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Deontay Wilder's spectacular return to the ring could, in-part, be credited to the UFC. The American trained at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas for his fight against Robert Helenius, which ended via first-round knockout.
During a post-fight presser following an episode of Dana White's Contender Series at the UFC Apex, the promotion's president revealed that Wilder was using the facilities on offer at the UFC Performance Institute in preparation for his boxing return.
Dana White added that he likes and respects the former champion:
"I think Deontay Wilder is training here for his fight. And he is training here at the Apex and I knew he was coming tonight... Yeah, I mean Deontay Wilder is a tough dude man. He is fun to watch and yeah, I like him. I respect him."
The win against Helenius marked Wilder's first win in more than two years. 'The Bronze Bomber' suffered back-to-back knockout losses at the hands of current WBC world champion Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021.
Deontay Wilder on potential fight against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou
Apart from working his way back to a boxing championship, Wilder is also seemingly open to a potential crossover matchup down the line. In a recent interview with Insider, the former WBC heavyweight champion spoke about a fight against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou:
"I think that would be an intriguing fight, and it would be a fight that would bring a lot of interest."
Wilder added that even his promoter Al Haymon thought the fight would make sense for the right amount of money:
"It [fight with Ngannou] was mentioned to me before, and Al agreed, there's the old saying, 'If it makes dollars, it makes sense.' And he agreed as well... Who knows? We may see that fight in the future. And if we do? Oh, boy. What a fight to see. The future is bright!"
Francis Ngannou is currently amidst a contract dispute with the UFC. 'The Predator' has revealed that he will only re-sign with the MMA promotion if he's allowed to compete in crossover boxing bouts while still under contract.
The Cameroonian has been quite vocal about his desire to take on the likes of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
