He was treated and the disease went into remission before he won the gold as a super heavyweight in Los Angeles in 1984. In 1982, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Olympic team and was a member of the 1980 squad that didn’t compete because the U.S. He was 55.”īlatnick was a high school state champion in suburban Albany in the mid-1970s and was a two-time Division II National champion and three-time Division II All-American at Springfield College in Massachusetts. The UFC released a statement following the news of Blatnick’s passing: “The UFC sends its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of former commentator and judge Jeff Blatnick, who passed away Wednesday after complications following heart surgery. Watch Blatnick win his gold medal and listen to his emotional speech below: In MMA circles he was known for his involvement in the sport, but Blatnick was most well-known for overcoming cancer before winning the Olympic gold medal for Greco-Roman wrestling in 1984. and Canada in his career.īlatnick - who was considered one of the most influential figures in United States collegiate and Olympic wrestling - wrote the Mixed Martial Arts Council Manual and was heavily involved in the development and evolution of MMA. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.The Niskayuna, N.Y., native was a licensed MMA judge, who judged various events throughout the U.S. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality MMA coverage. Instead, he will be competing in specially booked ‘super fights’ on pay-per-view. He is not expected to compete in any of PFL’s million dollar tournament formats. Ngannou is expected to debut for the PFL sometime in 2024. It makes MMA feel real after seeing what Francis Ngannou just did.” Ngannou’s PFL debut “Congratulations to the former UFC heavyweight champion on really setting a new standard for what is out there in the free-agent market. It kind of feels like go play less golf for more money.”Ĭormier then congratulated Ngannou on his contract and said he felt the Cameroonian’s free agency may have ushered in a new era for the sport. As a whole, UFC is where it’s supposed to be, but Francis Ngannou has set a new standard. There are fighters out there that can challenge you out in the world of mixed martial arts. 2005) and frequently served as a UFC commentator. So, to believe Francis Ngannou is going to fight lesser competition is going to be very difficult to prove because it is tough out there. Just over two years later, Couture won his first UFC Heavyweight Title by defeating Maurice Smith on. There are very few people that can move the needle like that for themselves and their opponents.”įrancis Ngannou at UFC 270, where he beat Ciryl Gane. There are guys that would never make a million dollars, but if you step in there with Francis Ngannou, you can make a million dollars. The guy that gets to fight Francis gets a payday that may even equal out to a million dollars. “Francis has a stipulation in his contract, at least it is thought to be, that even his opponents are getting a bump in pay. He used it to try to accomplish something good.”Ĭormier also shared his delight at Ngannou’s contract reportedly guaranteeing that his opponents would have a $2 million payday. Ultimately, that leverage that Francis had was winning that fight in Anaheim and beating Ciryl Gane and walking away with the championship. Any athlete can’t just be like, ‘I’m going to go and do something different because Francis Ngannou did something different.’ They have to have leverage. “The moment he announced that he was gonna be moving on, you knew that the standard and the bar was going to be set by Francis.
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