A long-rumored dream fight between boxing kingpin Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is reportedly set to take place this Fall.
Tyson Fury has flirted with the idea of a cage fight for years. Dating back to before he became a mainstream sports superstar he has suggested his willingness to face a top star from the world of MMA. However, those claims were never taken seriously.
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Even when he and UFC star Francis Ngannou openly pushed for a fight on social media in the Spring of 2022 it still seemed highly unlikely due to the MMA world leader’s history of letting their talent fight outside their umbrella. However, things changed last year when the promotion and their former heavyweight king ended their relationship amid a contract dispute.
Since then, Ngannou and Fury have thrown out the idea of making their flirtations in 2022 a reality this year. While the Englishman has changed his tune about a cage fight since then, it seems he is still open to a clash with the Cameroonian goliath on his terms, and it is apparently set to happen later this year.
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou to take place in Saudi Arabia
On Tuesday morning, ESPN reported that the current WBC heavyweight champion will faceoff with the one-time UFC heavyweight titlist on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As of now, the rules and the number of rounds for the bout are unclear. Ngannou has never competed in a professional boxing bout and that will likely be the format of the matchup, based on recent comments from Tyson Fury.
Francis Ngannou is signed to an exclusive MMA contract with the Professional Fighters League, and since they are not involved with the report, it all but confirms that the duo will take part in a boxing bout. It is also unclear if the matchup will be an official fight or an exhibition.
The 34-year-old Fury (33-0-1 boxing) last fought in December. Scoring a dominant technical knockout victory over Derek Chisora inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Ngannou (17-3 MMA) has not competed in a fight since beating Ciryl Gane in a unification matchup in January 2022.