5 potential opponents for Francis Ngannou's next fight after Tyson Fury defeat
Francis Ngannou had arguably one of the greatest boxing debuts in history despite losing to Tyson Fury as the former UFC champion is now a big player in the heavyweight division.
Ngannou lost a split decision to heavyweight champion Fury in Saudi Arabia last weekend but many fans and pundits scored the fight in favour of the Cameroonian. Fury had already signed a deal to fight Oleksandr Usyk before facing Ngannou, but the decision proved costly as their planned December 23 date has now been delayed because of the damage he sustained in the crossover bout.
The impressive performance Ngannou had against Fury has led to fans theorising how the knockout artist would fair against other top heavyweights. Ngannou could either return to MMA for his next fight or make his second appearance in the ring, so let's look at some potential opponents for him...
1. Tyson Fury
One logical option for Ngannou is a rematch against Fury given the controversial outcome of their fight. This is unlikely to take place because the Brit is contractually obligated to fight Usyk next, with their undisputed fight now expected to take place in February. UFC legend and MMA analyst Dan Hardy has called for a rematch between Fury and Ngannou, but he wants to see it take place in a cage instead of a ring. “If I was daydreaming he would be fighting Tyson Fury in MMA," Hardy told Mirror Fighting. "I would like to see Fury put on the small gloves and step into the smart cage but after potentially not winning a boxing match against him, I don’t think he’s going to give him any other skills that he can use."
Francis Ngannou dropped Tyson Fury in their fight (Getty Images)2. Anthony Joshua
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn is all in on a potential fight with Ngannou, even likening the bout to George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali by billing it as Rumble in the Jungle part two. 'AJ' labelled a potential fight against Ngannou as a "gimmick" earlier this year, but things have changed as Hearn has been in touch with Ngannou's manager Marquel Martin about making the fight. “If Francis Ngannou beats Anthony Joshua, he should fight for the world heavyweight title in two fights. That way you’re getting the credibility. Joshua against Ngannou is absolutely massive. Two giants next to each other and who knows what’s going to happen. Take my money and I will show you what happens when Anthony Joshua fights Francis Ngannou," Hearn said on The MMA Hour.
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3. Deontay Wilder
Former heavyweight champion Wilder was one of the names that Ngannou was originally called out to serve as the opponent for his ring debut. Fans have been calling for a fight between the two knockout artists and Wilder's coach Malik Scott revealed they already spoke with Ngannou's team just days after his loss to Fury. Ngannou claims Wilder has been training MMA in secret for the past few months, opening the door to a potential cage meeting between them. Nothing is set, but it’s been something been coming to my attention, so that’s something that makes sense. He’s really serious about MMA. It’s going to be a different beast for him," Ngannou said.
Who do you want to see Francis Ngannou fight next? Let us know in the comments section below
4. Jon Jones
Ngannou vacated his UFC heavyweight title when he left the promotion at the beginning of the year and Jones won the vacant belt by tapping out Ciryl Gane just three months later. The two are undeniably the best MMA heavyweights on the planet and fans were gutted they didn't get to see a fight between them in the UFC. It's unlikely Jones vs Ngannou can take place unless the UFC co-promote with PFL, something that has never happened before in the promotion's history. Jones signed a lengthy new deal before he won the heavyweight belt, so there is no chance of him following in Ngannou's footsteps by waiting out his contract to try and make the fight happen.
5. Top-10 ranked fighter in WBC
Ngannou's MMA coach Dewey Cooper revealed after the Fury fight that Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the WBC, told him Ngannou will be ranked in the top-10 of the organisation. It means Ngannou will find himself ranked above the likes of Filip Hrgovic and former world title challenger Daniel Dubois. A report from Boxing News has linked Ngannou to a potential fight against either Zhilei Zhang or Joseph Parker on December 23, with the latter being ranked at number 10 by the WBC. Either of the opponents would come as a surprise given Ngannou has been called out by the top dogs of the division.
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