Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson would rather see Francis Ngannou stick to boxing after his impressive debut.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou looked far from inexperienced when he lost a close split decision to Tyson Fury in their crossover boxing match this Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou went toe to toe with Fury and even knocked him down in Round 3.
Johnson, the current ONE Championship bantamweight title holder who accurately predicted that Ngannou would drop Fury, thought Ngannou won the fight. After Ngannou proved that he could compete with perhaps the best heavyweight boxer of his generation in Fury, “Mighty Mouse” thinks Ngannou should continue riding his momentum.
“What’s next for Francis? I don’t think I want to see Francis do mixed martial arts,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “I know that might be hard to hear, but I don’t see why PFL cannot do boxing. Why not PFL do boxing? You have one of the biggest stars in boxing right now, Francis, who just beat the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Tyson Fury.”
Ngannou is currently signed with PFL after parting ways with the UFC. Ngannou said he plans on competing in both boxing and MMA moving forward, but Johnson thinks Ngannou has nothing left to prove in MMA.
“I want to see Francis box,” Johnson continued. “I don’t want to see him do mixed martial arts. We’ve seen him do mixed martial arts. He’s beaten the best of the world in mixed martial arts. He’s been a world champion. There’s nothing left for him to do in that sport. I want to see him do boxing. He’s going to make big money in boxing. He could fight Anthony Joshua, he could fight Deontay Wilder. The gates have just opened up.”
For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.
