Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou 0-1 could face former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder 43-2-1 (41) next either in the ring or in the cage.
Boxing debutant Ngannou, 37, of Cameroon took current WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury 34-0-1 (24) to the brink of defeat in Saudi Arabia last Saturday night, dropping him in the third frame of their 10-round non-title bout and holding him to a split draw.
His surprisingly competitive performance has wowed the boxing world and opened the door for other big money fights in the blue riband division.
One of the names being bandied about is Wilder. The 38-year-old American, who has not boxed since his first-round blowout of Robert Helenius one year ago, has long expressed a desire to compete in mixed martial arts before his fighting career is over.
A bout against Ngannou could present the perfect opportunity for Wilder – who went 0-2-1 in his trilogy with Fury – to tick that off his bucket list.
Ngannou walked away from the UFC early this year over a pay dispute. He has since signed with fledgling mixed martial arts promotion Professional Fighters League (PFL) and is expected to make his debut for them next year.
PFL founder Donn Davis says he would welcome the opportunity to promote a hybrid rules bout between Ngannou and Wilder.
“I think it would be fantastic, because I think he already proved against Tyson Fury what he has to prove for now,” Davis told The MMA Hour.
“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.
“I think Francis does Deontay Wilder, and I think it is a wild fight. Because what you know and what I know, is who Francis is. But now the rest of the world knows what he is, and he is a global superstar. And everyone is going to see that and not miss it. No one is going to sleep on him this time.”
Davis says potential opponents for Ngannou from MMA are limited to two names: reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and veteran Stipe Miocic.
“I think the opponents in pure MMA are not that interesting right now,” Davis continued.
“We’re just like the fans, we’re just like the fighters. We’re not like the other companies. ‘Let’s just do it because they’re our guys!’ There’s only one guy in MMA who is interesting right now for Francis Ngannou: Jon Jones. One guy. Everybody says, what about Stipe? Maybe. Give him a half a point — 1.5 guys who are compelling.
“I don’t want to say who could put on a good fight for him. There are three or four other guys who could put on a competitive fight for Francis. I’m not talking about a competitive fight, I’m saying compelling — 1.5 guys in MMA, in the world! And one is hurt for the next nine months and the other one is under contract.”
