UFC star Ngannou says there's '70% chance' Fury is his next opponent

UFC champion Francis Ngannou reveals there is ‘a 70% chance’ Tyson Fury is his next opponent… with the Cameroonian determined to land a blockbuster MMA-boxing ‘hybrid’ exhibition fight in 2023

  • Tyson Fury made lightwork of defeating Dillian Whyte at Wembley on Saturday
  • UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is keen to land a crossover bout
  • Ngannou is 70 per cent confident that his next opponent will be Fury in 2023
  • The Cameroonian wants a ‘hybrid’ fight to mix both MMA and boxing together 

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou said he hopes to fight Tyson Fury in a crossover bout in 2023 and that there is a ‘70% chance’ his next opponent will be the British boxer.

WBC heavyweight champion Fury had suggested he would fight Ngannou when the pair spoke in the ring following the Gypsy King’s win over Dillian Whyte on Saturday at Wembley Stadium.

‘We both want this fight, that’s clear, and we respect each other,’ Ngannou told the MMA Hour podcast on Monday.

 UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is looking ahead to a fight against Tyson Fury

 Ngannou was ringside at Wembley to see Fury (left) defeat Dillian Whyte in the sixth round

‘Probably next year it will happen. I think it’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of our promotions, but we will sort this out at some point.’

Ngannou, who defended his title with a win over Cyril Gane in January, said the potential bout could combine elements of boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA).

‘Make it a hybrid fight, something that makes it a little uncomfortable for him as a boxer,’ Ngannou said. 

‘Ideas like MMA gloves or fighting barefoot. I don’t know, we still have to figure this out.

Fury (left) and Ngannou (right) got together in the ring after his victory at Wembley Stadium

‘I would say there’s a 70% chance (my next opponent) is Tyson Fury. On his side I would say 90% against me.’

Fury made light work of Whyte in front of 94,000 adoring fans at Wembley on Saturday night, knocking ‘The Body Snatcher’ out cold in the sixth round.

The Morecambe-based fighter had spoken of his impending retirement throughout the build-up to the bout but couldn’t resist talking up a crossover contest with Ngannou when they were side-by-side in the ring.

‘This is going to be one very special fight,’ Fury told ESPN’s US broadcast after his latest win. ‘It’ll be something never before seen in the history of our sport. 

‘We’re not talking two guys around 140lb, I’m 270lb, he’s 270lb. It’s going to be an explosive fight when it happens.’

‘I’m the boxing heavyweight champion, he’s the UFC heavyweight champion, he’s in great shape, look at the muscles on him,’ Fury added.  

 Ngannou (second from right) is currently recovering from injury after his victory at UFC 270

Ngannou, who is marginally older than Fury at 35, travelled over from Las Vegas to get a look at Fury up close and personal. 

The Cameroonian is now in a process of recovery from his January win over Gane. 

The heavyweight had major surgery on his knee, needing ACL reconstruction and MCL repair, having outpointed his French counterpart after their bout went the distance at UFC 270. 

He is also in the midst of a dispute with the UFC, having rejected a new deal in search of better pay – as well as an opportunity to box – with his current contract set to expire in December, making a blockbuster crossover with Fury even more appealing. 

Bob Arum, Fury’s US promoter, threw his weight behind a Fury-Ngannou match-up when asked about it by USA Today. 

‘I don’t know what [Ngannou’s] contract situation with the UFC is,’ Arum admitted. 

‘Obviously it’d be a massive fight, and it should be easy to make.’ 

 Fury (right) has talked up retiring but he remains interested in a ‘hybrid’ fight with Ngannou




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