Francis Ngannou has the top heavyweights all vying for his attention after his recent step away from the UFC and into free agency, and Deontay Wilder may just be the top of the list.
The former heavyweight champion and knockout artist from Alabama previously told Trill Boxing Talk that the pair had discussed a contest in the past, and that he was still very open to it.
Surprisingly, Wilder is willing to step out of his comfort zone by making one of their fights MMA rules.
“We talked about it when he was with Dana [White], me and Dana sat down and talked about it. I told him if it makes dollar it makes sense. I’m very interested in it, if he wants a showdown, then let’s do it.”
“Let’s make it a two-fight deal. Everybody always comes to boxing, let’s do this: You come to my [sport], I’ll come to yours. You come to my house, I’ll come to yours. I’m a true warrior. I’m serious about that, too. I want to do something different since everybody doing this crossover between combat sports.”
Ngannou does fancy facing Wilder, too. The former UFC man responded to the boxer’s recent statement that he was open to work with any promoter by welcoming him to ‘the free world.’
He then explained why he would only want Wilder in boxing.
“I said only boxing so he can keep his limbs… like I said we will see if he’s a man of his word”
I said only boxing so he can keep his limbs 🤣 like I said we will see if he’s a man of his word https://t.co/8CJT1FUXJ0
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) February 17, 2023
Even the most fervent Wilder fan would admit this was a good idea. Whilst Ngannou can take some skills from the octagon into the ring, it’s unlikely the boxing man has practiced much grappling or kicking.
With Team Wilder adamant that they want the best fights the sport can offer, and even considering skipping a final eliminator with Andy Ruiz Jr because it wasn’t ‘big’ enough, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see these two face off in the future.
Even for fans who aren’t into the crossover scene, there’s something to be said about the spectacle of the hardest hitting MMA heavyweight facing his boxing counterpart.