩之间的临时 UFC 重量级冠军争夺战发表了自己的看法，并利用自己面对法国人的第一手经验解释了为什么他认为这场对决对甘恩有利。

佩雷拉正在努力成为第一位 UFC 三级冠军，此前他曾获得过轻重量级和中量级冠军。他在最近一次比赛中击败了马戈梅德·安卡拉耶夫，以 205 磅的体重再次称霸，随后他将目光投向了重量级金牌。战胜甘恩将巩固他作为 UFC 历史上最有成就的拳击手之一的地位。

然而，纳干努认为，实现这一里程碑的道路远非一帆风顺。四年前，在他最后一次参加 UFC 比赛时，纳甘努一致判定击败了盖恩，保住了重量级冠军头衔，但在前几轮中努力解决盖恩的步法和技术打击后，他被迫严重依赖摔跤。他预计佩雷拉也会遇到同样的问题。

西里尔·加恩（Ciryl Gane）的远距离比赛会对亚历克斯·佩雷拉（Alex Pereira）造成问题吗？

“这将是一场有趣的战斗。亚历克斯·佩雷拉足够大；他是一个重量级人物，”纳干努说。 “Gane 移动很多；他速度很快。Pereira 会更加僵硬、稳定、强壮、坚实。Ciryl 会更快，四处移动。他很擅长这一点。对于 Alex Pereira 来说，即使是接近距离来弄清楚他能做什么，只是为了进入距离，Ciryl 会处理得很好。Gane 会让他感到沮丧。我认为这对 Ciryl Gane 来说是一场非常好的比赛。”

纳干努的情况与佩雷拉的情况之间的主要区别在于，当纳干努的击球未能拉近与加内的距离时，他必须依靠摔跤。佩雷拉是前跆拳道世界冠军，他的比赛几乎完全围绕着他的击球，但他没有同样的选择。如果他找不到进入射程的方法，那么完成比赛的道路就会变得更加困难。

盖恩的耐用性使这项任务变得更加艰巨。这位法国前临时重量级冠军在他的职业生涯中只在距离内完成过一次比赛，那是三年前乔恩·琼斯在 UFC 285 上击败他的时候。从来没有战士用攻击阻止过甘恩。如果佩雷拉想要在白宫草坪上创造历史，他就需要完成综合格斗中尚未有人能够与该部门技术最精湛的竞争对手之一对抗的事情。

周五，弗朗西斯·纳甘努与职业战士联盟的签约正式宣告失败。三年前，这位前 UFC 重量级拳王与 MMA 世界领袖发生争执，并选择将自己的才华带到 PFL 来改变这项运动。然而，在联赛中只打了一场比赛后，双方决定在本周结束他们的关系。

这一消息立即引发了有关他可能重返UFC的猜测。然而，考虑到他与公司首席执行官达纳·怀特(Dana White)的糟糕关系，这将是非常困难的。然而，由于首席财务官亨特·坎贝尔在促销活动中发挥着更大的作用，如果价格合适，他可能会决定采取对业务最有利的做法，并尝试将“铁血战士”带回市场。

如果 Ngannou 和 UFC 能够解决他们的问题并重返八角笼，我们希望在 2026 年和 2027 年看到以下五场比赛。

弗朗西斯·纳甘努 VS 乔恩·琼斯

虽然有传言称 MMA 偶像乔恩·琼斯 (Jon Jones) 和亚历克斯·佩雷拉 (Alex Pereira) 在 6 月的 UFC 白宫卡上发生冲突，但格斗迷们多年来一直希望与弗朗西斯·纳干努 (Francis Ngannou) 进行一场较量。当喀麦隆人还是重量级拳王时，比赛的谈判确实发生过。但他们永远无法完成这笔交易。

