Francis Ngannou, Tyson Fury Set To Fight In Boxing Ring Oct. 28

Francis Ngannou, widely regarded as one of the hardest punchers in recorded history, on July 11 announced his next will be against boxer Tyson Fury.

Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, will fight Fury on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia. The official rule set and parameters of the bout were not announced.

It’s also unclear if Tyson’s boxing titles will be on the line for Ngannou to win. Ngannou, 17-3 in MMA, has never competed professionally in boxing.

Official betting odds for the fight were unavailable as of early Tuesday.

A Puncher’s Chance?

Ngannou will open as a significant sports betting underdog against Fury due to his lack of boxing experience. Still, Ngannou would have a chance due to his power. The odds will reflect the low-probability event that Ngannou connects on Fury and finishes him.

The Cameroon native is an MMA knockout artist of the highest order and has delivered some of MMA’s most devastating highlight-reel finishes. Ngannou said his original dream was to box.

Ngannou started his career winning MMA fights more often by submission than knockout. Once he reached the UFC, however, his so-called death touch was on display.

Ngannou joined the short list of fighters to have never lost their UFC championship. In 2023, “The Predator” declined the UFC’s best offers in contract negotiations and took his world-class talent to the Professional Fighters League (PFL), a rival MMA organization. Under the PFL deal, Ngannou can fight boxers outside the PFL banner.

The move could have lasting ripple effects throughout the MMA world, showing how impactful Ngannou was in and out of the cage.

Who Will Francis Ngannou Fight Next In MMA?

Ngannou’s debut opponent in the PFL is still undetermined. However, his next fight—presumably with boxing rules—will be against Fury.

As for his next MMA fight, the easy choice would be the winner of PFL’s 2023 heavyweight season. A new champion is crowned every year after winning four fights in one calendar year, with a $1 million prize on the line.

Ngannou won’t participate in the season format with the PFL but instead will be the face of the promotion’s upcoming pay-per-view events. PFL plans to host two big pay-per-view events outside its seasonal format starting in 2024.

PFL seasons generally start around April and conclude around October or November. That timeline would provide a solid window for the eventual PFL heavyweight champion to prepare for the world’s No. 1 heavyweight MMA fighter in Ngannou.

These anticipated PPV events have already been postponed from the originally planned 2023 launch. PFL has since admitted that it wasn’t ready to pull the trigger, leading one to believe they want to add as much firepower to the first show as possible.

The remaining four names in the 2023 PFL heavyweight season simply won’t do the trick in terms of helping Ngannou bring in the most eyeballs. Signing another notable name is a stronger possibility.

Unfortunately for the PFL, there aren’t many quality options at MMA heavyweight on the open market.

The best bet could be former UFC champions like Junior dos Santos or Fabricio Werdum. However, Ngannou already has a knockout win over dos Santos.

MMA is a complete roll of the dice for Ngannou’s next fight. Boxing was the goal for Ngannou before getting back into an MMA cage—and he successfully booked the Fury fight.

Francis Ngannou MMA Record

Ngannou earned the nickname “The Predator” for a reason. When trapped in the cage with him, it was often the hunter versus the prey.

At 17-3 over his 10-year MMA career, Ngannou has only won once by decision and owns a highlight reel for the ages. Ngannou’s last UFC win proved a comeback grappling effort after dropping two close-fought rounds to Ciryl Gane of France.

The French challenger closed as the betting favorite at -160 to the champion’s +114 odds, due to his light and mobile striking style. In the end, Ngannou used his improved wrestling while competing with multiple torn ligaments in his knee to secure his one UFC title defense.

The Stipe Miocic rematch might not be Ngannou’s greatest highlight, but it was arguably his greatest overall performance and moment. Ngannou’s improved takedown defense made him a terror for the all-time great UFC champion.

Miocic’s attempts were thwarted in round one, and he was met with devastating punches for his troubles. Early in round two, a brief exchange got Miocic too excited, and he ran into a catastrophic punch and folded for the finish.

“And new,” Bruce Buffer announced before shouting Ngannou’s name as he righted the wrong from his 2018 encounter with Miocic. Ngannou cashed in as the -144 favorite.

Across his stretch of wins until his second UFC title shot, Ngannou wasted no time inside the cage. In four fights, Ngannou knocked out Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, as well as former champions Cain Velasquez and the aforementioned dos Santos. Most impressively, the Cameroonian needed only two minutes and 46 seconds against dos Santos.

Ngannou’s UFC win catalog could be watched in a single sitting. Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem fell in brutally before Ngannou earned his first title shot in 2018.

Ngannou launched Arlovski off the ground, whereas Overeem’s head-snapping loss is one of the most violent one-shot knockouts in combat sports history. As a decent-sized favorite against each, Ngannou delivered with moneylines greater than -200 and -400, respectively.

He also has an impressive submission on his resume in the UFC. In only his second octagon appearance, Ngannou pulled off a standing Kimura over Anthony Hamilton.