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Floyd Mayweather claims he would love to work with ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou: ‘He was unbelievable’

Boxing icon Floyd Mayweather would love to work with combat sports’ hottest free agent, Francis Ngannou. After nearly two years of negotiations with the UFC, the former heavyweight champion was ultimately released from the company, free to fight wherever he wants, against whoever he wants. Currently, the Cameroonian is still on the market, though recent […]

Boxing icon Floyd Mayweather would love to work with combat sports’ hottest free agent, Francis Ngannou.

After nearly two years of negotiations with the UFC, the former heavyweight champion was ultimately released from the company, free to fight wherever he wants, against whoever he wants. Currently, the Cameroonian is still on the market, though recent reports suggest that he is close to signing with Asia-based fight company ONE Championship. Should things fall through between the two parties, ‘Money’ would happily sign ‘The Predator’ to his own organization, Mayweather Promotions.

“I would love to work with him, actually,” Mayweather told BetOnline.ag in a recent interview. “I would love to work with him; I would love to sign him to Mayweather Promotions. Very skilled guy, he was unbelievable from the highlights that I was able to see in MMA. I would like to work with him someday. If he wants to fight one of the top heavyweight guys, he should do it.”

Francis Ngannou is slated to make his professional boxing debut this summer, though no details regarding date, location, or opponent have been revealed. Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn suggested that Anthony Joshua and heavyweight knockout king Deontay Wilder are the current frontrunners hoping to welcome Ngannou into the squared circle.

Floyd Mayweather Would Jump at the Opportunity to Train with Francis Ngannou

Asked if he would be interested in showing ‘The Predator’ a few tools of the trade before making his highly anticipated debut, Floyd Mayweather answered without hesitation.

“Absolutely,” Mayweather answered. “It’s gonna take a while…I mean, I can’t say it’s gonna take a while because in the heavyweight division, it takes just one shot. At any weight class, actually, it takes just one shot. So, with his size and his strength and his power, anything can happen…he’s powerful, and with his power and his toughness, he’s able to make some noise in the heavyweight division.”

After scoring his 50th career win over UFC superstar Conor McGregor in 2017, Floyd Mayweather officially retired from the pro boxing scene. However, ‘Money’ has remained active, competing in exhibition bouts around the globe. His highest-profile post-retirement fight came in the summer of 2021 when he went eight rounds with social media sensation and WWE Superstar Logan Paul. Mayweather has also made multiple appearances for RIZIN, a Japan-based mixed martial arts promotion.

Would you like to see Floyd Mayweather working alongside Francis Ngannou?

Francis Ngannou urged to make boxing move: ‘He only needs one fight to make $10 million or $15 million’

Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has been urged to explore further the possibility of a move to professional boxing by past–opponent, Curtis Blaydes, who claimed that Cameroonian could likely land a payday in the region of 10 to 15 million in a single squared circle showcase. Blaydes, the current #4 ranked heavyweight contender, is […]

Blaydes, the current #4 ranked heavyweight contender, is scheduled to return to the Octagon this weekend atop a UFC Vegas 71 card against surging Russian heavyweight knockout artist, Sergei Pavlovich.

Himself riding a three-fight winning run, Blaydes most recently headlined UFC Fight Night London back in July of last year in a 15-second TKO win over Tom Aspinall after the Atherton native suffered a catastrophic knee injury.

Twice sharing the Octagon with former undisputed heavyweight titleholder, Ngannou, Illinois native, Blaydes first dropped a doctor’s stoppage TKO loss and then a standing strikes TKO defeat to the Batié native in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

Francis Ngannou backed to make lucrative move to boxing

Sharing his thoughts on Ngannou’s fighting future following his January departure from the UFC, Blaydes told MMA Fighting ahead of UFC Vegas 71 that the former champion could likely land himself a multi-million dollar payday in just one venture to professional boxing.

