Ahead of his next boxing bout against MMA fighter Francis Ngannou, Tyson Fury has revealed that he has received an offer to fight in the UFC and is seriously considering accepting it.
Fury takes on a fellow heavyweight title winner from a different discipline in Saudia Arabia on 28 October after completing his trilogy of fights against Derek Chisora in June and his intended fight against Oleksandr Usyk falling through.
However, while many have criticised the ‘Gypsy King’ for naming an MMA fighter as his next opponent instead of an orthodox boxer, several of the same fight fans have now had their ears pricked up at the idea of Tyson getting in the octagon after reportedly receiving an offer from the UFC.
And if that wasn’t already a juicy enough prospect, it’s apparently to take on none other than Jon Jones, with Fury already making clear it’s something he’s up for.
🗣️ "I might have a rematch with him [Ngannou] in a cage and I think I'd like to fight Jon Jones as well."
Tyson Fury reveals he received an offer from the UFC even before he agreed to fight Ngannou.
Speaking in an interview with The Sun, the 35-year-old said it’s “100% true” that he’s already received an offer to fight Jon Jones and that promoter Frank Warren and his team know all about it.
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“It’s still ongoing and we’re looking to move forward on that for sure. Me and Jon have even spoken about it. It’s definitely a real thing”, Fury added.
The revelation came after he said that, regardless of the result next month, he’d be more than willing to have a rematch with Ngannou on his turf in 2024.
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Expanding on the subject, he told IFLTV: “I want challenges, I don’t want easy bait. They’re all bums, the boxers. I’ve already proved myself as the best boxer that’s ever lived. Now I’m gonna prove myself as the best fighting man that’s ever lived.” As it turns out, he’s already had a bit of practice at MMA too.
Fury has said that he knows if he doesn’t beat Ngannou, both the boxing world and everyone who follows MMA will mock him, insisting: “If I lose to an MMA guy I’ll never be able to show my face in public again. It’s going to ridicule me – people will chuck it at me forever.”
During the interview, the now-Netflix documentary star also went on to discuss whether there is any possibility that his match against Oleksandr Usyk could be resurrected.
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Admitting that it isn’t a priority for him right now, Fury said, “If he takes a small percentage we might make it happen. But if he wants a large bag I’m gonna say, ‘No thank you'”, adding, “I think Francis Ngannou is gonna be a tougher challenge than these other guys. These other guys are just boxers, this guy’s more than that.”
Do you reckon there’s any chance the 37-year-old striker could get one over on Fury and would you event want to see him try his hand at UFC?
Manchester City have announced a special away day fan zone for festive fixture
Danny Jones
In a real added bonus for away fans making the roughly two-hour journey to their only fixture over the festive period, travelling Man City supporters are being treated to a dedicated away-day fan zone for their upcoming game against Nottingham Forest.
Now this is the kind of backing we want to see from big teams.
That’s right, for those visiting Nottingham for the meeting against the fellow Premier League side and one-time European Cup winners, Manchester City will be putting on a special and exclusive fan zone.
Confirmed on Christmas Eve ahead of the match this coming Saturday, 27 December, the club revealed a quick glimpse of the pop-up supporters’ park.
As detailed in the announcement, the public events space known as ‘The Nest’ will be open exclusively to away-ticket holders heading to the City Ground.
Perfect for a quick pit-stop before and after the clash, the venue is one of the closest you’ll find to the stadium itself and, better still, is located roughly just a 10-minute walk away from the railway station.
There will be a huge bar offering a wide selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, plus plenty of street food to enjoy. Here’s hoping the players don’t indulge in too many of those this Christmas, especially following Pep Guardiola’s ‘fatty’ comments.
They kick off at 12:30pm, but will everyone make the weight?…
Once again, Man City have advertised this as an away-day ticket-holder-only event, so we would probably call ahead and double-check if you’re a Blue who just so happens to live/be in the area and want to go along.
It also goes without saying that this will serve as an ideal and presumably trouble-free place to celebrate after the result, as it’s a strictly sky-blue event and we’d wager the title contenders and serial trophy winners to come out on top.
So, if you needed any extra assurance that making the approximately 81-mile trip to Nottingham, we’d say potentially going top at Christmas and cheersing a few pints with your mates on a would-be concourse designed just for you is plenty of added motivation.
As for those of you staying firmly in Greater Manchester this holiday season, there’s no reason you can’t still have a little away day of your own:
Featured Images — Manchester City (via X)/The Manc Group
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Manchester City youngster Claudio Echeverri set for another loan spell
Danny Jones
Manchester City youngster Claudio Echeverri is set for another loan deal this January following a disappointing time in Germany.
The South American youth product has spent the first half of this season out on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, but has struggled not only to make an impact but even to enjoy any real steady playing time.
Following reports earlier this month by The Athletic‘s Seb Stafford-Bloor that announced Echeverri’s loan would return to his Man City, it appears as though all parties concerned haven’t exactly gotten what they want out of the deal.
With that in mind, not only has his short-term agreement been cut short, but Echeverri is now set to join another City Football Group (CFG) club on a temporary contract, where he can crucially be assured more regular minutes.
As confirmed by the ever ubiquitous transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano, Claudio Echeverri is now set to join Girona temporarily from the Premier League side.
Romano writes that “the Argentinian talent leaves Bayer Leverkusen after loan deal interrupted — as Echeverri was not playing.”
Stating that the 19-year-old will officially become a Girona FC player from 1 January onwards, he will no doubt provide some much-needed offensive firepower for the struggling Spanish side, with the Catalan club currently lingering in the La Liga relegation zone.
Following a somewhat reverse pattern of fellow forward, Savinho (who was signed by the French CFG franchise arm, Troyes, before being loaned to Girona and eventually bought by Man City), the attack-minded player remains a highly-rated youth prospect but has yet to fully announce himself.
He scored the first goal for his parent club back in June; it’s fair to say it was a bit of a corker…
Fast forward to now, though, and Echeverri will spend at least until next June representing Girona – no doubt dropping straight into the starting lineup as soon as possible.
At the moment, there is no suggestion of any permanent clause included in the agreement, but either way, ‘El Diablito’ is still a CFG asset, at the end of the day.
With that in mind, we’re sure they’ll move him around the sporting network however they see fit in search of a breakout spell.
Do you think it’s a good move for the young starlet, or would you like to see him back in Manchester, fighting his way into matchday squads?
Danny Jones -
9th September 2023 
