Francis Ngannou has said he would prefer a boxing match over an MMA contest as his next fight – while eyeing yet another world champion as his opponent, in the form of Deontay Wilder.
Ngannou, a former UFC champion, made his boxing debut in October 2023 as he took on Tyson Fury. The Cameroonian dropped Fury before losing a controversial decision, failing to take the WBC heavyweight title from the Briton.
Then, in March 2024, Ngannou had a very different experience against former champion Anthony Joshua, suffering three knockdowns in a second-round loss.
Ngannou, 38, then returned to mixed martial arts in October, stopping Renan Ferreira in round one to become the PFL Super Fights heavyweight champion – almost three years after vacating the UFC title.
“I have a few fights left,” Ngannou told the Sportsbook Review. “I focus on very few fights, not on options. There’s a lot of options. [Kickboxer] Rico Verhoeven could happen, but I don’t know. Rico is an option, Derek Chisora is an option, Wladimir Klitschko could be an option.
“I want a boxing fight next, I’d prefer a boxing fight next. Maybe Deontay Wilder [...] I don’t know if I will rematch Fury, I hope so [...] Maybe not in his past two fights, but Deontay Wilder is known as a guy that knocks everybody out or tries to knock you out. I’m going against that guy, and I myself can knock someone out. Deep inside me there is a little bit of ego, like I know I hit harder.
"I'm saying from my experience that we will have that ego that we both want to prove, ‘No, it’s me [who hits harder].’ ‘Who is the biggest hitter between you and Deontay?’ Those sorts of conversations are popping around a little bit, and even though you think you don’t care about it, it sticks somewhere in your mind."
Of Ngannou’s future in MMA, the “Predator” said: “[The goal is] to challenge and fight a contender, to fight someone like Vadim Nemkov.
“I think it’s also about the timing. Yes, there are interesting [fights in the PFL]. Every fight that can happen, I’ll be ready to go.”
Ngannou’s win over Ferreira marked his first MMA fight since January 2022, when he outpointed former teammate Ciryl Gane to retain the UFC heavyweight title. Prior to that bout, Ngannou knocked out divisional great Stipe Miocic to win the belt in March 2021, avenging a 2018 loss to the American in the process.
After beating Ferreira, Ngannou dedicated the win to his late son Kobe, who died at just 15 months old in 2024.
“The past two days were very tough, full of emotion, I couldn’t do anything without thinking about it [Kobe’s passing],” Ngannou said. “I tried to stay strong and tell myself to do everything to keep moving but it’s hard. It’s just hard.
“I only did this fight because of him. I wanted to fight for him... I hope they can remember his name, because without Kobe, we wouldn’t be here tonight, I wouldn’t have fought.”
