Fedor Emelianenko isn’t afraid of Francis Ngannou.
That isn’t necessarily surprising, but it also doesn’t mean a fight should be made between the two. The legendary Heavyweight, Emelianenko, retired (for the last time) after his last fight, a first round technical knockout loss in his rematch with Ryan Bader at Bellator 290 in February 2023 (watch highlights). The 47-year-old has since expressed interest in boxing with fellow legends like Mike Tyson, who helped Ngannou prepare for his recent professional boxing debut.
Ngannou, 37, lost his first boxing match against Tyson Fury via a split decision this past October 2023 (watch highlights). The effort was much better than anyone anticipated and “The Predator” nearly put away the all-time great boxer in the early going of the action. An Emelianenko match certainly isn’t one anyone has thought of in 2024, but “The Last Emperor” has thrown his name in the hat.
“I can fight MMA guys, too,” Emelianenko told Ushatayka_tm (h/t Red Corner MMA). “I’d like to fight Francis Ngannou. I want to box him. I can’t do MMA anymore, but I’d like to box him.
“I saw that fight [vs. Fury],” he concluded. “Maybe it’s not overconfidence but it’d be interesting to fight him. It’s not that [I’m fearless].”
Emelianenko’s last win came in his home of Russia when he scored a first round knockout over Tim Johnson (watch highlights). Sandwiching Ngannou’s Fury loss is his last MMA fight, a unanimous decision win against Ciryl Gane in January 2022, and his upcoming sophomore boxing match vs. Anthony Joshua on March 8, 2024.
Ngannou is still expected to return to caged combat in 2024, which would come under Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) banner.