BREAKING: Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou confirmed
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou is confirmed! Boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will collide on October 28th in Saudi Arabia. While there were initially rumors about a hybrid ruleset, the two combat sports juggernauts will square off in a traditional boxing match instead.
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou: The Backstory
Tyson Fury was seemingly on the cusp of booking a title unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk, but negotiations fell through. Meanwhile, Francis Ngannou ran down his contract with the UFC earlier this year and left the global MMA leader, leaving the promotion’s heavyweight championship vacant.
Ngannou has been eyeing a bout against ‘The Gypsy King’ for quite some time now. The Cameroonian tried to incorporate freedom to explore boxing opportunities in his contract negotiations with the UFC, which never came to fruition. ‘The Predator’ then left the organization and joined the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Ngannou’s PFL debut is set to go down next year. His last professional outing was his title unification bout with French heavyweight Ciryl Gane last year at UFC 270, and he hasn’t competed since January 2022. Conversely, Fury fought twice in 2022, beating both Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora via knockout.
Notably, Tyson Fury was flirting with the idea of taking on current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. UFC president Dana White even offered to host an MMA championship fight between the two inside the octagon, but ‘The Gypsy King’ never responded. A boxing bout against Ngannou is the obvious choice for the English heavyweight, and this fight against Francis Ngannou will be underway in October later this year.
It is unclear whether the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight will be for ‘The Gypsy King’s WBC heavyweight championship. More details will emerge in the coming days. The exact venue for the mega-fight is also yet to be announced.
Watch a trailer for Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou below: