Jake Paul has been encouraged to crack open the cheque book and entice Tyson Fury to the PFL's smart cage for his proposed hybrid rules fight with Francis Ngannou.
Former UFC star Dan Hardy believes that if Fury wants to get into a cage with Ngannou, even for a standard boxing match with the pair wearing 4oz gloves, the PFL would be the right organisation to house the bout. Paul is involved as a co-founder of their new 'super-fight division' on pay-per-view,so there could be a real chance of making such an event happen.
PFL is broadcast on ESPN+ in the US, where Fury has a broadcast deal, while Ngannou is a free agent after leaving the UFC as their heavyweight champion. Hardy reckons that it could be a massive opportunity for the rising promotion, believed to be MMA's No.2 after the UFC, to cement its place in combat sports.
"I think Jake sees big opportunities and he's clever at marketing," Hardy told MMAJunkie. "I think the PFL could use him very well to broker some big fights. Honestly, the fight to make right now is get PFL and Jake Paul working on Tyson Fury versus Francis Ngannou in MMA gloves. I mean, if that doesn't sell pay-per-views I don't know what would.
"He's a difficult individual to deal with, Francis Ngannou, because he could very quickly run out of options no matter who he signs with. I think the best thing to do would be to sign a promotional agreement with him that gives him sort of freedom because he's his own man, ultimately.
"If you can get Francis Ngannou come over, match him in a super-fight with Ante Delija and he beats the current PFL 2022 champion. You might want him to go and fight, say, Derek Chisora or someone in the boxing ring just to kind of spread the awareness of PFL and, of course, we'd expect him to struggle against most boxers, but it doesn't mean there's not a possibility that he lands a big shot."
The idea of putting Fury and Ngannou in a cage with MMA gloves but asking them to fight under standard boxing rules has been blasted as one of the stupidest in sporting history. But it appears that both men are keen on the idea, with Fury even teasing that they could bring in Mike Tyson as a guest referee.
Who do you think would win in a hybrid rules fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"The one is Tyson Fury isn't it," Hardy said of Ngannou's biggest options. "Tyson's keen on it, Ngannou's keen on it, Tyson is one of the few fighters that I feel could really transition to mixed martial arts and be a legitimate heavyweight contender, he's just got fighting instincts and I think that would transfer very well to MMA.
"With him being able to grab wrists and hand fight and all of the stuff he can't get away with in boxing, if PFL could make some kind of match-up between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, it's worth whatever money they can put on the table. It would be massive, like Muhammad Ali fighting Antonio Inoki but in our time and given that they are heavyweights, it just draws more attention.
"I'm a big fan of combat sports generally but I think a lot is lost when you put boxing gloves on. There's a lot of fighters that get away with weaker defences in boxing because they've got bigger shields to hide behind. Tyson Fury, if you watch his last fight with Derek Chisora, the way he was sneaking uppercuts through the guard I just feel like he would transition very well.
"Speak to Tyson Fury's father, John Fury, he is a scary individual that's had more fights than boxing matches. There's an instinct for fighting in Tyson's blood and if you put him in any style of gloves, even with no gloves on at all, he's going to be an absolute handful."
