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Former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou is a made man after signing a lucrative deal with the PFL just last month.
But Ngannou’s next fight is anyone’s guess.
The PFL currently lacks for viable challenger to the powerful Cameroonian. And a crossover boxing match isn’t out of the realm of positive.
Ngannou was recently locked in a war of words with heavyweight boxing champ Tyson Fury, and the two both appear interested in a potential superfight.
But Ngannou, who hasn’t fought since January of 2022 and has never boxed, is also considering a tune up fight prior to taking on Fury.
The logic seems sound. But UFC veteran Matt Brown is advising Ngannou to skip to the tune up and go right to the big payday.
“He needs to go for the big payday,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “It sounds like he wants to be a serious professional boxer maybe, if he’s talking about doing a warmup fight to get into it. I guess that’s a different path but now you’re taking a risk. Maybe you’re not that good. You don’t know.
“You haven’t f****** boxed, bro. You weren’t in the Olympics. You didn’t do an amateur career. You don’t f****** know. When you don’t know, go for the payday. Go for the f****** payday. What are we doing here? Quit f******* around here. Get the payday and be done with it.”
Brown makes a good point.
Ngannou possesses tremendous power. But that alone won’t make you a good boxing. What if he takes a tune-up fight and loses? Then the whole thing goes out the window.
It’s extremely unlikely that Ngannou beats Fury in a boxing match with or without a fight beforehand. So go get paid and move on with your regularly scheduled MMA career.