'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Francis Ngannou is seemingly adamant that his fight against boxing heavyweight megastar Tyson Fury will come to fruition. ‘The Predator’ is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane in their UFC heavyweight title unification fight that transpired at UFC 270 in January. Ngannou subsequently underwent knee surgery and won't compete for several months.
Regardless, a potential Ngannou-Fury dream fight continues to thrive as a hot-button topic. The consensus is that Fury won’t cross over to MMA and fight him in the UFC, and it’ll likely be 'The Predator' who faces ‘The Gypsy King’ in a professional boxing bout.
The Ciryl Gane matchup was the final fight on Ngannou’s current UFC contract. Additionally, the duration of the Cameroonian’s contract expires this December.
Thus far, the UFC hasn’t contractually permitted Ngannou to box Fury. 'The Predator' has consistently maintained that he’d like to re-sign with the UFC, but only if he’s given a pay raise and allowed to compete in boxing as well.
That said, it’s believed that if ‘The Predator’ doesn’t re-sign with the UFC, he could box Fury next year. In an appearance on the Patrick Bet-David podcast, Francis Ngannou addressed his future and stated:
“I haven’t made a plan yet. And also, we have a contract situation to figure out. But I wanna point out the fact that whether it’s Tyson Fury or whatever, it can still happen under the UFC. When I said I wanna box or I wanna fight Tyson Fury, that doesn’t exclude the UFC. It can still be under the UFC as long as we have a good contract; respectful term that’s been agreed by everybody, I think everything is possible.”
Watch Francis Ngannou’s appearance on the PBD Podcast in the video below:
Bob Arum on a potential Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight
Over the past several months, both Fury and Ngannou have assertively lobbied for a fight against one another. The Englishman even proposed a hybrid-rules bout, which will feature them clashing in a boxing match with MMA gloves.
In a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, Top Rank Boxing promoter Bob Arum insinuated that despite his longstanding issues with UFC president Dana White, they could co-promote a Fury vs. Ngannou fight. Arum said:
“Yeah, why not? That would be a great thing to happen. I think the MMA guy has an ACL that has been operated on. So, he’ll be ready next year. That fight will do absolutely tremendous business.”
Watch the full interview below:
Tyson Fury’s next pro boxing bout will witness him fight Dillian Whyte on April 23rd. Meanwhile, Ngannou’s unlikely to compete in either MMA or boxing until his injury hiatus ends in late-2022 or early-2023.
