PFL’s Francis Ngannou has just had his boxing debut in a crossover fight, and the promotion is planning something more for the star.
PFL founder Donn Davis wants mixed rules fight between Ngannou and Wilder
The former UFC heavyweight champion locked horns with Tyson Fury in a 10-round official sanctioned fight on 28th October at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bout marked Ngannou’s debut as a boxer, while Fury’s WBC title was not up for grabs.
Although the fight ended in a controversial split decision win for Fury, Ngannou proved to be a much tougher challenge for Fury, earning massive respect from the fight fans, especially for the knockdown of Fury in round three.
In the wake of the Fury fight, its expected that Ngannou will continue in boxing side by side with his MMA career, and PFL wants to stand behind what “The Predator” plans for in the future- which may include a mixed rules fight up next.
“From the very beginning, why Francis and the PFL got our deal done in two days, is we wanted the best thing for Francis Ngannou,” PFL founder Donn Davis said on The MMA Hour. “In business, when you do the best thing by your partners, it tends to be the best thing for your business. That Jerry MacGuire, ‘Help me help you,’ it tends to work out. One out of 10 times, your partner is a bad partner and it’s bad for you. In my 35 years, nine out of 10 times, if you’re a good partner, the partner is a good partner to you. I think Francis — [we] wanted the best for him, we support that, and we think the best will work out for the PFL because of that.”
“Francis is making plans,” Davis went on. “I heard him on your show saying he was going to make decisions in the next two weeks. We know what he’s working on. I think there is a path that could go one of two ways. I think there’s a boxing path for him next, and I think there’s a mixed fight for him next, that will look a little different. It will go against somebody, it might be under mixed rules.”
While Ngannou’s next options can be a Anthony Joshua or a rematch with Fury, one highly potential opponent for him is none other than former WBC champ Deontay Wilder, who himself has been reportedly training in MMA.
“I think it would be fantastic, because I think he already proved against Tyson Fury what he has to prove for now,” said Davis regarding Ngannou fighting Wilder. “I think he’ll get back to that. … But what would I think would be fascinating? Deontay Wilder in a mixed rules fight. I always say, what do I want to see? I know a lot about boxing and a lot about MMA, but I’m not a savant. I’m not a deep, deep, deep insider. So I like to test, what do I think millions of people would love to see? I think that’s the most interesting thing we could all see.” [H/T MMA Fighting]
What do you think of a mixed rules fight between Francis Ngannou and Deontay Wilder? Let us know in the comment section below.