Francis Ngannou reacts to Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, UFC ref provides health update, Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder falls through: MMA News Roundup

Welcome to Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC news updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.

In today's issue, we will discuss Francis Ngannou's reaction to the Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk bout, and MMA referee Mike Beltran provides an update after a health scare. Also, boxing fans react to news that Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder has fallen through.

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#3. Francis Ngannou reacts to Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk announcement

Francis Ngannou has dismissed the possibility of Tyson Fury facing Oleksandr Usyk.

Ngannou and Fury are set to meet in the ring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 28. The bout marks 'The Predator's' boxing debut, and while Fury's heavyweight titles won't be on the line, the winner will be handed a 'Riyadh Champion' belt.

In a surprising twist, however, Fury confirmed this week that he is also set to face Usyk. The bout has been announced for either December or January and will also take place in Saudi Arabia.

Following the announcement, Francis Ngannou took to X (formerly Twitter) to question Tyson Fury's decision. According to Ngannou, Fury is unlikely to be able to make such a quick turnaround between fights, especially after facing him.

The former UFC heavyweight champion wrote:

"I don't know what's the minimum medical suspension in boxing but I really don't understand how Tyson can fight in December after what's going to happen on 10/28 #FuryNgannou"

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#2. UFC referee Mike Beltran delivers health update after he returns to work

UFC referee Mike Beltran has penned an emotional message to his fans after he made a return to officiating, following a lengthy layoff.

Beltran has been suffering from diverticulitis, which has taken a major toll on him physically. He was forced to take some time away from the sport to recover and has since taken to Instagram following his return to work. He wrote:

"After a full year of being out of the cage and recovering from my surgery for diverticulitis, last night was my first show back. A lot of therapy, working out slowly to build myself up again and refusing to be average was my mindset. There was good days and a lot of days in the beginning, but I took it one day at a time."

Check out the full post here:

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#1. Fans react after news Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder has been canceled

The highly anticipated clash between heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder has been put on hold.

In a report by BBC Sport, the bout originally set for January 2024 in Saudi Arabia has been canceled after a contract dispute between the two camps.

Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, did go on record to state that the plan is still to make the fight happen in 2024 at a later date.

Fans have been reacting to the news, with many expressing their disappointment that the fight has fallen through. The general consensus from fans is that greed has played a major factor. One fan wrote:

"Awful sport now. Completely ruined by greed, going to start watching WWE again. 😂"

Another fan admitted that they're likely to tune into UFC more than boxing now:

"Think everyone stopped caring about boxing. UFC fighters just have top-quality scraps every week, and boxing, you get this."

Check out more reactions here.