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Francis Ngannou has finally secured his release from the UFC. The former heavyweight champion is now free to pursue what his heart desires. The Cameroonian knockout artist fielded several demands during his tenure under Dana White's banner, with the biggest one being his desire to box.
Before his release from the UFC, 'The Predator' campaigned for a boxing match against Tyson Fury. Unfortunately, the promotion wasn't keen on the idea. Now, it seems more likely. There is another boxer, however, who has offered to face the former heavyweight champion.
Deontay Wilder laid down the gauntlet by expressing a willingness to not only box Francis Ngannou, but also cross swords with him in an MMA bout. While 'The Predator' would almost certainly defeat 'The Bronze Bomber' in the cage, he might also stand a chance of success in a boxing match.
Here's why.
#5. Francis Ngannou can match his power
The difference between power punchers and fighters who don't possess a deep pool of knockout power is in how they fight. Powerful athletes often compete without fear due to the enormous trust they put in their ability to end any bout in a split-second.
They know that they can hurt any foe they face.
This has been the reality of most of Deontay Wilder's fights. He engages his opponents without fear, knowing that he can knock anyone out at a moment's notice.
Against Francis Ngannou, though, he won't have this luxury. The former UFC heavyweight champion is one of the most powerful fighters of all time. He even owns the record for the most powerful punch ever measured in human history.
Thus, 'The Predator' is one opponent of whom 'The Bronze Bomber' must be wary lest he suffer a knockout.
#4. Deontay Wilder has taken a lot of damage recently
Deontay Wilder has been incredibly successful throughout his career. As a former WBC heavyweight champion, he reigned over his division for five years and successfully defended his title on 10 separate occasions. Furthermore, he has only ever lost twice in 46 professional bouts.
But the nature of his two losses raised an issue
'The Bronze Bomber' fought Tyson Fury three different times. Their first match was declared a draw, while while their two rematches were knockouts in 'The Gypsy King's' favor. Neither of the KO losses were early finishes for Wilder.
Instead, he took a tremendous amount of damage over the course of 18 combined rounds across his two fights. He was battered and bloodied en route to two consecutive knockouts. While he stopped Robert Helenius in his return bout, it was done within a minute of the first round.
If his ability to take damage has been, in any way, compromised, Deontay Wilder will be ill-equipped to handle Francis Ngannou's knockout power.
#3. Francis Ngannou's striking style
Most fans seem to be under the impression that Francis Ngannou is a brawler and sloppy puncher. A glimpse at 'The Predator's' fight against Jairzinho Rozenstruik quickly reveals why many have that image of him.
That bout, however, was an outlier and couldn't be further from the truth.
Francis Ngannou is a counterpuncher at heart. While he can land, he prefers to hang back at range and patiently bide his time until his opponents lunge into their first and likely final blow of the night. This is why his bout against Derrick Lewis featured such low volume. They are both counterpunchers.
Deontay Wilder exhibits a different striking style. While 'The Bronze Bomber' uses intelligent setups to lower his opponent's guard, he is not a counterpuncher. Instead, Wilder is an offensively minded puncher who doesn't mind leading the dance.
Due to Ngannou's patient style, he won't expose himself as much.
#2. Their skill level is closer than any other matchup
Unfortunately, there aren't any other prominent heavyweight boxers that Francis Ngannou can face without being at a disproportionate disadvantage when it comes to boxing skills.
MMA is not boxing, neither is boxing MMA. A fighter can't use MMA boxing in a boxing ring, just as a boxer can't use traditional boxing in a cage.
Francis Ngannou is a fairly skilled mixed martial artist who specializes in striking. But much of his success depends on his natural knockout power. Thus, he is more effective than he is skilled.
The same can be said for Deontay Wilder. The former WBC heavyweight champion depends a lot on his KO power.
'The Bronze Bomber' is certainly closer to 'The Predator's' skill level compared to Tyson Fury, who would almost certainly outbox the Cameroonian phenom with tremendous ease.
#1. Deontay Wilder has a tendency to brawl
While Deontay Wilder isn't a brawler by style, he does have a habit of overextending his punches. Additionally, he often extends his combinations once he's in the pocket, which causes him to be within range of his opponent's counterpunches.
He trusts his punching power to bail him out of these sticky situations, but it does leave him exposed to hard punches. This is why 'The Bronze Bomber' is sometimes hurt in his fights despite eventually securing a knockout.
This isn't something that he can afford to do against Francis Ngannou.
If he unnecessarily extends his time in the pocket by trying to land punches so hard that his own momentum carries him forward, he'll run the risk of lunging into a blow that could cut his night short.