“I don’t think [Francis Ngannou will return to the UFC] but my reasons for that are I believe he’s going to get a boxing fight – he only needs one to make $10,000,000 or $15,000,000,” Blaydes said.. “After you make $15,000,000, it’s hard to go back to $800,000. And he doesn’t want to have to deal with the grappling. He would rather just have to strike.”

“That’s what he wants to do,” Curtis Blaydes said of Francis Ngannou. “I believe he’s going to be able to get a boxing fight, get the money and he’ll be good for life.”

Furthermore, former undisputed UFC flyweight champion and ONE Championship gold holder, Demetrious Johnson backed Ngannou’s ability to earn himself a cool payday despite not competing under the promotion’s banner – insisting there is money to be earned outside of the Dana White-led umbrella.

Earlier this week, to boot, Matchroom Boxing leader, Eddie Hearn expressed his interest in working alongside knockout artist, Ngannou in the future, as the Cameroon native finds himself linked to a potential boxing debut against former world champion, Anthony Joshua.

Ex-champion Francis Ngannou backed following Octagon departure: ‘There’s money outside the UFC’

Former UFC title holder Demetrious Johnson has voiced his support for one-time UFC heavyweight champion-turned-free agent Francis Ngannou. In an interview with Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, Johnson spoke about Ngannou’s decision to become a free agent after failed negotiations with the UFC. Francis Ngannou departed the UFC back in January of this year […]

Former UFC title holder Demetrious Johnson has voiced his support for one-time UFC heavyweight champion-turned-free agent Francis Ngannou.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, Johnson spoke about Ngannou’s decision to become a free agent after failed negotiations with the UFC.

Francis Ngannou departed the UFC back in January of this year

“I think it’s good for Francis [Ngannou],” Johnson said. “There’s money outside the UFC…. Could you imagine if he fought Tyson Fury and made like $40 million. He’s not going to make that in the UFC in one fight.”

Ngannou, a knockout artist who became a free agent after a 14-fight stint with the UFC, has hinted at a potential boxing match with Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.

Demetrious Johnson Has Achieved Championship-Level Success in Two Promotions

Johnson, a former UFC and current ONE flyweight champion, has achieved his own success since being traded for Ben Askren in 2018.

“Mighty Mouse” (31-4-1 Draw, 4-1 in ONE Championship) is arguably one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, holding the record for most title fight wins (12) in UFC flyweight division history.

Since joining ONE Championship, Johnson has defeated Adriano Moreas, Danny Kingad, Tatsumitsu Wada and Yuya Wakamatsu. He also defeated Muay Thai legend Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a mixed rules fight in March 2022.

Johnson believes it’s an opportune time for mixed martial arts stars to test free agency.

“I’ve been successful outside the UFC. Look at Sergio Pettis, he’s been very successful out of the UFC. Look at Anthony Pettis, he made what? $700,000 fighting Roy Jones Jr.,” Johnson said. “This is the perfect time to be a free agent if you have a big name.”

As a former UFC heavyweight powerhouse, Ngannou has gained interest from several MMA promotions, including Bellator, PFL and ONE championship, to name a select few. His impressive knockout power and athleticism has also piqued the interest of several boxing promotions which could lead to a potential crossover to boxing.

PFL provide update on pursuit of ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou: ‘We have a very close relationship’

PFL (Professional Fighters League) CEO, Peter Murray, has provided an update on their pursuit of former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, claiming the pair are currently enjoying a “very close relationship”. Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has yet to compete professionally in mixed martial arts since headlining […]

Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has yet to compete professionally in mixed martial arts since headlining UFC 270 back in January of last year.

Successfully unifying the heavyweight titles on that occasion, Cameroon striker, Ngannou defeated former interim gold holder, Ciryl Gane in a unanimous decision victory in their Anaheim, California clash.

Seeing his contractual obligations with the UFC come to an end in December of last year, Batié native, Francis Ngannou was handed his release from the promotion back in January, seeing his championship stripped as well as his removal from the official rankings.

Linked with a slew of potential future ventures ahead of his return to combat sports, Francis Ngannou has been welcomed to professional boxing by both former WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder – as well as Matchroom Boxing leader, Eddie Hearn, however, the latter doubts the ex-UFC champion’s ability to compete at a high level.

