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In light of rumors suggesting Francis Ngannou could be on his way out of the UFC, Chad Mendes has discussed what it would look like if the Cameroonian stepped into the BKFC ring.
'The Predator' has been at odds with Dana White and the UFC over fighter pay. Believing he should be earning more, the 35-year-old has been pushing for a lucrative boxing match with Tyson Fury.
In the event that Ngannou doesn't renew his contract, 'Money' Mendes has addressed the possibility of the heavy-hitter being signed by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, saying:
"I tell you what, I would not want to be anywhere near that dude bare-knuckle. Could you imagine that dude hitting you in the face bare-knuckle? He's gonna kill somebody."
The American then went on to list to Francis Ngannou—and any other fighter that's willing to make the jump to BKFC—the benefits of joining the promotion:
"In my opinion, it's easier than MMA... It's only five 2-minute rounds, it's just boxing. you don't have to worry about kicks, knees, elbows, grappling. And, the money is really good."
On February 19, Mendes made a successful debut with the company after scoring a knockout victory over Joshuah Alvarez in the fourth round. While his future is still unsure, the 36-year-old has urged other martial arts stars to test themselves in bare-knuckle boxing.
Check out what Chad Mendes had to say about Francis Ngannou (9:19) and more in his interview below:
Who's next for Francis Ngannou?
If problems get resolved and Francis Ngannou manages to keep fighting in the octagon, who could be next for the monstrous heavyweight?
The 35-year-old is on a six-fight win-streak and has cemented himself at the top of the division. His star-studded run of wins has seen him knock out five of his six most recent opponents including Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and Stipe Miocic.
Many believed that the tricky Ciryl Gane would be the man to dethrone the champion. However, after implementing wrestling into his game, Ngannou managed to overcome the tough challenge and retain his title.
Talk of a Jon Jones fight has fizzled out due to the issues the pair are facing with the UFC. Two potential fights we could see the Xtreme Couture representative take are the emerging Tai Tuivasa or the winner of Tom Aspinall/Alexander Volkov when they meet later this month.
