Midnight Mania! Joshua opens as huge betting favorite

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Today (Friday, January 5, 2024), news broke that lineal UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will return to Riyadh Arena in Saudi Arabia, this time to face former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua. Once again, ‘The Predator’ has acquired one of boxing’s biggest names, but his return to mixed martial arts will be delayed until 2024, later than expected.

The martial arts world is excited about the new matchup, but what about the bookmakers? Unsurprisingly, early betting odds have Joshua as the heavy favorite. At the time of writing, BetOnline.ag We list Joshua as a -500 favorite and Ngannou comes in as a +325 underdog.

The odds are certainly long, but Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury last year earned him some respect as he entered the bout with a 10-1 deficit against the ‘Gypsy King’. Although he wasn’t able to pull off the upset victory, the knockdown and subsequent split decision loss proved that Ngannou can hold his own against the best in the ring.

We’ll find out March 9th if he can do it again.

insomnia

Belal Muhammad heading to Dagestan ahead of his UFC 300 title fight against Leon Edwards certainly seems like a hint as to his game plan.

Sean O’Malley continues his feud with Ilya Topria:

Here are a few things.
First place. A place for teenagers?I don’t understand
The second. Let’s bet on the PPV number.
100,000 cash for the greater PPV. If you don’t have 100,000, you can pay him 4 times for 25,000.
The third. Connor doesn’t know who you are. https://t.co/V7e2gC7Q5D

— Sean O’Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) January 4, 2024

This funny MMA attack thread gave me a good laugh. Worth the click and read.

Nick Diaz vs Robbie Lawler II

Nick returned from a long layoff and started the match with a wild two-touch kick that struck fear into Robbie’s heart. pic.twitter.com/1SounLYYlI

— Yazuko (@YazkoMotashobi) January 4, 2024

Cyril Gane vs Francis Ngannou

While being controlled by Francis on the ground, Gehn attempts to poke Francis with France’s walking stick, only for Francis to punch him and flatten him to the same size as an iPod. pic.com/2RwrF23NW7

— Yazuko (@YazkoMotashobi) January 4, 2024

Liam Harrison is always violent on the pads.

Liam Harrison is fitter than ever and there’s only one thing he’s willing to fight for himself and his body…sexan

( : @LiamBadco/ Instagram) pic.com/xnlHLFb4OP

— Combat Sports Today (@CSTodayNews) January 5, 2024

Takeru reacts to Rodtan’s injury and subsequent withdrawal, and his replacement with Super Rec before his One Championship debut.

His opponent for his ONE debut match on January 28th, Lotan, was canceled and changed to Super Rec, and he will fight for the ONE Championship world title.
I was shocked because I had been preparing for a long time to fight Lotan and had sacrificed a lot for this fight, and… pic.com/SvpjyQk8c5

— Takeru takeru (@takerusekawa) January 5, 2024

An elite fighter with top control, Khabib’s bottom game was incredible in the few times he appeared.

Bantamweight banger alert!

It’s shocking how many weird Twitter nerds are pissed at Tom Aspinall who wanted a chance to fight for the undisputed money.

I’m just trying to be the best and compete against the best people. I know it’s difficult for many people to understand.Don’t get so excited, guys.

— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) January 5, 2024

Do you like or dislike Dan Hooker’s recent physical transformation?