In terms of a mixed martial arts return, Ngannou has been discussed as potential targets for both the above-mentioned, PFL, and the Singapore-based, ONE Championship.

As for the PFL, promotional leader, Murray, noted the positive relationship currently held between both parties ahead of a potential move.

“Hey, listen, Francis (Ngannou) make it very clear that he’s going to box,” Murray told MMA Junkie during a recent interview. “We’re excited to see how those plans materialize. We have a very close relationship and more to come on next steps on Francis, related to MMA.”

In the midst of a six-fight winning run, Ngannou had minted himself as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion with a devastating second round knockout win over Stipe Miocic in the pair’s title rematch in March 2021.

Dana White shuts down UFC return for Francis Ngannou

Furthermore, a potential future return to the UFC for Ngannou appears firmly off the cards for the former champion, with UFC boss, Dana White describing him as “absolutely impossible to deal with.”

Francis Ngannou tipped to fail in boxing venture: ‘He cannot go in and compete technically’

Eddie Hearn says he’d love to work with Francis Ngannou and arrange some boxing matches but doesn’t believe his skills would translate very well against boxing’s heavyweight elite. Famed boxing promoter Hearn has been around forever in the sport and has nurtured Anthony Joshua’s career as a promoter since 2013 when the famed UK boxer […]

Eddie Hearn says he’d love to work with Francis Ngannou and arrange some boxing matches but doesn’t believe his skills would translate very well against boxing’s heavyweight elite.

Famed boxing promoter Hearn has been around forever in the sport and has nurtured Anthony Joshua’s career as a promoter since 2013 when the famed UK boxer Joshua first made his transition over from Olympic boxing.

Hearn believes he could do exciting things with Ngannou in the sport, and a match between ‘The Predator’ and ‘AJ’ could be thrilling and give Ngannou that big-money boxing fight he’s been wanting so badly.

Ngannou has made waves as perhaps the biggest MMA free agent in history. He refused to re-sign with the UFC, forfeited his heavyweight title, and has since been searching for bigger and better opportunities. He’s got his eye set on either the PFL or ONE FC when it comes to MMA, but before he signs, Francis Ngannou still desperately wants to compete in boxing against the current greats of the sport.

Eddie Hearn is doubtful that Francis Ngannou’s skills would translate well into boxing

“Personally, you cannot in a million years, with Francis Ngannou’s ability in boxing and pedigree in boxing, go in and compete technically, skill-wise — not just with AJ, but with any top-20 heavyweight in the world,” Hearn began, speaking on The MMA Hour. “But in that division, the difference is, what you can do is you could knock someone out. So it doesn’t matter whether Francis fights Anthony Joshua — Tyson Fury, I agree with you, horrible fight for Francis Ngannou because he’d he just poke [Ngannou] around — Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora, Jermaine Franklin; he has no chance against those guys, other than to be aggressive, trade up, and catch someone clean and take him out.”

“So I think that you are correct in your statement, in that … people would give fighters a much better chance against AJ having watched that performance. In your world, that translates to Francis Ngannou,” Hearn continued (H/T MMA Fighting). “And why not? I don’t feel like it’s a fight that’s going to continue the development of Anthony Joshua under his new trainer, but I’d [recently] done lunch with Francis Ngannou. You know his story. I was completely gobsmacked by the story of this man. We sat for two hours, and I was just listening to just the most remarkable — I mean, how this isn’t a film, I have no idea. Unbelievable.”

Eddie Hearn is eager to make money off of Francis Ngannou

It’s obvious Eddie Hearn would love to make millions off of Ngannou, and the boxing promoter even began to talk about turning his story into some Hollywood blockbuster.

“I’m thinking, ‘Please let me go to Hollywood now with you and sell this film.’ People need to be educated about what that man has been through and his story to get to where he’s got to. I found him fascinating. Lovely guy, lovely guy, and I’d love to do something.”

In Hearn’s defense, ‘The Predator’ does have one of the most remarkable stories in MMA. Commenting on it in this article wouldn’t nearly do it justice, so don’t be afraid to do some research and read up on it. Let’s just say Francis Ngannou is an incredible human. The things he’s gone through to get where he’s at today will stand the test of time. A movie should be made about his life, but that might not even do the story justice. It could even require a short series about it of hour-long episodes even to get close to telling it fairly. It wouldn’t be surprising if, a decade from now, he’s considered a beloved combat sports legend similar to Mike Tyson.

As far as boxing goes, Eddie Hearn is eager to get Ngannou in there with anybody and everybody. “Dillian Whyte. Otto Wallin. Joe Joyce is another big fight. It’s a tough fight, but who knows,” Hearn said. “But I just feel that if we’re going to go into a Fury or Wilder, which is inevitable, I just want him to go in with the best chance that he can have. And I just feel that, right now, he’s not at the optimum level he could be to go into that fight.”

“He (Anthony Joshua) would still go into them, and I still give him a chance in those fights. I believe he could win those fights. But I would just like to see him firing and going into those fights. And what I saw (against Franklin) wasn’t AJ firing on all cylinders.”

Who would you want to see Francis Ngannou box if it ever happens, or would you just prefer him to re-sign with the UFC?

Ex-UFC kingpin Francis Ngannou urged to make ONE Championship move: ‘He’s conquered the West’

Arjan Bhullar is optimistic and hopeful that former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou might join ONE FC. While certainly a move that would cause waves in the industry, it’s still all up in the air as to what Ngannou decides to do with his career. The former UFC heavyweight champion was on top of the […]

Arjan Bhullar is optimistic and hopeful that former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou might join ONE FC.

While certainly a move that would cause waves in the industry, it’s still all up in the air as to what Ngannou decides to do with his career. The former UFC heavyweight champion was on top of the world after defeating Stipe Miocic in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 260 and besting his friend and former training partner Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

‘The Predator’ made the decision not to resign with the UFC and has since been taking a break from the sport. While potential fights between Ngannou and the likes of Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder have emerged, no concrete evidence of Ngannou’s next fight has revealed itself at the time of the writing of this article.

That leaves the world in a precarious situation. One of the greatest heavyweights of our era is a free agent and does not seem to be willing to budge anytime soon as far as re-signing with the UFC goes.

Arjan Bhullar hopeful Francis Ngannou signs with ONE FC

“He’s (Francis Ngannou) conquered the West. Let’s bring him out to the East. I have no problem with this,” Arjan Bhullar began (H/T MMA NEWS). “People are scared of him as well, but if you’re a fighter and you’re a champion, it doesn’t matter who it is. You step up,” He continued.

“That’s what a champion does, win, lose, or draw. And I have never run away from a fight. I have never shied away. I’ve lost, but I am not that guy. There’s no one that can say Arjan Bhullar didn’t step up. I might win, I might lose, but I will always step on that line, I will always sign the contract. I’m a man at the end of the day.”

“They’re nuclear bombs, I get that, but if you have a nuclear bomb and you can’t land it, what are you gonna do?” Bhullar declared. “Same thing with Anatoly. If your delivery system isn’t there to land a bomb, you can sit at home with your bomb. It means nothing. I don’t get hit. I’ve got that grappling.”

Defending the title against Anatoly Malykhin after several cancellations of the fight, it’s unclear whether or not Bhullar will even be the ONE FC heavyweight champ by the time Ngannou joins the organization if ‘The Predator’ ever even decides to do so.

Regardless, a bout between the two men would sure be an insane banger and a fight fans would gladly pay to see. It’s still unclear as to what Francis Ngannou’s plans are, but right now, it is true everything leads to ‘The Predator’ hoping for a big-money boxing match against the current stars of that sport.

Francis Ngannou has said the PFL or ONE FC could very well be his two options when it comes to MMA but that still leaves things very much in the air in terms of his future.

Would you prefer to see Francis Ngannou box or join ONE FC?