Francis Ngannou “Impressed” By Jake Paul’s Boxing Skillset

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou watched Jake Paul knock out Tyron Woodley and he was impressed with the polarizing boxing personality.

Ngannou is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the UFC, and more specifically with his boxing. He’s earned a series of knockouts during his time with the promotion and will defend his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

Ngannou has become one of the most skilled men in the Octagon but initially wanted to pursue a career in boxing when he started his athletic career.

During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Ngannou gave his reaction to Paul’s vicious knockout over Woodley this past weekend.

Francis Ngannou Praises Jake Paul For His Recent Boxing Wins

I was impressed by Jake Paul,” Ngannou said. “I didn’t see that coming. I was sure that Tyron Woodley was gonna win this fight, you know? But you gotta give it to Jake Paul. He made a statement — a huge statement and he proved that he puts his money where his mouth is.”

Ngannou and Paul have also relatively equal critics of UFC president Dana White as a whole, especially when it comes to fighter pay. Paul has repeatedly gone on rants about White in the media; and while Ngannou hasn’t sounded as vile as Paul, he’s certainly been almost equally as vocal about the issue.

Ngannou has won five straight fights, including a one-punch knockout against Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. Paul is undefeated in his young boxing career with knockouts over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and former NBA star Nate Robinson.

Both Ngannou and Paul are considered to be knockout artists in their respective sports. It’ll be interesting to see if the two end up training together at some point, especially with Paul’s recent interest in competing in MMA.

Are you impressed by Jake Paul?