After his hard-fought decision victory over Ciryl Gane, Francis Ngannou is entitled to put his feet up and he will certainly need to. The UFC’s heavyweight champion badly damaged his knee in the build-up to his clash with the Frenchman, and the severity of the injury is such that he now faces surgery and a prolonged period on the sidelines.
UNDISPUTED. HEAVYWEIGHT. CHAMPION. @FRANCIS_NGANNOU ðŸﾏ† #UFC270
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 23, 2022
🎨 @ChuckStyless pic.twitter.com/3Epyp0Kd7n
That will give the Cameroon superstar a chance to weigh up his options, and a switch to boxing, where he could create history as the dual-sport heavyweight champion, will certainly appeal.
There’s the small matter of contracts to discuss, too. Dana White was notable by his absence after Ngannou’s triumph over Gane, with the UFC chief usually close at hand to strap the gold around the waist of a championship victor. The pair have had a well-publicized falling out and had the champion lost in January he would have been free to walk away from the organization altogether.
As it is, the UFC can enact its ‘championship clause’, which basically locks a titleholder into an automatic three-fight or one-year contract extension. It has been reported that Ngannou would be happy to ride out the rest of 2022 without fighting, taking the time to rest his knee and consider his options and that could include a move into boxing next year.
The Gloves Are On
At 35 years old, the man known as ‘The Predator’ would be a little late getting into his desired sport. But Ngannou has a background in boxing, having left Cameroon in the early days of his career and headed to France to train as a pugilist.
Circumstances back then saw him opt for MMA instead, but the flame has not gone out on Ngannou’s ambition of becoming a world heavyweight champion in boxing.
Self peace is a key part of every accomplishment and success, but you don't have that until you have the right people around you. People who truly care for you and your beliefs and don’t just see you as a opportunity to exploit.
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) January 24, 2022
Thank you for my team who got it all figured out pic.twitter.com/kjYXGTc9re
So much so that he has already drawn up a wish list of three possible opponents that he would one day like to face: Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, and the current champ, Tyson Fury.
Wilder is plotting his route back into the sport after suffering back-to-back losses to Fury, and while his stock has fallen in terms of the rankings, he would remain a box office draw with his undoubted punch power although even he might lose out on the destructive front to the hard-hitting Ngannou.
Joshua, meanwhile, has got business of his own to attend to. After suffering a destructive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk back in September, the Brit is desperate to get his hands back on his WBA, IBO, IBF, and WBO belts. He is expected to meet the Ukrainian in a rematch later this year, with the bookmakers pricing Usyk as the red-hot -167 favorite in their boxing odds to double up on AJ.
At that point, fighting Ngannou to make a whole bunch of money might just appeal to Joshua, whose boxing career would be well and truly on the skids should he lose again.
As for Fury, he’s growing increasingly frustrated that negotiations with his fellow titans of the heavyweight division are falling through. He wants to beat Joshua on home soil and he wants to be the undisputed champion, but contractual red tape seems to continually get in the way.
Maybe he will take matters into his own and arrange a bout with Ngannou in the boxing ring? The Predator is already stalking his prey.
