MMA News Roundup: Tom Aspinall Reacts After Meeting Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou Refuses to Take a Break From Boxing, Bryan Battle Confesses on UFC Vegas 88 Scuffle

A lot went down in the MMA world yesterday, including the latest UFC Fight Night card at the Apex. In case you missed any of it, we have today’s MMA news roundup to keep you updated. We will start with Tom Aspinall, who shared his reaction after meeting Jon Jones for the first time. Then we will turn our attention to Francis Ngannou, who shed light on his future in boxing. Finally, we will sum up the news compilation with Bryan Battle, who admitted to having tried to instigate a brawl at UFC Vegas 88. Wasting none of your precious time, let’s dive into it!

Tom Aspinall is confident he can beat Jon Jones

The undisputed heavyweight champion of the world recently caught up with the interim heavyweight champion in Birmingham, UK. It was the first time both fighters met each other and Tom Aspinall was surprised to see the stature of Jon Jones. He was expecting ‘Bones’ to be much bigger in person.

“He’s nowhere near as big as I thought, I thought he was a lot taller. I’m a full-grown heavyweight, there’s no chance he’s as big as me, he’s nowhere near as big as me,” said Aspinall. Furthermore, when it comes to fighting Jon Jones, he had no doubts he would come out on top if they ever locked horns inside the octagon.

Read More: UFC 300: Bo Nickal Gets Honest as Dana White Makes Major Change for Main Card

“I’ll take that one. I think I beat him definitely,” a confident Tom Aspinall added. However, it remains to be seen if Jon Jones reacts to these comments, given that they’ve had back and forth on social media in the past.

What is next for Francis Ngannou in boxing?

Francis Ngannou earned a moral victory in his boxing debut against Tyson Fury in 2023. He lost a close fight against ‘The Gypsy King’ that helped him garner a lot of praise from the combat sports community. However, he could not replicate the same performance against Anthony Joshua, who had knocked him out clean in his second professional boxing match.

This knockout defeat raised doubts about Ngannou’s career in boxing. However, ‘The Predator’ still has plans to continue his endeavor inside the squared circle. “What’s next for me? Maybe a third boxing match. But I think now, I feel like boxing owes me something,” said Francis Ngannou in a recent YouTube video. We’ll have to wait and see how soon the Cameroonian-French fighter returns to fight next.

Bryan Battle was up to no good at UFC Vegas 88

Things really got heated up at UFC Vegas 88. Bryan Battle fought Ange Loosa in the co-main event, which was deemed a no-contest after the former accidentally thumbed his opponent in the eye. The no-contest ruling came after Loosa informed the doctors that his vision wasn’t clear enough for him to continue. This led Battle to call out the Congolese fighter as a brawl almost erupted inside the Octagon.

Bryan Battle later addressed the incident during the post-fight press conference. Interestingly, he claimed that it was he who instigated the brawl with Ange Loosa. “What triggered the argument was I looked at him and called him a p***y,” said Battle. He further went on to say that Loosa told the doctors that he could not continue because he knew he was losing the fight. “It was really just one of those things where he was getting his a** whooped. He knew there was no way he was going to win that fight,” Battle added. It’s up to Dana White and the matchmakers now to navigate this situation as we wait to see if a rematch is in order.

Also Read: “He’s Got the Smoke Inhalation” – As Mark Coleman Is Rushed Back to Hospital, Michael Bisping and Dominick Cruz Pour Their Hearts Out for UFC Legend