由于纳干诺现在的影响力较小，在这场重磅对决的合同上签字可能会容易得多。

弗朗西斯·纳干努 VS 汤姆·阿斯皮纳尔

如果琼斯不再对与纳干诺的比赛感兴趣，另一个简单的转向将是与现任冠军汤姆·阿斯皮诺尔的比赛。显然，这位英国人在上个月接受手术后必须让眼睛恢复正常。然而，如果他能完全恢复健康，过去五年中两位最具统治力的重量级人物的黄牌将会引起很多人的兴趣。

弗朗西斯·纳甘努 VS 亚历克斯·佩雷拉

如果佩雷拉对阵琼斯，并且巴西人获胜，他的下一个目标将是留在重量级，并希望成为第一位赢得三个级别冠军的 UFC 拳手来创造历史。如果阿斯皮诺尔还没有做好战斗的准备，那么佩雷拉和纳干诺进入临时冠军争夺也就不足为奇了。

看到佩雷拉和身材魁梧的纳干诺关在同一个笼子里，这将是一个值得一看的景象，也是拳击迷们必看的一幕。

弗朗西斯·纳甘努 VS 谢尔盖·帕夫洛维奇

如果 UFC 不想首先将弗朗西斯·纳甘诺推入冠军争夺战，那么与该部门的竞争者之一对决将是他们的计划。这就是为什么俄罗斯的谢尔盖·帕夫洛维奇可能是一个选择。他几乎和这位前重量级冠军一样高大、有力。所以一场对决对于纳干诺的回归来说是一个很大的考验。此外，对于任何即将举行的 UFC 赛事来说，这场比赛将是一场大型联合主赛。

弗朗西斯·纳干努 VS 泰森·富里

如果UFC重新签下纳甘诺，他们可以采取的一个突破性的方向是在八角笼与泰森·富里的一场冲突。三年前，两人在一场拳击比赛中交手，喀麦隆人几乎打出了历史上最大的冷门之一。关于复赛的传闻由来已久。在综合格斗（MMA）——一项英国人经常参加的运动——中做到这一点是有意义的。

由于怀特还经营着祖法拳击公司，拳击场上可能会发生一场三部曲，或者这可能是这位拳击传奇人物和母公司 TKO 集团控股公司之间两场比赛、两项运动交易的一部分。

Jason Burgos 于 2017 年获得新闻学学位后，担任多个网站的撰稿人，其中包括 MMA Sucka … 关于 Jason Burgos 的更多信息

Francis Ngannou’s signing with the Professional Fighters League became an official failure on Friday. Three years ago, the former UFC heavyweight king had a falling out with the MMA world leader and decided to shake up the sport by taking his talents to the PFL. However, after only one tie in the league, both sides decided to end their relationship this week.

The news immediately sparked speculation about a possible return to the UFC. However, this will be very difficult given his poor relationship with the company’s CEO Dana White. However, with CFO Hunter Campbell having a huge role in the promotion, he may decide to do what’s best for the business and try to bring “The Predator” back if the price is right.

If Ngannou and the UFC can work out their issues and plan a return to the Octagon, here are five bouts we’d love to see in 2026 and 2027.

Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones

While there are rumors of a clash between MMA icons Jon Jones and Alex Pereira at the UFC White House card in June, fight fans have wanted a bout with Francis Ngannou for years. There were definitely talks of a fight when the King of Cameroon was still the heavy king. But they could never get the deal across the finish line.

With Ngannou now having less leverage, it may be far easier to get a contract signed for a blockbuster matchup.

Francis Ngannou vs. Tom Aspinall

If Jones is no longer interested in a fight with Ngannou, another easy pivot would be to a matchup with current champion Tom Aspinall. Apparently, the Englishman needs to get his eyes back to normal after the surgery he had last month. However, if he can return to full health, there will be plenty of interest in booking two of the most influential legends of the last five years.

Francis Ngannou vs. Alex Pereira

If Pereira vs. Jones takes place, and the Brazilian wins, his next goal will be to remain at heavyweight and make history by becoming the first UFC fighter to win titles in three divisions. If Aspinall is still not ready to fight, it would not be a surprise if Pereira and Ngannou are placed in an interim title fight.

