Since leaving the UFC, Francis Ngannou may have expressed a strong desire to pursue a career in boxing, but as someone who has mixed martial arts in his veins, he will always feel the temptation to return to his former domain of combat sports.
In order to launch his professional boxing career, Francis “The Preador” Ngannou is very close to finalizing a deal with Deontay Wilder. Both the former WBC champion and the former UFC heavyweight champion have expressed an interest in fighting each other in near future.
Francis Ngannou veut faire ses débuts en boxe et a évoqué 2 noms 👀 pic.twitter.com/AY3VeubG5V
— CULTURE MMA (@CultureMMA_) March 12, 2023
Francis, who parted ways with the UFC in early January after failing to reach an agreement with the organization’s president, has shared some of his future plans, including a desire to give professional boxing a shot. The Predator had planned to face off against Tyson Fury in the beginning, but according to his head coach, they are now considering taking on the American heavyweight instead.
Who will Francis Ngannou fight next?
The Cameroonian-French fighter wants to make his debut in the ring very soon. Hence he has listed a few boxers as potential opponents. Andy Ruiz and Anthony Joshua are two of the names on the list of his potential ring opponents, but Deontay Wilder seems to be the most likely candidate right now. In a recent interview that took place in Riyadh, “The Bronze Bomber” discussed his strong interest in striking a two-fight contract with The Predator.
Deontay Wilder challenges Francis Ngannou to go back-to-back in boxing and MMA 😳
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— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) February 9, 2023
“I’m considering everybody [as an opponent]. I talked to [promoter] Eddie Hearn about Anthony Joshua, I don’t know what’s going to happen. The most that we have spoken with is Deontay Wilder’s team. We’ve been having some exchanges, basically coming to some sort of verbal agreement.” said Francis.
Will Francis compete in mixed martial arts again?
Since there is a proverb that goes, “never say never,” Francis appears to be a firm believer in the adage as he is not ready to bid farewell to his MMA empire just yet. One of the most scary fighters in MMA history spent seven years competing in the UFC. He competed in 14 fights inside the octagon for the UFC, winning 12 and losing only 2.
Francis Ngannou Confirms Talks With Deontay Wilder, Says ‘Next Step' In His Career 'Has To Be Boxing’ https://t.co/JwBsmmHaiB pic.twitter.com/hMNQtTUj0x
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) March 12, 2023
The French heavyweight disclosed his intentions in returning to mixed martial arts in a recent interview that aired on ESPN on Friday. However, according to him his next step has to be boxing only.
”I want to do one boxing match first, and then maybe go back to MMA because I still enjoy MMA. I want to do a couple of fights in boxing. We are working on some stuff and hopefully in a month or two, I will be able to come out with an announcement on potential fight dates and locations. It’s taking a little longer than I expected but it’s coming along. Big things come with time.” said Francis.
Francis Ngannou wishes he could face Jon Jones but knows that fight ‘probably will never happen’
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— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) March 6, 2023
In the past, when Ngannou competed in mixed martial arts (MMA), he was victorious in fights against top heavyweights in the UFC such as Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, Ciryl Gane, Curtis Blaydes, Junior dos Santos, and Alistair Overeem.
In what degree of certainty do you believe that The Predator will similarly triumph in the boxing ring?
