Francis Ngannou has fired back at Jake Paul following recent comments about his future in the heavyweight division, dismissing the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s ambitions and issuing a blunt response.
Speaking to Chris Mannix, Paul recently addressed questions about his next opponent and long-term goals, making it clear that his primary focus remains on becoming a world champion within his natural weight class. However, he is interested in fighting Ngannou.
“Yeah, it’s a good question and not super thinking about the next opponent necessarily and more thinking about what the overall goal is,” Paul said. “I think that is still to make the path to world champion and to fight people at my weight class. The one outlier is Francis Ngannou, but I’m definitely a cruiserweight and learned that against Anthony Joshua.”
Ngannou suffered a second-round knockout in March 2024, while Paul lasted longer but was stopped in the sixth round in December 2025. That comparison has since become a talking point, with the ‘Problem Child’ pointing to his extended time in the ring as a sign of progression. And firing shots at the former UFC champion.
Ngannou responds to Paul with a blunt warning
However, Ngannou does not entertain that narrative from Paul and dismisses it, emphasizing the differences in experience and level of opposition. He views the comparison as exaggerated.
Recently, Ngannou was interviewed by the Schmo, where he was also quick to respond to Paul’s comment, appearing unimpressed by the American boxer’s continued references to a potential clash.
“I just want to give him some slaps,” Ngannou said in a recent interview. “He’s talking a lot of crap. I thought after his first heavyweight fight, the KO loss to Anthony Joshua, he would have understood, but he’s persistent.”
"I just want to give him some slaps": Ngannou responds to Jake Paul’s heavyweight ambition 🥊🥋💥
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 25, 2026
"He’s talking a lot of crap. I thought after his first heavyweight fight the KO loss to Anthony Joshua he would have understood, but he's persistent."
(Via: @TheSchmo312 ) pic.twitter.com/GiJ0s6WP7v
Both fighters have tested themselves in boxing against a common benchmark in Anthony Joshua, AJ inflicted too much damage on Paul, as a result, he suffered a double broken jaw that will keep him away from the boxing ring until early 2027.
Meanwhile, Ngannou, following Joshua’s loss, returned to MMA and fought Renan Ferreira, where he secured a dominating first-round knockout victory.
‘The Predator’ is scheduled to take on Philipe Lins in an MMA bout under Paul’s Most Valuable Promotion. The event is the first MMA event to be streamed on Netflix, taking place on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.
While Paul’s and Ngannou’s verbal jabs have added intrigue, a fight between the two remains speculative. Paul is focused on developing within his division, while Ngannou returned to MMA.
