UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Nganou is recovering from a knee surgery at the moment. The champion is locked in an intense contract battle with the UFC. Many other athletes are waiting to see how Ngannou’s free agency pans out before deciding if they want to get on the bad side of the premier promotion.
With plenty of free time, Ngannou got to address some frequently talked about scenarios. Notably what it would look like if Ngannou were to meet Tyson Fury inside of a cage as opposed to the boxing ring.
Fury announced his intention to retire following his next boxing match. The Gypsy king appears to want to follow in the steps of Floyd Mayweather and have a lucrative exhibition following his retirement this perhaps explains his interest in booking a match with Francis Ngannou.
Recently, Ngannou made an estimate how a mixed martial arts bout between the two would play out.
“I don’t really care about what it will be, I just think it would be a fight against Tyson Fury,” Ngannou said on his YouTube channel regarding the potential boxing match.
“It can be in a phone booth or wherever but that fight will happen. Obviously, he would not come to MMA, he would get killed. Basically in the heavyweight division, if you see people getting in the octagon or in the ring that weighs around 270lbs, everybody can knock everybody, out that’s a fact.”
“Also it is not easy to knock somebody out, it is not easy to find somebody and land on them cleanly so it could also go to a decision. We have seen this a fair bit over time so this is also possible.”
Ngannou is likely to be sidelined for roughly 9 months. In addition to that any negotiation he does has to be done after his contract with the UFC is over meaning unlikely prior to December of this year.
The ‘Gypsy King’ will defend his heavyweight crown in a boxing match against Dillian Whyte on April 23.
That timing works because the MMA champion is currently recovering from knee surgery.
“It could be five or six months until I am back,” Ngannou said regarding his injury. “It will all depend on the surgery and reconstruction to see how it went. I also need time to figure out my contract situation and wherever I am going right now because the UFC and I have to talk business but this time with consideration as they have to take me seriously.”
“I feel very relieved from the pressure and stress, and now I am going to take time to get myself healthy and by the end of the year I will know what the future holds for me.”