Seeing Pereira in the same cage as the heavyweight Ngannou will be a sight to behold and a must-see for fight fans.

Francis Ngannou vs. Sergei Pavlovich

If the UFC doesn’t want to push Francis Ngannou into his first title fight, his plan would be to face one of the division’s contenders. That’s why Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich would be a possible option. He is almost as big and powerful as the former heavyweight champion. So the matchup will be a great test for Ngannou’s comeback. Additionally, this fight would be a huge co-main event for any upcoming numbered UFC event.

francis ngannou vs tyson fury

If the UFC re-signs Ngannou, one direction outside the box he could go would be a clash in the Octagon with Tyson Fury. There was a fight between these two in a boxing match three years ago and the Cameroonian player caused the biggest upset in history. There has been an uproar regarding the rematch for a long time. Doing it in MMA – a sport in which the Englishman has often competed – would make sense.

With White running Zuffa Boxing, a trilogy fight could take place in the ring, or it could be part of a two-fight, two-sport deal between the boxing giant and parent company TKO Group Holdings.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

PFL 正式与其最引人注目的签约球员弗朗西斯·纳干诺分道扬镳，这一举动震惊了 MMA 界。

周五上午，该推广机构发布了一份正式声明，确认“铁血战士”在仅在 SmartCage 中露面一次后，就已解除了他的多场比赛合同。

“职业拳击手联盟已决定与弗朗西斯·纳干努分道扬镳，”职业拳击联盟的一名代表告诉 Sherdog.com。 “我们非常尊重弗朗西斯作为一名运动员和一个人，我们祝愿他在格斗运动生涯的下一个篇章中取得成功。”

尽管人们对他在 2023 年签约抱有很高的期望，但双方的合作关系最终以纳甘诺只打过一场比赛而告终——2024 年 10 月，他在首轮以压倒性优势淘汰了雷南·费雷拉。这次签约标志着许多人认为一项“改变游戏规则”的拳击手授权协议的结束。

当纳干努在公开退出 UFC 后加入 PFL 时，他获得了前所未有的灵活性，包括追求职业拳击和担任 PFL Africa 主席的权利。然而，三年来，他们旗下只举办过一场综合格斗比赛，该活动决定朝着不同的方向发展。

弗朗西斯·纳甘努 (Francis Ngannou) 不符合 PFL 的新方向

Ngannou 被释放的时间恰逢 PFL 内部的高管重组。 2026 年 1 月，随着长期担任首席执行官的 Peter Murray 和总裁 Ray Sefo 的离职，创始人 Donn Davis 辞去了董事长职务。这些内部转变，加上新的主要所有者 Knighthead Capital Management 和 885 Capital 的战略融资，似乎预示着此次促销活动的重量级战略将重新调整。

虽然 Ngannou 是 PFL“超级战斗”部门的代言人，但据报道，该联盟正在将其重点转向“招募和签约最好的运动员”，以适应传统的赛季赛制。 39 岁的纳干诺现在是一名自由球员，他发现自己正处于一个迷人的十字路口。

虽然他与 UFC 首席执行官达纳·怀特 (Dana White) 的关系仍然冰冷——怀特最近嘲笑 PFL 与纳甘诺 (Ngannou) 的交易，并声称他“很高兴”让他离开——但 UFC 的重量级部门目前正在发生变化。

随着无可争议的冠军汤姆·阿斯皮诺尔从眼部手术中康复，以及亚历克斯·佩雷拉放弃冠军头衔转投重量级的传言，6 月 14 日“白宫”超级大战的可能性仍然存在。更现实的是，纳干努可能会回顾拳击场，那里已经讨论了 4 月 4 日与德昂泰·怀尔德的潜在冲突。

In a move that has shocked the MMA world, the PFL has officially cut ties with its most high-profile signee, Francis Ngannou.

The promotion released a formal statement Friday morning, confirming that “The Predator” has been released from his multi-fight contract after only one appearance in SmartCage.

