"Thanks for meeting the GOAT" - Worlds collide as Cristiano Ronaldo meets Francis Ngannou and family ahead of Tyson Fury fight

In the lead-up to the highly anticipated bout between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury, the worlds of football and MMA collided in an extraordinary meeting.

Earlier this year, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou fulfilled a lifelong dream by meeting his idol, football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, in Saudi Arabia.

In an interview with The MMA Hour, Ngannou revealed that Ronaldo had played a significant role in bringing about the Tyson Fury boxing match. Ronaldo's influence in the realms of Saudi and UK sports was instrumental in turning this dream fight into a reality.

With the battle for boxing supremacy set for this weekend, Ngannou has touched down in Riyadh, and fans were elated to see him sharing moments with Cristiano Ronaldo. The MMA fighter took to his Instagram account to share photos with the football star, expressing gratitude for his support. He also indicated that Ronaldo might be in attendance to witness the showdown this Saturday.

Ngannou's caption read:

"Great to see you this week my brother @Cristiano and thank you for inviting me and my family out to @alnassr game. See you Saturday #FuryNgannou."

This interaction has left fans buzzing with excitement, with many expressing their support for the fighter:

"my champ....thanks for meeting the goat🔥🔥"

"see christiano Ronaldo coming to Cameroon🇨🇲 anytime soon🙂 ..... Champ please make this happen ....we know CR7 is your Boy 😊"

"The didn't believe in us but God did. Go get the job done Champion 🐐"

"@francisngannou you also have to invite him to Africa. He has a lot of fans here"

"Be assured that by the grace of God you will be victorious in this fight in JESUS CHRIST MIGHTY NAME AMEN 🙏"

Check out the reactions below:

via comment section of Ngannou's post

---

Francis Ngannou's coach remains positive about potential fight with Jon Jones

Francis Ngannou's coach, Eric Nicksick, holds a hopeful outlook when it comes to the much-anticipated showdown between his fighter and current UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.

Nicksick recently shared his thoughts during an interview with MMA Junkie and said:

"People fail to remember that Jon Jones, moving up to heavyweight after he beat Dominick Reyes, and it took him all this time to finally be ready to fight at heavyweight? We were there the entire time, waiting, you know, so, for people to be critical of Francis is unfortunate, it just didn't work out in that regard. But that fight will always be there in my opinion. It can always be revisited, we can always find a way to make it happen."

Check out Francis Ngannou's coach's take on a potential Jones vs. Ngannou fight [06:47 mark]: