Francis Ngannou gives major update on Deontay Wilder clash as surprising target date revealed
Francis Ngannou has his sights firmly set on Deontay Wilder as his next opponent.
Ngannou and Wilder have been heavily linked to fighting in the past, as they have both publicly spoken about a fight numerous times.
Ngannou is looking to make his comeback to MMA, having been out of action since he fought Renan Ferreira in 2024.
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Although, he is expected to return to the squared circle first.
As Ngannou considers his next move, he has now revealed on The Ariel Helwani Show that negotiations are in motion for him to finally fight Wilder this year.
Ngannou explained: “There’s nothing yet, I don’t think they have an opening for me, so we will wait [for an MMA return]
“We still have time. Meanwhile, we’re trying on the Deontay Wilder fight.”
Helwani asked the ‘The Predator’ if he wanted to fight Wilder in his next outing.
Ngannou replied: “Yes. I do.
“We haven’t engaged personally, but it’s gonna be soon.
“We are setting some things up, but I keep training. I’m training.”
Ngannou was the UFC heavyweight champion before he moved to the Professional Fighters League (PFL), but is currently 0-2 in his boxing career.
In 2023, when he made his debut, Ngannou knocked down Tyson Fury before ultimately losing via split decision.
During his second bout, he suffered a brutal knock-out at the hands of Anthony Joshua in 2024.
A fight between Ngannou and Wilder would be a challenging bout, men are tipped as two of the most dangerous punchers and elite talents in combat sports today.
Should the stars cross paths, I’d believed that the rules of UFC and boxing would be combined.
Would Francis Ngannou vs Deontay Wilder be a good match-up?
Ngannou boasts an impressive MMA record of 18-3, as well as his two boxing losses.
Wilder is 44-4-1 in his professional boxing career, with 43 of his wins coming by way of knockout.
After suffering back-to-back defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, he returned to winning ways when he knocked out Tyrrell Herndon in June.
A bout between Wilder and Ngannou would explain his firm refusal to fight Jarrell Miller on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford.
Should talks reach an agreement it’s certain that an explosive encounter awaits, no matter how the hybrid rules are structured.