“The Professional Fighters League has decided to part ways with Francis Ngannou,” a representative for the PFL told Sherdog.com. “We have great respect for Francis as both an athlete and a person, and we wish him every success in the next chapter of his combat sports career.”

Despite the grand expectations that accompanied his signing in 2023, the partnership concluded with Ngannou fighting only once – a dominant first-round knockout of Renan Ferreira in October 2024. This release marks the end of what many considered a “game-changing” deal for combat empowerment.

When Ngannou joined the PFL after his public exit from the UFC, he was given unprecedented flexibility, including the right to pursue professional boxing and serve as president of PFL Africa. However, after three years and only one MMA bout under their banner, the promotion has decided to move in a different direction.

Francis Ngannou does not fit the new direction of the PFL

The timing of Ngannou’s release coincides with an executive shakeup within the PFL. In January 2026, following the departure of longtime CEO Peter Murray and Chairman Ray Sefo, founder Don Davis resigned as chairman. These internal changes, along with a strategic capital raise from new major owners Knighthead Capital Management and 885 Capital, signal a reset for the promotion’s heavyweight strategy.

While Ngannou was the face of the PFL’s “Super Fight” division, the league is reportedly shifting its focus to “recruiting and signing the best athletes” for its traditional season-based format. Now a free agent, the 39-year-old Ngannou finds himself at a fascinating crossroads.

While his relationship with UFC CEO Dana White remains rocky – White recently mocked PFL’s deal with Ngannou and claimed he was “happy” to see him go – the heavyweight division in the UFC is currently in flux.

With undisputed champion Tom Aspinall recovering from eye surgery and rumors of Alex Pereira dropping the title to move up to heavyweight, a “White House” superfight on June 14 remains a possibility. More realistically, Ngannou could look towards the boxing ring, where a possible clash with Deontay Wilder on April 4 has been discussed.

伊斯雷爾·阿德薩亞 (Israel Adesanya) 將在 UFC 回歸中迎戰喬·皮弗 (Joe Pyfer)，結束長達 13 個月的停賽。

3 月 28 日，阿迪桑亞 (Adesanya) 對陣皮弗 (Pyfer) 成為 UFC 西雅圖站的頭條新聞，亞歷克斯·格拉索 (Alexa Grasso) 和梅西·巴伯 (Maycee Barber) 在聯合主賽事中展開重賽。

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前 UFC 中量級冠軍阿德薩尼亞自 2025 年 2 月在沙特阿拉伯被納蘇爾丁·伊馬沃夫殘酷擊倒以來就沒有參加過比賽。

“最後的風格彎曲者”正處於他整個綜合格鬥生涯中最糟糕的狀態，在與亞歷克斯·佩雷拉的複賽中進行了著名的複仇後，他在反彈中輸掉了三場比賽。

另一方面，皮弗在 UFC 320 的最後一場比賽中擊敗了阿布斯·馬戈梅多夫，取得了三連勝。

這位 29 歲的選手在達納·懷特 (Dana White) 的晉級賽中僅失利過一次，在兩年前缺席之後，他於 2022 年 7 月在競爭者係列賽中脫穎而出。

UFC首席執行官懷特在周二晚上宣布了比賽的消息，並強調了皮弗在他的晉級賽中取得的七場胜利中除了一場之外的所有勝利都是如何完成的。

這位美國人在職業生涯的 15 場胜利中，有 9 場都是通過淘汰賽獲勝的，但他職業生涯中的一項重大壯舉使他在同齡人中脫穎而出。

當喬·皮弗 (Joe Pyfer) 證明他比弗朗西斯·納幹諾 (Francis Ngannou) 擊球更猛時

2024 年 1 月，Pyfer 因證明自己的單拳比前 UFC 重量級冠軍 Francis Ngannou 更強而走紅，儘管體重相差 85 磅。

UFC 評論員喬·羅根 (Joe Rogan) 在他廣受歡迎的播客中說道：“那個混蛋打得太狠了。