Ngannou Accuses Joshua And Fury Of Dodging Him In MMA
Francis Ngannou has accused Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury of ducking him in MMA.
Ngannou has boxed both, as he suffered defeats in those fights. However, he did cover himself well on his boxing debut. He pushed Fury all the way but came up short in a split-decision loss. He dropped Fury in the third round, which was the highlight of the fight. There was also some controversy, with some feeling that Ngannou had done enough to win. The performance earned Ngannou a top ten WBC ranking, as secured the Joshua fight.
The Joshua fight was far less competitive. Joshua knocked out Ngannou in the second round. Fury had teased that he would stop Ngannou in an MMA fight. The fight never got made, with Ngannou making it clear at the Joshua presser that he could beat Fury ‘twice on a Sunday’ in MMA. As for Joshua, he has not shown any signs of wanting an MMA bout. But Ngannou made it clear that none of them would face him in MMA.
Ngannou Reacts
“They don’t want that smoke. Nobody wants that, and I wouldn’t want it either. I don’t blame them. There is a lot of elements in MMA that’s way complicated for boxers to crossover than for MMA fighters to crossover to boxing. I need to see them do some practice. Maybe one of them have the wrestling skill. You don’t of the grappling skill. We need to see,” Ngannou said
Ngannou will fight Renan Ferreira on his PFL debut on October 19. The Predator has his first MMA fight since stopping Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in 2022. A win makes him the best in the PFL heavyweight division since Renan was last year’s champion. Renan also defeated Ryan Bayder on the PFL vs. Bellator Champs card. While a fight with Jon Jones is unlikely, a Ngannou win will increase the calls for that to get made. Alternatively, Ngannou may box again.
Ngannou Vs. Wilder
He spoke about his desire to fight Deontay Wilder. Wilder and Ngannou were linked with a two fight deal in boxing and MMA. It never happened, but Wilder’s recent form has suggested an Ngannou fight could happen. Wilder has lost two in a row, losing to Joseph Parker and getting knocked out by Zhilei Zhang. Since Wilder is no closer to a title shot while also at the latter end of his career, an Ngannou fight would generate one big final payday that depends on whether the Saudis get behind it.
“Absolutely. I would love that fight. Pure boxing, don’t be delusional here. That’s where we both stand a chance. But if we go to MMA, only one man will stand a chance. It’s a fight that I want; I have always wanted the fight. At some point, we had a discussion that didn’t go too far. But we wanted to make this fight happen. “I have the rematch with Fury and Deontay Wilder on the wish list,” Ngannou stated
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