Midnight Mania: Francis In One? ‘Contract Pending …’

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

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One of the bigger stories in the first half of 2023 remains where Francis…


UFC 270: Ngannou v Gane
Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

One of the bigger stories in the first half of 2023 remains where Francis Ngannou will end up since departing UFC for greener pastures. In recent interviews, Ngannou has repeatedly mentioned that his plan is to box first — with the most likely candidate being Deontay Wilder at the moment — and then return to the cage. The two likely landing spots are Professional Fighter’s League and One Championship.

Now, there may be a hint that he’s landing in Singapore on Amazon Prime. John Hutchinson is the boxing coach at Tiger Muay Thai, and he works with One champion Anatoly Malykhin (12-0). The vicious knockout artist is favored to unify the Heavyweight crown opposite Arjan Bhullar in the summer, and afterward, Hutchinson believes he’ll face “The Predator.”

Contract pending.

“When that little soft bum Arjan comes out of hiding,” Hutchinson wrote. “We promise it will be over very fast in a powerful blink of a eye. Making room faster than ever for the real fight to happen. @Francisngannou you should of stayed where your at when you had the chance. Your about to face the biggest challenge @anmalykhin … Contract pending let’s see who’s the undisputed king is …”

Despite claims that Ngannou made a terrible mistake in leaving UFC, it seems as if he may be closing to lining up multiple high-profile fights. Perhaps his fight purse requests weren’t so unreasonable after all!

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.