Is Francis Ngannou Completely Done with MMA?
Make no mistake, the chance to lock horns with Tyson Fury inside a boxing ring is a fantastic opportunity for Francis Ngannou.
He’ll be paid handsomely, which is a good start, while a strong performance against the Gypsy King will also help to enhance his profile and, perhaps, make him a more marketable figure should he return to MMA.
But will he do so? Or, at the age of 37, has he decided that enough is enough as far as the fight game is concerned?
Unfamiliar Feeling
Having been one of the standout heavyweights in the UFC for several years, the Cameroonian brawler is not accustomed to being an underdog.
But that’s exactly how the Tyson Fury v Francis Ngannou betting pitches him, with odds of 7/1 offering him an implied probability of just 12.5% to pull off an unlikely victory. So most of the boxing bets will come in for Fury, who at 1/12 has pretty much been franked as the winner of this contest.
Road to #FuryNgannou starts now https://t.co/OnrcEnZgUg pic.twitter.com/2LGPcPCNIY
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) October 20, 2023
Of course, there’ve been plenty of examples in the past of boxing bouts going the way of the outsider in the betting, with Ngannou no forlorn hope given his incredible punch power – 12 of his 17 MMA wins coming via knockout.
Fury is, for many observers, the best heavyweight boxer on the planet right now, but he has been dumped on the canvas more than once by the likes of Deontay Wilder in the past – if Ngannou can land a similar power punch or two, it’s quite possible that he has his arm raised in victory.
If he can pull it off, would it make his return to MMA – and specifically the UFC – more unlikely?
In the Wilderness
The 37-year-old signed his deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) back in May, which allows him to take on other sporting engagements – such as money-spinning boxing bouts around the globe.
But at some point, PFL are going to want a return on their investment – that suggests Ngannou will return to MMA at some point.
The challenge for PFL is to create fights for Ngannou that have some kind of interest for fight fans. The perfect option would arguably be pitching ‘The Predator’ against Jon Jones, however, Bones’ eight-fight deal with the UFC, signed earlier in 2023, rather puts the dampeners on that.
With respect, putting Ngannou in against any of the PFL’s current band of heavyweights does very little to generate interest – confirmed by the Cameroon ace’s status as a ‘super’ fighter with the brand, which means he will be handed periodic PPV opportunities when they arise.
Don’t forget to shadowbox after a hard workout. #ufc pic.twitter.com/0nOvAVCo2h
— Sergei Pavlovich (@SPavlovich13) October 20, 2023
But against who? Ciryl Gane and Sergei Pavlovich are locked into UFC contracts, while a trilogy bout with Curtis Blaydes, whose future is uncertain with the blue riband brand, does little to whet the appetite.
Ryan Bader could potentially enter free agency at the end of his Bellator deal, but would there be the demand to see Ngannou take on the considerably smaller 40-year-old?
The jury is out on that and the future of Ngannou’s MMA career. Whether he throws his lot in with boxing after the Fury bout or goes back to Dana White with cap in hand for a sensational UFC return, only time will tell.
