Dan Hardy wants to see Francis Ngannou box Tyson Fury under the PFL banner.
With Jake Paul appointed as Head of Fighter Advocacy for the PFL, Hardy sees an opportunity for former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou to get his desired boxing match with Fury, while also being part of an MMA promotion. Ngannou parted ways with the UFC after failing to come to an agreement on a new deal.
Boxing heavyweight champ Fury proposed a boxing match with MMA gloves, and Hardy thinks PFL would serve as the perfect home for that fight.
“The fight to make right now, get PFL and Jake Paul working on Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou in MMA gloves,” Hardy told MMA Junkie. “If that doesn’t sell pay-per-views, I don’t know what would.”
Hardy would be intrigued to see Ngannou fight 2022 PFL heavyweight champion Ante Delija, but with Fury re-mentioning the possibility of boxing Ngannou, Hardy says it’s the fight to make.
“The one is Tyson Fury,” Hardy said. “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 into mixed martial arts, with him being able to grab wrists and hand fight and do all the stuff he can’t get away with in boxing.
“If PFL can make some kind of matchup between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, it’s worth whatever money they can put on the table because it would be massive. It would be like Muhammad Ali fighting Antonio Inoki but in our time, and given the fact that they’re heavyweights, it just draws so much more attention.”
