Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is open to facing pro boxers like Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua, acknowledging that the fights might need to be either in boxing or a mixed-rules format to level the playing field. Losing a close split decision to Tyson Fury in his professional boxing debut may have been as good as winning as Ngannou became a sought-after opponent in the boxing world after the fight.

In response to Joshua’s claim that he would knock Ngannou out if they ever met, Ngannou expressed confidence in his ability to compete in both the ring and the octagon: “Even Tyson Fury said the same thing and Tyson Fury is better than Anthony Joshua. What do I care about what people say?”

He emphasised that while his comfort zone is in MMA, he is capable of causing trouble for boxers in the ring: “The good thing is I’m the one that can go everywhere comfortably. My comfort zone will be the octagon, but I’m going to the ring and putting them in a bad spot in the ring.”

Ngannou sees himself as versatile, comfortable in the octagon, but also capable of putting boxers in challenging situations in the ring.

When discussing a potential fight with Wilder, The Predator recognised Wilder’s power in boxing but suggested that a mixed-rules format might be more suitable for him in MMA. Ngannou believes that Wilder’s punching power could be a significant threat even in the MMA arena, which he is very familiar with. He even mentioned that should Wilder be fighting another MMA fighter, he (Francis) will gladly put his money on Wilder.

Ngannou expressed his interest in potentially facing Wilder in a mixed-rules fight, acknowledging that they had discussions even before Ngannou’s bout with Tyson Fury. He believes that such a matchup would present an intriguing challenge for both fighters, whether they decide to go with boxing or mixed rules.