UFC color commentator Joe Rogan spoke about Francis Ngannou’s options in boxing.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou hasn’t competed since his match with Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022. He persevered despite suffering a severe knee injury during camp to win the match and finish out his contract..
Due to difficulty in negotiating a new contract, Ngannou engaged in a long feud with the UFC and its CEO Dana White. Both sides’ inability to come to a compromise led to Ngannou deciding to leave the UFC in search of a crossover boxing match.
In his podcast, Joe Rogan recently discussed Francis Ngannou’s probable prospects in boxing after his departure from the UFC.
Rogan said, “What if he knocks out Dillian Whyte? What if they set him up with some elite boxer, not Tyson Fury, and he goes and wins that fight?”
“You gotta remember, Ngannou is 265 pounds ripped natural with canned hams for fists. He’s a specimen and the power is extraordinary. If he’s just punching and not worrying about takedowns, if one of those land… Look at Wilder, the greatest knockout artist ever.”
“Wilder vs. Ngannou would be crazy. How about that fight?”
Ngannou has received a lot of attention about a match inside the boxing ring against Tyson Fury, the two-time world heavyweight champion. But according to current circumstances, Fury’s next matchup would probably be against world champion Oleksandr Usyk. Rogan thinks Ngannou will be the ideal opponent for Fury after his bout with Usyk.
“If Fury does beat Usyk, it’s still possible unless Ngannou decides to take a big money boxing fight before that, which I don’t blame him for doing. But goddamn it, if he beats Usyk, that’s really the only compelling interesting thing for him in that division. What else would be compelling?”
Francis Ngannou is one of the most sought-after free agents and is being courted by several MMA and boxing promoters. Both Bellator MMA and other boxing promoters like Oscar De La Hoya indicated an interest in signing the heavyweight.