Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, has addressed recent comments made by MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. While acknowledging Emelianenko’s status as an all-time great, Ngannou made it clear his immediate focus lies elsewhere.
“A lot of people have been calling me out lately,” Ngannou stated. “I mean, Fedor Emelianenko is a fighter that I truly respect. I think he has his face on the ‘MMA Mt Rushmore’. But as for right now, my focus is on Renan Ferreira. If you talk about MMA, my focus is on him.”
When asked about the possibility of facing the fearsome Cameroonian knockout artist, Fedor responded bluntly “Yes, I would like to fight with him.” He doubled down stating “I am a fighter, yes. I am still in the process of training, so I would like to fight. I am interested.”
Ngannou is set to make his Professional Fighters League debut on October 19 against Brazilian heavyweight Renan Ferreira. The bout, dubbed the “Battle of the Giants,” marks Ngannou’s return to MMA after a series of high-profile boxing matches.
The Cameroonian fighter’s PFL contract is reportedly worth $18.5 million, signaling the organization’s commitment to attracting top talent. Ngannou expressed excitement about his return to the cage, saying, “I’m very excited to get back. I miss the cage, it’s been over two years, almost three years.”
While Ngannou’s immediate future lies in MMA, he hasn’t ruled out potential boxing matchups. When asked about rising heavyweight boxing star Daniel Dubois, Ngannou acknowledged the challenge such a bout would present.
“Dubois is a very tough opponent,” Ngannou said. “I think for years they’ve been talking about him like an upcoming guy in the heavyweight division. His last fight [against Joshua], he proved it. So yes, it would be a tough fight, a very tough fight.”
As for his upcoming PFL debut, Ngannou sent a stern warning to his opponent. “What I will say is that he [Ferreira] knows that he has a different beast in front of him – nothing he has ever faced,” Ngannou declared. “I hope he knows that because if not, he’s going to find out in not a nice way.”
