This Saturday (Oct. 28, 2023), former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight kingpin, Francis Ngannou, will cross into the boxing ring against pugilistic legend, Tyson Fury — boxing’s lineal Heavyweight champion — in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It’s a “Battle of the Baddest!”
I won’t pretend to know what Ngannou will look like when laced up in big gloves. Anyone outside of his camp acting like they know how “The Predator” intends to fight (like this guy) is making things up. Short of a few carefully selected social media clips, there hasn’t been much to analyze in regard to Ngannou’s boxing development in the ring. Fortunately, we do have his entire mixed martial arts (MMA) career to look back upon. Ngannou didn’t often box in the traditional sense in the cage, but he knocked out a busload of big names in the process.
Let’s review the skills Ngannou showed in his time as one of the best Heavyweight MMA fighters ever:
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Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Boxing
It’s somewhat ironic that reviewing Ngannou’s fight footage is our only hope to understand his boxing, because Ngannou hits so ungodly hard that it’s historically been tough to get a read on his skills anyway. From 2018-2020, his four fights lasted a mere 2.5 minutes and produced four knockouts — not a lot to learn! Then, his knee was shredded prior to the starting bell versus Ciryl Gane, so really, his six minutes in the cage against Stipe Miocic remains the best display in recent years of his form.
Firstly, however, there is a unique element to fighting Ngannou. Opponents fight very aware of his power and size, and it forces mistakes. Experienced fighters like Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos uncharacteristically lunged into the pocket, and Ngannou knocked them out because of it. “JDS,” in particular, was so out of position from his own offense that he was forced to turn his back (GIF).
I wouldn’t expect Tyson Fury to look quite so uncomfortable, but it’s certainly possible that Ngannou’s power disrupts his calm as well.
Patience and power rarely go together. It’s so common, particularly at Heavyweight, for hard-hitting fighters to rush things in the hopes of heading home early. Ngannou is unique in that he’s usually willing to wait for his moment.
Perhaps the biggest improvement to Ngannou’s striking game between title shots is his ability to lead. In the first round of the rematch, Miocic refused to lead. He hung back and threw low kicks, waiting for his opportunity to shoot. Rather than rush forward and give his opponent entry to the hips, Ngannou played it technical.
Early on, Ngannou worked to draw his foe’s eyes low. He jabbed to the body and dug a couple crosses to the torso. Then, the payoff came in the form of a jab high, jab low, crushing overhand combo. Typically, more of Ngannou’s distance damage is done by kicks, so he’ll need more of that active jab in this contest.
Miocic took some real damage in the first, and his takedown openings weren’t there. Suddenly, he had to step into the fire to have a chance at victory, but Ngannou’s check hooks were waiting for him. Finally, Ngannou began the end with a slick 2-1 combo, really loading up on the jab to land it with power on the jawline. The bout ended when Ngannou pulled back with a check hook, landed perfectly, and put Miocic down for good.
Historically, that’s Ngannou’s greatest skill. When he can convince opponents to try to attack him, he’s brutally effective. Depending on the distance, Ngannou will take a slight step back and lean back or just lean. Either way, Ngannou’s reach advantage means that often his opponent will come up short. Plus, his opponent is often lunging forward head-first, leaving him in poor position to absorb the ensuing counter shots.
After leaning away, Ngannou returns fire immediately, typically with hooks or uppercuts. It doesn’t matter if Ngannou throws left-right or vice versa; it’s all deadly. A lot of fighters try to duck off after lunging, which is why Ngannou connects with his uppercut counter so often.
Another common opening for the uppercut arises when Ngannou’s foe ducks away from his cross, which may not be as famous but still lands with huge power. As they dip their head away — usually in desperation rather than a slip or roll — Ngannou can easily follow up with his favorite strike.
Conclusion
Ngannou’s most recent technical developments have been improved kicking and better takedown offense — useless in this boxing match against Fury. Hopefully, Ngannou’s work with Mike Tyson will produce a more active jab and better body punching, which will certainly be necessary if he hopes to walk Fury into one of his signature counter swings.
Andrew Richardson, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, is a professional fighter who trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. In addition to learning alongside world-class talent, Andrew has scouted opponents and developed winning strategies for several of the sport’s most elite fighters.