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Josh Thomson believes the UFC will do everything in their capacity to stop a crossover superfight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou. The 44-year-old recently said on the Weighing In podcast with John McCarthy:
"I think the UFC will do whatever they can to stop that fight from happening"
McCarthy then noted that the UFC would only have the option of matching offers if Ngannou decides to negotiate with other parties since 'The Predator' has exhausted his UFC contract. Thomson, however, doesn't think the UFC would be interested in matching an offer that a boxing bout could bring Ngannou.
According to Thomson, Ngannou doesn't bring in enough pay-per-views for the UFC to match a boxing payday offer. He, however, would be interested in watching the bout where he believes the UFC heavyweight champion will be dominated by Fury. The former UFC lightweight further added:
"They wouldn't, they wouldn't want to. Let's just be honest... I think Francis is a great heavyweight, I think he's fun to watch. But let's be honest, he doesn't bring in the numbers they would need for him to bring in to pay him what boxing would pay him for one fight. I would tune in to watch that fight, I think Tyson would eat him up."
Watch the latest episode of the Weighing In podcast below:
Francis Ngannou is positive about fighting Tyson Fury next year
A crossover special rules bout between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury has been in talks for a while now. Ngannou has also been feuding with the UFC over the renewal of his contract, demanding a clause that allows him to compete in boxing.
Currently rehabbing from knee surgery, 'The Predator' was present cageside during Fury's dominant KO win over Dillian Whyte at the Wembley Stadium in London. 'The Gypsy King' shared the spotlight with Ngannou, calling him over to discuss the crossover superfight during his post-fight interview with ESPN.
While discussing further details, the UFC heavyweight champion seemed confident about the fight coming to fruition next year. Ngannou said:
“Definitely sometime next year, 2023, that fight will happen. By the end of this year we’re going to sort this out and get settled. Ready to go.”
