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Conquering the mixed martial arts could be next on Tyson Fury's agenda after 'The Gypsy King' repeated his desire to face former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in the cage.
The heavyweight kings of combat sports are due to meet in the boxing ring on October 28. However, Fury is already open to the possibility of crossing into the Cameroonian's realm and said he would '100% beat Ngannou in the cage'.
Two of the most dangerous men on the planet were in London on Thursday for their press conference ahead of next month's 'Battle of the Baddest'. And Fury appeared on the red carpet just prior to the event, talking up the chance of an MMA bout between the pair after completing their boxing commitments.
"I would, yeah. I'd like to fight Ngannou in the cage," replied the unbeaten boxing superstar when Carl Frampton asked if he'd be interested in a move in the other direction. "I think I can beat him, for sure!
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"He's not a good jiu-jitsu man, he's not a good wrestler, he's known for striking, and I'm a better striker than him! And with [the] little gloves, I'd knock him out in seconds!"
The two later traded barbs on stage where the prospect of an MMA clash was raised, and Fury repeated he "kick Ngannou's arse," while the Cameroonian urged him to focus on the fight at hand.
Next month's meeting in Riyadh is one of the most hotly anticipated clashes in modern memory, building a frenzy of excitement not seen since Conor McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fury is the dominant favourite to extend his unbeaten legacy in the Sweet Science, but he faces an opponent largely recognised as the hardest puncher on the planet.
Could Tyson Fury beat Francis Ngannou in an MMA fight? Let us know in the comments section below.
"Just do a bit of kicking and blocking. I'll elbow him in the teeth, you know, do all that! Did any of you see me training with [ex-UFC fighter] Darren Till? Smack, bang, bang, bang, elbows!
"I was training over in Holland with current Glory world heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven. And before that, the K1 world heavyweight champion, Daniel Ghita. All of these guys, I've sparred them all!"
KSI takes on Tommy Fury at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday, October 14th as he hopes to cause an upset. Logan Paul will also be fighting at the event in front of what is expected to be a sell-out crowd.
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While the Morecambe man might have spent time training with those names from MMA, most would agree Ngannou is in a category of his own in comparison. Despite his late entry to the sport, 'The Predator' developed his skills in an incredibly short space of time and left the UFC on the back of a six-win streak.
Ngannou can count some very respectable wins over Stipe Miocic, Ciryl Gane, Curtis Blaydes, Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez during that run. And as for Fury's claims that his upcoming opponent is 'not a jiu-jitsu man' and sub-par at wrestling, the boxing icon may be surprised at the progress Ngannou made in those areas over recent years.
- Tyson Fury
- MMA
- Boxing
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