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The debate over the ‘baddest man on the planet’ is over.
At least, that’s what former UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes.
Despite his controversial loss to Tyson Fury in his boxing debut, Cormier says that Francis Ngannou, not Fury, is deserving of the label.
Fury, the reining WBC heavyweight champion, walked away with a split decision victory to keep his undefeated professional record in tact.
But the result doesn’t matter to Cormier, who heaped praise on Ngannou.
“[It was] one of the most courageous and greatest performances I have seen by an athlete outside of their realm of expertise,” Cormier said of the Cameroonian. “Guys, make no mistake about it, I believe this with 100 percent of myself. Everything I hold to be true in my life, Francis Ngannou is the baddest man on the planet. 100 percent, 1000 percent.
“We always call the heavyweight champ the baddest man on the planet and it’s usually the MMA guy that is the baddest man on the planet. That’s why when Tyson Fury started to call Jon Jones out and everything I was saying how he could not beat Jon Jones in an actual fight. Francis Ngannou proved he is the baddest man on the planet.”
While he was quick to praise Ngannou following the fight, Cormier had his doubts going in. Particularly about how Ngannou would hold up in the later parts of 10-round, 30-minute fight.
“There’s no way a fight between any boxer and a UFC heavyweight champion in mixed martial arts goes to that type of decision,” Cormier said. “It was the most impressive performance I’ve ever seen for a guy outside of their realm of expertise because they (boxers) can’t do it.”
Now Cormier wonders what comes next for the man who just sign a big-money deal with the PFL.
“He over-delivered in that fight so now there’s a world of opportunities still out there for Francis Ngannou,” Cormier said. “Does he actually go to PFL when right now, he could go out there and fight some of the great heavyweights around the world. He could go fight Deontay Wilder and nobody would bat an eyelid. He could fight some of those guys that Tyson Fury fought.”