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Cristiano Ronaldo Signs Jerseys for Francis Ngannou Ahead of Usyk vs. Fury 2

Cristiano Ronaldo Signs Jerseys for Francis Ngannou Ahead of Usyk vs. Fury Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou scored him some autographed swag after having dinner with football icon Cristiano Ronaldo….

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou scored him some autographed swag after having dinner with football icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to take in Saturday’s highly anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury at Kingdom Arena, Ngannou revealed in a social media post that he not only had dinner with Ronaldo but also walked away with a handful of autographed jerseys courtesy of ‘CR7.’

Having some collectible items from the best GOAT himself after dinner last night. Thank you brother @Cristiano for the invite! pic.twitter.com/fOCcrRaKFw

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) December 21, 2024

Earlier this year, Ronaldo sat cageside at the PFL Battle of the Giants pay-per-view to witness Ngannou’s long-awaited return to mixed martial arts against heavyweight knockout artist Renan Ferreira.

Ronaldo Offered Francis Ngannou a few words of encouragement ahead of PFL debut

According to Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick, ‘El Bicho’ was sitting backstage at one point and insisted on giving ‘The Predator’ a few words of encouragement just before he made his way to the Smart Cage.

“He was so cool and super down to earth,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie. “He was a super cool guy and actually a huge fighting fan, so he had a bunch of questions, he was talking to me about [Sean] Strickland, this and that, whatever fight it was. He was really down to earth and then at one point Francis got up to wrap his hands, and Ronaldo was kind of talking about how he could feel Francis’ energy, and he goes, ‘I’m just going to give him words of encouragement…’

“He was talking about the loss of one of his children and kind of how he related to that and things like that. It was kind of cool. I know how big of a star he is, but sitting next to me and having this very personal conversation made him feel like he was part of the team right then and there. His son was in there with us and hanging out so it was a very much welcomed energy to have in the room. Especially someone of that stature who understands the highest of pressure, so it was cool and he was a great guy” (h/t Bloody Elbow).

Ngannou ended up scoring a dominant first-round TKO against Ferreria in his PFL debut — an especially impressive feat when you consider that he hadn’t competed inside a cage in nearly three years.

What’s next for Ngannou remains to be seen, but ‘The Predator’ has left the door open for a return to boxing despite going 0-2 with back-to-back losses against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

“F*** it” Francis Ngannou Cuts Ties with Jon Jones Hype “That’s Not My Problem”

Francis Ngannou has had enough. The former UFC heavyweight champion, who left the promotion amid contract disputes in 2022,…

Francis Ngannou has had enough. The former UFC heavyweight champion, who left the promotion amid contract disputes in 2022, is putting an end to the persistent speculation surrounding a potential fight with Jon Jones, one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.

Francis Ngannou Talks Jon Jones

In a candid statement, Francis Ngannou dismissed any further discussions about the long-rumored bout, stating, “It’s been four years that I’ve been singing. I’m confused that people keep asking me this question, like, ‘Is it… it’s been four years. That’s not my problem. I don’t care about it anymore. If it happens, yes. If it doesn’t, f*** it.”

Ngannou’s frustration with the ongoing questions about a Jon Jones fight comes after years of fans and analysts dreaming of the matchup. Jones, who became the youngest UFC champion at 23 and has since cemented himself as one of the sport’s legends, recently moved up to heavyweight and won the title by defeating Ciryl Gane in March 2023. However, despite Jones’ undeniable skill and dominance in the octagon, his career has been marred by controversies outside of it, including failed drug tests and legal issues. Additionally, ‘Bones’ waited for Ngannou to leave the company before moving to heavyweight.

Since walking away from the UFC, Ngannou has ventured into boxing, where he faced Tyson Fury in a competitive bout, and Anthony Joshua in a blockbuster fight, plus signed with the PFL, where he recently claimed their inaugural Super Fights Heavyweight Championship.

While the fight may still be one of MMA’s biggest “what if” scenarios, Francis Ngannou is moving forward. With new challenges in boxing and the PFL, the former UFC champion is focused on what lies ahead, leaving the Jon Jones hype in the past. Saudi Arabia, involved in boxing, the PFL, and the UFC, might be planning for this fight. The PFL is willing, but it is unlikely the UFC will budge on this.

Francis Ngannou ‘Doesn’t Care’ About Jon Jones Anymore, Knows What Fight He ‘For Sure’ Wants

Francis Ngannou is tired of being asked questions about a potential fight with the UFC’s heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. The two of them colliding in the UFC was a huge talking point towards the end of 2022 until the saga ended with Ngannou leaving the promotion and vacating the title which was later won by […]

With the two men now being at the top in different promotions, it seems unlikely that they will face off with another if the UFC and PFL don’t go into business with each other but Turki Alalshikh might be the only person that could make that happen. During an interview with Seconds Out during fight week for Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 in Riyadh, Ngannou was asked about whether a meeting with the consensus greatest of all time is still of interest to him.

From Ngannou’s point of view, he has always claimed that he is happy to compete against Jones, stating that he has never been the one that has stopped it from happening. The PFL star said that he is no longer giving this fight any of his energy because whether we ever see it or not isn’t a decision that rests on his shoulders.

“It’s been four years that I’ve been saying it, I’m confused that people keep asking me this question,” Ngannou told Seconds Out. “It’s been four years! That’s not my problem, I don’t care about it anymore. If it happens, yes, if it doesn’t, f— it.”

