MMA: Ngannou v Wilder showdown on the cards?
Francis Ngannou could face Deontay Wilder in a mixed-rules fight. The two men are in talks.
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He is now the man every heavyweight wants to fight. Despite his controversial split-decision defeat by Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou came out of that long-awaited clash with the British world champion as the real winner in the eyes of the wider public. So much so that the Cameroonian is being courted from all sides, notably by promoters and managers who want to see their man take on the Predator for maximum exposure. While Anthony Joshua's manager has already made overtures along those lines, Ngannou seems to have other goals in mind. Still tied to the MMA organisation PFL, he is expected to return to the octagon first.
Read more: Boxing: towards a Ngannou v Joshua fight?
But not against just any opponent. Given the excitement, and above all the profits generated by the Fury fight, another unconventional bout could take place. And this time, it is a boxing champion who could move from the ring to the cage. Asked about his future, Francis Ngannou said he is in talks with Deontay Wilder. Speaking on the widely followed programme The MMA Hour, the former UFC champion said that "discussions have been opened" with Wilder's camp. "It's something that could potentially happen. Nothing is official yet, but it's an idea that interests me and makes sense, since he seems really serious about MMA," Ngannou added, confirming that Wilder has indeed been training in MMA for a while.
PFL boss in favour of a mixed-rules fight
A fight that is bound to generate plenty of excitement. Even though he has not fought for more than a year, his last win coming in 2022, the American still has considerable appeal after his heavyweight world title reign and his two fights with Tyson Fury, which turned into a real war. The prospect of seeing him switch to MMA to face Ngannou is already making PFL boss Donn Davis salivate. "I think there are two options open to him: a boxing match and an MMA fight that is slightly different, which could be done with mixed rules," he said, already confirming his enthusiasm.
All the more so as the two men have already traded barbs on social media. Wilder even went as far as proposing a fight to Ngannou. It was to take place in two parts: first in MMA, then in boxing. Could that lead to a single fight under mixed rules? The idea has clearly already gained traction, and all that is missing is agreement from both men for the event to be organised. Unless, before then, the Predator receives even more tempting offers.