Francis Ngannou Teases MMA Fight With Boxing Star Deontay Wilder

Could another crossover fight between MMA and boxing be on the horizon?

Following his pro boxing debut opposite Tyson Fury last Saturday, Francis Ngannou has revealed that Deontay Wilder is strongly considering making the jump over to MMA. 

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Last Saturday’s heavyweight matchup between Fury and Ngannou saw “The Gypsy King” enter the ring in Saudi Arabia as a massive favorite. Most fans assumed Ngannou would need to land a big shot in order to score an upset, but the 37-year-old ended up putting on an incredible performance and even managed to win the fight on one of the three scorecards. That judge's score total was overruled by the two other judges, however.

An appearance on The MMA Hour the week after the fight saw Ariel Helwani propose a matchup between Ngannou and Wilder in MMA, which prompted the former UFC heavyweight champion to share some intriguing information. 

Ngannou nearly upset Fury in his boxing debut.  :: (Fayez Nureldine/AFP)

“I think that’s a good idea,” Ngannou answered. “In fact, we have spoken about that. In fact, that has been in the discussion…So that’s something that can potentially happen. Deontay Wilder for a couple months – for a little while now – [has] been training MMA…Nothing is set, but it’s been something [that’s] coming to my ear, to my attention. So that’s something that makes sense.”

Fans can be forgiven for being skeptical about Ngannou’s claim considering that it's been a far more common trend for MMA fighters to test themselves in boxing than it is for boxers to step into the cage. 

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“The Predator” couldn’t make any promises, but he does seem to think that Wilder is serious about trying his hand at MMA and would need to prepare for a similar challenge to the one Ngannou faced against Fury in Saudi Arabia.

Wilder got back into the win column in his last fight.  :: (Angela Weiss/AFP)

“He’s really serious about the MMA. I know a lot of people talk 'Oh, I'm gonna do this in boxing and do that in MMA.’ But I think Deontay Wilder is very interested in MMA. Even just to step in the Octagon for MMA and MMA only. But, again, it’s gonna be hard. It’s gonna be a different beast for him. And like this time that I was the one experiencing the mountain – climbing the mountain – he’s gonna be the one climbing the mountain.”

“The Bronze Bomber” is a former WBC heavyweight champion and fought to a draw with Fury in 2018 before he was stopped in their next two meetings. Wilder got back into the win column in October of last year when he brutally knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round. 

The idea of Wilder potentially facing the former UFC heavyweight champion in an MMA bout should certainly get the combat sports world talking after the incredible performance Ngannou put on last weekend, and surely the PFL would love to book that matchup with “The Predator” set to make his debut for the promotion some time next year.

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