It’s not clear what Ngannou’s next fight will be right now although there may be some more clarity on that following his conversations with Alalshikh in Saudi Arabia this week. Ngannou has picked Usyk to beat “The Gypsy King” for a second time on Saturday night and this result could potentially lead to him getting a rematch with Fury following their closely contested fight in his boxing debut last year.

“What I do know for sure is that I want a rematch with Fury,” he said.

Ngannou isn’t interested in avenging his other boxing loss which came earlier this year against Anthony Joshua. Another name that has been spoken about is Deontay Wilder who would seemingly be a more enticing option for Ngannou than the MMA bouts that are out there for him right now.

“The rematch with Joshua, honestly I felt very off and not very comfortable in that fight,” Ngannou said. “It’s definitely something that could happen, but … I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I didn’t like the Joshua fight. I think things wasn’t right. Nothing was right. And if it’s going to be the same scenario, I’m not interested.”

Francis Ngannou ‘Doesn’t Care’ About Jon Jones Anymore, Knows What Fight He ‘For Sure’ Wants

“It’s been four years that I’ve been saying it, I’m confused that people keep asking me this question,” Ngannou told Seconds Out. “It’s been four years! That’s not my problem, I don’t care about it anymore. If it happens, yes, if it doesn’t, f— it.”

“What I do know for sure is that I want a rematch with Fury,” he said.

“The rematch with Joshua, honestly I felt very off and not very comfortable in that fight,” Ngannou said. “It’s definitely something that could happen, but … I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I didn’t like the Joshua fight. I think things wasn’t right. Nothing was right. And if it’s going to be the same scenario, I’m not interested.”

Former Boxing World Champion Amir Khan Explains Why Francis Ngannou Would Beat Deontay Wilder

Following his return to MMA at PFL’s Battle of the Giants in October, there has been a lot of conversation regarding what will be next for Francis Ngannou. His first-round finish over Renan Ferreira doesn’t leave a whole lot of interesting matchups for him in MMA but he does have the option of going back […]

Ngannou has boxed twice since departing the UFC in January of 2023 and though he is without a win on his pro record, a lot of fans thought that he should have got his hand raised against Tyson Fury back in October last year. One name that has consistently been mentioned in connection with the former UFC heavyweight champion is Deontay Wilder.

“The Bronze Bomber” is still one of the biggest names in the heavyweight division but following his recent form, he would seemingly be a better opponent for Ngannou than the likes of Fury and Anthony Joshua. Wilder has not looked the same in his latest outings and losses against Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker and though it looked like he might retire, the knockout artist appears to be gearing up for one more.

In a recent interview with The Sports Daily, former world champion turned analyst Amir Khan said that he would pick Ngannou to win that fight if he does get booked to face Wilder next time out. Based on his back-to-back losses, Khan isn’t sure whether Wilder has the same hunger anymore and getting in the ring with Ngannou is a dangerous prospect to begin with.

“Wilder’s last fight was really bad. You always look at the last fight and Wilder is done to be honest with you. I like Wilder but Ngannou has the power to hurt him.

“Ngannou is not the best boxer but he put on a good fight against Fury and got knocked out against AJ. Ngannou is going to win that fight. Unless Wilder comes in as a different fighter with that fire in his belly.”

Brendan Schaub: Only Francis Ngannou Return Would Live Up To Dana White’s Tease For 2025

Dana White teased fight fans in his final UFC press conference of 2024 by claiming that there is something in the works for 2025 that will have fans losing their minds when it gets announced. Speaking after the promotion’s Fight Night event in Tampa, the UFC boss spoke about how they always manage to exceed […]

Without giving anything away, he said that alongside the big fights that have already been announced for next year’s schedule, there’s something fresh off the press that nobody will be able to predict ahead of time.

“I anticipate a lot of big fights, I’ve got something in the works right now that’ll drive you [media] crazy. All you guys will be running around. I got something in the works that you will never f**ing see coming for 2025. It literally started to come together last night. Yeah, we got some fun stuff coming up.”

In a response to White’s comments, former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub attempted to speculate what this mind-blowing fight announcement could possibly be. The return of the former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov would elicit that kind of reaction in Schaub’s opinion but he also knows that “The Eagle” has made it very clear that he will not go back on his decision to retire.

One potential major shift in the MMA landscape that Schaub did pinpoint is the current status of Francis Ngannou. “The Predator” recently made his return to the cage in his PFL debut at Battle of the Giants where he stopped Renan Ferreira in the first round.

After tearing right through his Brazilian foe, there were two big questions on everyone’s mind, who is out there for Ngannou to face next and is he still the best heavyweight on the planet considering that he never lost the UFC title having vacated it when he departed the promotion? Schaub believes that Ngannou stepping back inside the Octagon to mix it up with the likes of the division’s two titleholders, Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall, would come out of left field and set the bar extremely high for 2025.

“With the internet today, and like the rumors and fake news, it’s damn near impossible to blow somebody. No matter what he [White] says, when I heard them like, ‘What could it be?’ The only thing that would blow me, like blow me hard, like b*st hard, would be if it’s Francis. He has one fight left on PFL contract. He’s going to finish that out fighting who, God knows what poor soul they’re going to find to get knocked out by him.

“And then, he’ll be a free agent. If they’re like, ‘We got Francis back in the mix. Francis is going to fight the winner, guaranteed winner, of Aspinall-Jones.’ That would blow me. But that’s where I’m at. That’s very difficult to get done. Outside that, what else could it be?”