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A former UFC middleweight champion recently delved into the motivations driving Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk ahead of their highly anticipated matchup.
Fury and Usyk are scheduled to clash in a 12-round contest for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Despite the world titles at stake for both elite boxers, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes that there are unique factors propelling Fury and Usyk for the fight.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, 'The Count' said:
"They've both got silk sheets, and they've both made ridiculous amounts of money. Tyson Fury is a ridiculously wealthy man, and he got paid a fortune for the Ngannou [fight]. Money is not a motivating factor, right? So why is he doing this? It's ego. As fighters, we all operate on ego, we need that ego to reach this kind of level."
He added:
"But the motivation for Usyk is very different. I'm sure he's got a nice bit of money, not compared to Tyson, but he's still a very wealthy man. But for his motivation, as he talked about before, there's no fashion in what he's wearing; he's doing it to represent his people, and that's what he's doing when he goes out to Saudi Arabia."
Check out Michael Bisping's comments below (2:20):
The upcoming bout will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion in over two decades. 'The Gypsy King' currently holds the WBC title, while the 37-year-old Ukrainian reigns as the WBA, WBO and IBF champion.
Francis Ngannou shares his pick for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk
Francis Ngannou is familiar with Tyson Fury, having faced him for 30 minutes in the squared circle last October. 'The Predator' scored a knockdown against the WBC heavyweight champion in the third round and came close to causing an upset in his debut boxing match. However, 'The Gypsy King' managed to secure a split-decision victory in what was a closely contested bout.
During a recent interview with Queensberry Promotions, the former UFC heavyweight champion picked Fury to emerge victorious against Oleksandr Usyk on Feb. 17. He said:
"If I’m objective, I will say Tyson Fury. Speaking for myself, I will still say Tyson Fury. Obviously, I’m not counting Usyk out. I know he can win this fight. He has a very good chance, maybe even. But I still go for Tyson, and I still want him to win to see him for that rematch."
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments below:
