Francis Ngannou ‘Will Absolutely Make’ PFL Debut in 2024 After Fury Loss, Says CEO

Expect to see Francis Ngannou taking PFL fights in the upcoming year. “In 2024 [Ngannou] will absolutely make his debut with PFL, and he’ll return to the cage…

Expect to see Francis Ngannou taking PFL fights in the upcoming year. “In 2024 [Ngannou] will absolutely make his debut with PFL, and he’ll return to the cage…

Dana White defends Jon Jones amid Fury – Ngannou fight: ‘He’s the best fighter in the world and he’s the best fighter ever’

Dana White brands Jon Jones best fighter ever after Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight UFCAmid the billing of a ‘Battle of the Baddest’ fight in the Middle East earlier this month between WBC…

Dana White brands Jon Jones best fighter ever after Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight UFC

Amid the billing of a ‘Battle of the Baddest’ fight in the Middle East earlier this month between WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, and former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Nagnnou, organizational CEO, Dana White has claimed his roster still houses the best fighter in the world – and of all time, in fact, in the form of undisputed titleholder, Jon Jones.

Headlining a pay-per-view event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier this month, Batié native, Ngannou made his professional boxing debut against WBC heavyweight champion, Fury – going the distance over the course of 10 rounds in a close, split decision loss to the Morecambe native.

Turning heads with his performance, former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou managed to turn in a spectacular third round knockdown on Fury – dropping the undefeated Briton with a massive left hook in close

And heaping praise on Ngannou amid their rift following the Cameroonian’s departure from the UFC at the beginning of the year, the above-mentioned, White claimed that it was “crazy” how the former forced Fury all 10 rounds in the Middle East.

“The fact that he (Francis Ngannou) went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury is crazy,” Dana White said during a Triggered video podcast appearance. “He just went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury, Conor (McGregor) made it 9 or 10 with Floyd (Mayweather), Anthony Pettis just beat Roy Jones Jr. – I know Roy is freaking 60 years old, or whatever, but I don’t know what the hell is going on. It’s crazy.”

“I didn’t see the fight, but the face that he went 10 rounds is unbelievable,” Dana White explained. “I don’t care. Listen, these guys, at some point everybody is going to move on. Everybody has to do what’s right for them and make money for their families, so whatever they’ve got to do, they’ve got to do.”

Dana White touts Jon Jones as the best fighter of all time

However, as far as the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ goes – and the immediate aftermath of the bout, White has stressed that his current undisputed heavyweight champion, Jones lands that moniker – as well as the status as the best professional fighter ever.

“The best fighter in the world and the best fighter ever is Jon Jones,” White explained. 

Do you agree with Dana White’s appraisal of UFC star, Jon Jones?

Photos – Tyson Fury sports major black eye week on from brutal fight with Ex-UFC star Francis Ngannou

tyson furyTyson Fury is still sporting a large black eye following fight with Francis Ngannou last weekend in Riyadh, Saudi…

tyson fury

Tyson Fury is still sporting a large black eye following fight with Francis Ngannou last weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou’s stock has never been high after his incredible performance against reigning WBC heavyweight champion, Fury. The boxing debutant would drop Fury and would win multiple rounds throughout the fight. This is even more impressive considering the general consensus would be that Ngannou would stand no chance.

Fury did seem to be troubled by Ngannou’s punching power, during the knockdown of course, but also throughout the contest ‘The Gypsy King’ seemed to be a little hurt at times.

Following the contest, Fury would give credit to Ngannou for his performance –

“He’s a very awkward man and he’s a good puncher, and I respect him a lot, before the fight and afterward,” Fury said. “He was very awkward, he wasn’t coming forward, he was just standing back waiting for me to land my punches and then counter. He’s a good fighter! He’s given probably one of me toughest fights in the last 10 years.” (H/T Bad Left Hook)

I’ve been out of the ring a long time again, 11 months in between fights, and you can see it in here — ring rust, everything. No excuses. Francis is a good fighter and he caught me with some good punches. Fair play to him, “he continued. “He cut me across the eye there, I don’t know that was, a left hook or a headbutt or something, I’m not sure. But it was a good, rough fight. Perfect.”

Tyson Fury’s black eye

Visible facial bruising could be seen on Fury’s face following the fight, and is still there a week on.

Images of Tyson fury’s black eye

Fury seems to be set on facing Oleksandr Usyk next in what would be a cash for undisputed.

Do would want to see Tyson Fury Vs. Francis Ngannou II?

Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury PPV Reportedly ‘Bombed’ in the United States

Francis NgannouFrancis Ngannou’s closely-contested split decision against Tyson Fury has dominated headlines since the bout went down on October 28,…

Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou’s closely-contested split decision against Tyson Fury has dominated headlines since the bout went down on October 28, but it appears that fight fans weren’t willing to fork over the $80 to watch it.

Per a report from renowned professional wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, Ngannou vs. Fury, appropriately dubbed ‘The Battle of the Baddest,’ failed to hit a home run in the U.S. market, bringing in less than 12,000 total pay-per-view buys.

“As far as U.S. interest goes, while there was interest after the fight as Google searches for the weekend had it second behind only the death of Matthew Perry, but as a PPV it bombed. Television PPV buys were about 11,500. We were told a 56,000 figure streaming on ESPN+. Obviously that figure I can’t double check but the television buying figure we have first-hand strongly accurate numbers on it.

“It was ahead of what the KSI vs. Tommy Fury and Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis fight did on U.S. television PPV. These fights may have done substantially better in the U.K. where Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury and KSI are far bigger celebrities. As far as the Ngannou television PPV buyers, 24.3 percent also bought Canelo Alvarez’s fight with Jermell Charlo, 4.8 percent bought the Logan Paul fight, and 1.2 percent bought AEW WrestleDream. Because most WWE buyers watch on Peacock, you can’t make a comparison that is fair past of the WWE actual PPV buyers for Fastlane on television 1.1 percent purchased the Ngannou-Fury fight.

“But as far as television PPV buys, this show was slightly below (may end up about the same or slightly head) WWE Fastlane for buyers through cable television or satellite providers, even with Fastlane having most of its viewers on Peacock and not buying it” (h/t MMA News).

Ngannou vs. Fury Fails to bring in U.S. fight fans

If the estimated buyrate of 11,500 proves to be true, it would be the lowest for any Tyson Fury or Francis Ngannou fight in the history of their respective careers, and particularly embarrassing when compared to their most successful events in the U.S. thus far.

After contesting his split decision loss to ‘The Gypsy King’ in Riyadh, Francis Ngannou hopes to run it back with Tyson Fury in the squared circle as soon as possible. Unfortunately, if these numbers from Meltzer are to be believed, there’s a good chance a rematch never happens.

At least, not inside a boxing ring.

Exclusive – Luke Thomas Details The fallout from Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury: ‘It Has been incredible’

Francis NgannouFans, fighters, and members of the media are all still marveling over Francis Ngannou’s incredible performance against WBC heavyweight…

Francis Ngannou

Fans, fighters, and members of the media are all still marveling over Francis Ngannou’s incredible performance against WBC heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.

Returning to combat sports for the first time in nearly two years, ‘The Predator’ faced an almost insurmountable uphill battle, strapping on the eight-ounce gloves for the very first time to take on perhaps the greatest boxer walking the planet. What ensued was a nail-biting affair that saw Francis Ngannou not only hold his own but at times dominate ‘The Gypsy King’ during their 10-round affair.

Things took an especially dramatic turn in the third round with Ngannou landing a counter-left that sent Fury crashing to the canvas.

Though Ngannou came up short on the scorecards, losing the bout via a razor-thin split decision, ‘The Predator’ made his statement loud and clear.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, renowned MMA journalist Luke Thomas of Morning Kombat shared his take on the contest and the fallout that ensued.

“Dude, how little did we understand about Francis? How little did we understand about what these crossovers can do? How little did Tyson Fury understand what this could be? No one really predicted it except maybe Francis and his team,” Thomas said. “It was one of those moments when everybody was wrong. When MMA experts are wrong. Boxing experts are wrong. Fans are wrong. The media is wrong.

