Francis Ngannou spoke this Monday of very serious discussions with Deontay Wilder for an MMA fight.
Ngannou said Monday there have been talks of a potential fight against Wilder, but in an MMA cage. Wilder, a former WBC heavyweight champion and one of the most popular names in boxing, has shown interest in fighting in MMA, according to Ngannou.
“That has been in the discussion,” Ngannou told Ariel Helwani on Monday. “That’s something that can potentially happen. Deontay Wilder for a couple of months, or a little while, has been training MMA because there’s an option here. Nothing is set, but some things have been coming to my attention, so that’s something that makes sense.
After his split decision defeat against Tyson Fury on October 28, Francis Ngannou announced that he intended to alternate between MMA and boxing. The Cameroonian who made a strong impression against the ‘Gypsy King’ is now considered a boxer in his own right. As proof, he even entered the top 10 of the WBC rankings.
The next boxer on the Predator roster could well be Deontay Wilder. A fight between the two biggest strike powers in the world of combat sports would delight more than one fan. But according to Francis Ngannou, this fight would not necessarily take place in English boxing:
“A fight against Deontay Wilder in MMA is very interesting. We also discussed it. It’s potentially going to happen. He has been training in MMA for months. » (Francis Ngannou, via MMA Hour).
Ngannou seeks his next opponent Deontay Wilder has therefore been training in MMA for several months now. After picking up the boxers on their land, Ngannou would bring them to his. Francis Ngannou already seems to be looking for his next opponent. In addition to Deontay Wilder, the former UFC heavyweight champion said he is still ready to face Jon Jones. ‘Bones‘ is unfortunately currently injured.
However, Francis Ngannou is even ready to fight for the 3rd time against Stipe Miocic while awaiting the return of the heavyweight champion. All this obviously while being under contract with the PFL and not the UFC. Francis Ngannou remains above all an MMA fighter, it is naturally in his discipline that he seeks his future prey.
Wilder has not fought in MMA. His most recent boxing match was a knockout of Robert Helenius in October 2022. Prior to that, he had back-to-back losses to Fury in championship fights.
