South Tv

JAKE PAUL felt dwarfed after facing off the gigantic duo of Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira.

Ngannou makes his MMA return on Saturday in Saudi Arabia against 6ft 8in Brazilian Ferreira.

And two months ago, Paul was tasked with getting in between the two humongous men to square them off.

It marks Ngannou’s first fight back in MMA in over two years following a stint in the boxing ring.

And Paul believes the former UFC champion and now Professional Fighters League star return to the cage with a vengeance.

He said after facing the two off: “Battle of the Giants is very, very real. These men are actual giants.

“And if they were to have started fighting, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. But, I was there, I was doing my best.

“I had some form, but they’re very strong… I just think Francis just has so much to prove here that he’s going to rise to the occasion.

“With a taller man and as strong as Francis is with his solid base I just think he’s going to be able to clip Ferreira at some point.”

Ngannou, 38, put his MMA career on hold to cross over to the boxing ring to first face Tyson Fury, 36.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

And he sensationally dropped the former world heavyweight champ before losing a controversial split-decision.

Ngannou then faced Anthony Joshua, 34, in March but was brutally knocked out in two rounds.

A month later, he endured personal heartbreak when his 15-month-old son Kobe tragically died.

His fight with Ferreira, 34, not only marks his first with the PFL but also since he lost his baby boy and decided against retirement.

Ngannou said: “I didn’t want to do anything but I just realised it was just my pain speaking. My rationality would not allow things like that.

“And also for the reason why I was deciding to retire wasn’t the best reason.

“I think I should use it as motivation and make something beautiful out of it.”

LARISSA PACHECO was once living in a shared house with ten others and mowing lawns to make ends meet.

Now, she is one of the highest-paid female fighters in the world with $2million in the bank.

@lpaccheco

Larissa Pacheco is one of the highest-paid female fighters[/caption]

@lpaccheco

She has over $2m in the bank[/caption]

Pacheco has won the $1m winner-take-all Professional Fighters League’s season twice over to sky rocket her wealth.

But she still remembers growing up poor in Belem, the North of Brazil, doing anything she could to get by.

Pacheco, 30, said: “It was tough, we lived in a wooden house, ten people in there.

“Eventually I moved out, asking for favours, hopping from house to house never owning anything but there was always love and that’s what really mattered.

“I remember houses we lived in were on top of a hole, there was not even a place for us to go to the bathroom, sanitation wasn’t even a thing. So we made it through.”

Pacheco began training in Muay Thai aged 15 in a bid to earn a living through fighting – meanwhile working any and all jobs in between.

She said: “I started working at the local market at a very young age helping my family.

“I used to wake up a 4am and help us set up. From there I’d train 10-12 and after training it was a free-for-all. Whatever was available.

“Whatever I could do to bring some additional income in I would. If it was mowing lawns, I would do that, if it was helping someone move in or move out, I’d do that too.

“Carrying stuff, sowing, anything that could give me a couple of extra bucks.”

Pacheco made her pro MMA debut in 2012 and amassed an unbeaten record in Brazil before signing for the UFC.

But her life changed after signing for the PFL, where won consecutive $1m cheques in the featherweight and lightweight divisions.

Although after becoming a millionaire, long-lost family and friends began reaching out to reconnect.

She laughed: “You had all sorts of cousins, long-lost friends from childhood, family members I’d never even heard of!

“But let’s just say all those calls ended up going to voicemail.”

Pacheco now returns on Saturday in Saudi Arabia against MMA legend Cris Cyborg, 39.

GEORGIA Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart could be disciplined after an unusual incident.

The sequence occurred during Georgia‘s 41-31 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs over the weekend.

ESPN

ESPN

During the fourth quarter, Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. ran the ball for six yards and ran out of bounds on the Georgia sideline.

After the play, ESPN’s cameras showed that Smart was yelling at the side judge.

As Van Buren looked to head back to the field, Smart took off his visor and pushed the signal-caller, who stayed on his feet.

The play took place with a little less than three minutes left in the contest.

Smart wasn’t penalized for the sequence despite a referee being near him, reacting to the contact, and separating the head coach and player.

After the game, Smart was asked about the incident.

The coach said he was trying to get the attention of UGA defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and didn’t remember pushing Van Buren Jr.

“I think I was going after Schumann,” Smart said, per CBS Sports.

“I was trying to get Schumann’s attention.

“We were trying to change personnel.

“I think it’s the play they came over to our sideline and trying to get Schumman’s attention.

“But, no, I don’t really remember it.”

The fourth quarter play came while Mississippi State mounted a rally to get them back into the game against Georgia.

Van Buren threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns and connected with Kelly Akharaiyi for a 35-yard pass late in the fourth quarter to cut the game within 10 points.

Getty

Smart looking on before a 2023 game[/caption]

Georgia persevered at the end as quarterback Carson Beck threw for a career-high 459 yards in the victory.

Fans have pleaded for Smart to be suspended due to the incident, with one on social media writing, “What’s this about..? The SEC should suspend Kirby Smart!”

Still, it’s unlikely that Smart will be punished after the incident.

But if Smart were to be suspended for next week’s game, it would happen in the matchup of the week as No. 5 Georgia plays the No. 1 Texas Longhorns.

“I’m not really sure what that was but I was just trying to play my game. I didn’t really see it for real,” Van Buren said about the incident with Smart after the contest.

Georgia is currently 5-1 overall on the season and 3-1 in SEC play.

The permit is valid until mid-February 2025 and the city says in a statement the operation will be carried out by a professional company using air rifles.

The Jets have enjoyed a perfect start to the campaign.

Police say they found a dead woman in an apartment near Quinpool Road while conducting a well-being check. The medical examiner ruled that the victim's death was a homicide.

The King will land in Australia later this week for his first trip as the nation’s head of state.

A video has spread on social media appearing to show a Ravens fan brutally attacking two Commanders fans in Baltimore.

There were more than 8,000 incidents of people reporting issues with Facebook and over 4,000 reports of issues with Instagram as of 1:44 p.m. Eastern time.

The suspect, who has not been publicly named, reportedly is the younger brother of Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who was charged Oct. 8 with conspiring to commit a mass shooting in Oklahoma City.