Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has revealed that discussions have taken place over a potential megafight with UFC titleholder Francis Ngannou. Talk of a boxing appearance for “The Predator,” who’s held gold inside the …
Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has revealed that discussions have taken place over a potential megafight with UFC titleholder Francis Ngannou. Talk of a boxing appearance for “The Predator,” who’s held gold inside the Octagon since March 2021, has long existed. Having aspired to enter the ring early in his combat sports career, the…
Deontay Wilder talked about training with Francis Ngannou and the idea of facing him inside the ring one day. UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou has been on the sidelines since his last outing against former interim title holder Ciryl Gane in Jan. at UFC 270. “The Predator” went into the bout with a torn MCL and […]
Deontay Wilder talked about training with Francis Ngannou and the idea of facing him inside the ring one day.
UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou has been on the sidelines since his last outing against former interim title holder Ciryl Gane in Jan. at UFC 270. “The Predator” went into the bout with a torn MCL and damaged ACL that he suffered in training. Ngannou unified the heavyweight titles and handed Gane the first professional loss of his career using a surprisingly grappling-heavy gameplan.
Deontay Wilder trained with Francis Ngannou at the UFC Apex
In a video shared by The Mac Life on YouTube, Deontay Wilder shared that he got the chance to get a workout in with Ngannou while training at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Yeah, for sure (I ran into him before),” Wilder said. “He’s been in this area, in this gym before. Me and him training together so all love.”
Wilder is set to mark his return to action against Robert Helenius on Oct. 15 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Coming off two consecutive losses, including his first ever defeat, Wilder will look to get back to winning ways after a year-long hiatus.
Wilder commented on a potential outing with Ngannou
Ngannou has been rallying for a shot at former boxing champion Tyson Fury. However, he needs the green light from the UFC, who are not too keen on the idea. Ngannou is adamant that he will not re-sign with the promotion if they don’t let him box but no concrete developments have come as of yet.
When asked about potentially competing against Ngannou, Wilder did not rule out the possibility.
“Maybe one day who knows the future is bright. Oct. 15 right now is what we are focused on the most. But hey man, a lot of things are in the works for the future.”
After earning the UFC heavyweight title, Francis Ngannou wants to test himself in the boxing ring at some point in his career. “It’s always been down the…
After earning the UFC heavyweight title, Francis Ngannou wants to test himself in the boxing ring at some point in his career. “It’s always been down the…
UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou has revealed another pillar that could stand in the way of a potential contract extension with the UFC.
Not many heavyweight fights have had stakes as high as the upcoming unification title fight between Nga…
UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou has revealed another pillar that could stand in the way of a potential contract extension with the UFC.
Not many heavyweight fights have had stakes as high as the upcoming unification title fight between Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. Without even delving into the Cameroonian’s contractual status, an enticing backstory has always existed: ‘Coach Fernand Lopez brings a new threat to take down his former student-turned-foe…’
Ngannou Won’t Let The UFC Stand In The Way Of His Boxing Aspirations
With the January 22 headliner marking the final appearance on Ngannou’s contract should he be defeated by his French heavyweight rival, the build-up to the first pay-per-view of 2022 has largely surrounded the public feud and negotiations between the titleholder, his management, and MMA’s premier organization.
During an interview with TMZ Sports, Ngannou reiterated his intention to try his hand at boxing, a future venture he’s consistently expressed his desire to pursue. Hoping to see how his power crosses over into the squared circle, the powerhouse suggested he wants to test himself against two of the top heavyweight boxers in the world.
“Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder. I would like to test myself to that level. It’s not the same sport, although I’m the champion, I’m in the top in this division. At the end of the day, it’s just about like trained hands, trained punches, having a good delivery system to produce bombs, and I’m sure that if I deliver my own punch, it’s pretty good, I can make some damage.”
With that in mind, Ngannou won’t be letting his UFC career hamper his ambitions in the ring. If he’s to re-sign with the promotion in the coming weeks, “The Predator” wants the option to transition to boxing to be a part of any new deal, which is a seemingly ambitious ask given White’s reluctance to allow his athletes to compete elsewhere.
“It’s always been down the line. This is something I’m not taking my eyes off of,” Ngannou said. “It’s gonna happen, either way. Even if, when the UFC and I finalize a deal, the boxing part has to be into it because I can’t see myself retire without boxing.” (h/t LowKick MMA)
Despite his uncertain future and ongoing negotiations with the UFC, not to mention his apparent increasing boxing ambitions, Ngannou will need to have his focus streamlined on the immediate task in front of him. That’s to unify the heavyweight belts by stalling the surge of undefeated interim champion Gane.
Beyond that, not much is known about who Ngannou could face and whether he will re-sign with the UFC, but what appears certain is we’ll be seeing the Cameroonian behemoth inside the squared circle before his career is done.
How do you think Francis Ngannou would fare in the ring against Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder?
Joe Rogan isn’t one to mince words when it comes to officiating, whether that be in MMA or boxing. More specifically, Rogan doesn’t refrain from criticizing boxing officials overseeing big fights such as the recent Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy. Combat sports fans worldwide, including Rogan, marveled at one of the greatest boxing fights […]
Joe Rogan isn’t one to mince words when it comes to officiating, whether that be in MMA or boxing. More specifically, Rogan doesn’t refrain from criticizing boxing officials overseeing big fights such as the recent Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy.
Combat sports fans worldwide, including Rogan, marveled at one of the greatest boxing fights of all time, as Fury defeated Wilder in a back-and-forth war. The fight was also massive for the legacies of both Fury and Wilder when both eventually leave the fight game.
Although many praised the contest, there was some head-turning when Fury was knocked down early in the fight. The referee appeared to give a delayed count and allowed Fury to recover a lot faster than Wilder did when he was knocked down later on.
Rogan broke down the situation during a recent podcast episode.
“The referee is supposed to go ‘One two…’ when the guy goes down, but if for any reason he has to interrupt the count, you’re supposed to pick up the count where the ringside counter has it,” Rogan said. “So there’s a guy who’s counting ringside, and he’ll keep the count going.”
“So if you’re at ‘One, two,’ and then you’re like ‘Go to a neutral corner,’ that guy is supposed to be like ‘three, four five,’ but he didn’t,” Rogan continued. “He went back to it, ‘three, four,’ but the guy had already been down for a couple of seconds. Without a doubt, it was a long count. I think it’s an error or corruption. Most likely an error, most likely the guy’s panicking.”
Joe Rogan is mostly known for his MMA commentary, but is also a big fan of boxing, including Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury
Rogan wasn’t the only major UFC personality to point out the ‘slow count’ controversy in Fury vs. Wilder 3. Former UFC champion and current commentator Daniel Cormier also noticed that the referee might have delayed his count when Fury fell to the canvas.
Rogan went on praise the work of both fighters for their efforts in the ring. Despite the controversy, Fury and Wilder will be remembered forever as two of the greatest in boxing history.
Do you agree with Joe Rogan that there was a slow count used during Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3?