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?
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
9th September 2023 
