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Francis Ngannou's departure from the UFC has gotten the attention of the boxing world and popular British boxer Dillian Whyte has stated his interest in competing against the knockout artist both inside the ring and in the cage.
Though many are praising him for sticking to what he believes is right, many fans are upset to see 'The Predator' part ways with the UFC and leave his heavyweight title behind. Despite claiming that he's open to returning to the promotion, the Cameroonian is approaching 37 years of age and may never return to the octagon.
While discussing Francis Ngannou's UFC release with Sky Sports, Dillian Whyte was adamant that he would "bash" the MMA star up if the two met inside the boxing ring, but continued to announce his intrigue at facing the beast in MMA too, saying:
"Obviously he is a champion, a dangerous guy, but I think I would bash him up... It would be a very interesting fight, because we both have go a martial arts background and he's up for jumping in at the deep end, fighting someone like me. It would get lots of interest and eyeballs... Fans around the world would be keen to see it, because he is a former UFC champion coming to face a top heavyweight like me... I would happily fight him in boxing and in the cage as well. End of March, early April, something like that. That would give him plenty of time for a full camp."
While Whyte's willingness to step into the cage may be a surprise to most, the elite boxer does have mixed martial arts knowledge and has one professional bout in the sport under his belt—a fight he won by knockout in 12 seconds.
Francis Ngannou's options in boxing
Dillian Whyte emerges as a fantastic opportunity for Francis Ngannou to dip his toes into the world of boxing, but although he is a brilliant athlete, the Brit isn't the first man on the former UFC champion's list.
The scary MMA heavyweight has his eyes set on a meeting with Tyson Fury and the two have already briefly promoted a potential fight following 'The Gypsy King's' knockout of the aforementioned Whyte last year.
Other names that continue to arise for possible matchups against Ngannou on his professional boxing debut include Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora.