“It’s one of those moments where you should really look around and think about why. It’s more than just, ‘Well one guy was the champ and the other guy never boxed before.’ That’s the obvious answer, but there’s more to the story than that. It was a combat sports earthquake. It was shattering to a lot of prevailing ideas and talking points. The fallout has been incredible.”

Even after the loss, Francis ngannou’s stock has risen to incredible heights

Despite taking a loss, Francis Ngannou’s stock has skyrocketed with both the boxing and MMA worlds desperate to book his next fight.

“I don’t think a fighter’s stock has increased this much after a loss. Brock Lesnar also got a lot of credibility when he fought Frank Mir,” Thomas added. He got knee-barred the first time he fought Frank Mir, but there were a lot of folks who were like, ‘Wow, he can do a little bit here.’ But even that is not quite like this.

“This was much bigger in scale. This was much bigger in celebrity. In pomp and circumstance and cost, and everything. It was much bigger.”

In the days since his scrap with Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou revealed that a fight with heavyweight knockout artist Deontay Wilder is in the works. Other names in the mix include division standouts Anthony Joshua and Joe Joyce. ‘The Predator’ is also expected to compete inside the PFL Smart Cage in 2024 after signing a blockbuster deal with the promotion earlier this year.

“Francis did what we thought was genuinely impossible and he brought it to real life,” Thomas said. “I don’t know what you call that, but it’s rare.”

Watch the full interview with Luke Thomas below:

Joe Rogan condemns judge’s 96-93 scorecard in favor of fury against Ngannou: ‘[He] should go to jail’

Francis NgannouJoe Rogan was left outraged by one particular scorecard following Francis Ngannou’s entertaining 10-round scrap with Tyson Fury in…

Francis Ngannou

Joe Rogan was left outraged by one particular scorecard following Francis Ngannou’s entertaining 10-round scrap with Tyson Fury in Riyadh.

Emanating from Kingdom Arena in the Saudi Arabian capital, Ngannou delivered a spellbinding performance against one of the greatest boxers in the sport today. Throughout the 30-minute affair, ‘The Predator’ stifled Fury’s offense, busting open the reigning WBC heavyweight champion and even knocking him down in the third round with a well-timed counter left hand.

Despite all his success, Ngannou fell short of scoring the upset, losing on two of the three judges’ scorecards. Judges Alan Krebs and Ed Garner scored it the same 95-94 with Krebs favoring Fury while Garner had it for Ngannou. But it was Juan Carlos Pelayo’s 96-93 score in favor of ‘The Gypsy King’ that had everyone doing a double take, including Rogan who shared his unfiltered frustration over the score.

“Francis Ngannou had never had a boxing match ever in his life, had zero boxing matches, but he was the UFC heavyweight champion, knocked down Tyson Fury in the third round, beat him up in the eighth round,” the longtime UFC commentator said on his ‘The Joe Rogan Experience‘ podcast alongside guest Elon Musk.

“Most people, including me, thought he should’ve won the decision – including most boxers, most boxing pundits. He lost by one point on one judge’s scorecard. He won on one judge’s scorecard, and another judge, who should go to jail, had it 96-93 for Tyson Fury, which is f*cking outrageous.”

Francis Ngannou Flips the Script

Francis Ngannou walked into the bout as a whopping +750 underdog, but by the time the tenth round rolled around, ‘The Predator’ had flipped the script and was listed as the live odds favorite.

“We thought (Fury) was going to run him over because he’s the boxing heavyweight champion,” Rogan continued. “‘There’s no way this guy can box with me.’ He even said at the beginning of the fight, ‘It’s time to go to school,’ and then Francis said at the end of the fight, ‘You are a sh*tty professor’” (h/t Yahoo! Sports).

Following Ngannou’s success in his squared circle debut, fight fans are already clamoring for the former UFC heavyweight champion to try and make a real run in the sweet science, many of them suggesting a fight against knockout artist and three-time Tyson Fury opponent Deontay Wilder.