Skip to main content

Daniel Cormier: After showing vs. Fury, Francis Ngannou can box Deontay Wilder and 'nobody would bat an eyelid'

Daniel Cormier thinks Francis Ngannou has endless possibilities in boxing after his impressive performance against Tyson Fury.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou lost a close split decision to Fury in their crossover boxing match Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Not only did Ngannou push Fury to the brink, but he knocked him down in a fight many people thought he won.

Although Cormier scored the fight in Fury’s favor, he commended Ngannou for proving doubters wrong and going toe-to-toe with the WBC champion. He thinks Ngannou’s stock rose so much that no one would have an issue if he was matched up against someone like Deontay Wilder next.

“I thought Tyson Fury won that fight 95-94,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “We all thought that by leaving the UFC and the guaranteed amount of money he was going to make, Francis Ngannou was making a mistake. When he got this fight, you kind of had to eat crow. Now he has gone not only into that fight, but he’s over-delivered in that fight.

“So now there’s a world of opportunities still out there for Francis Ngannou. So what does he do next? Does he actually go to PFL, when right now he could go out there and fight some of the other great heavyweights around the world? He could go fight Deontay Wilder and nobody would bat an eyelid. Nobody. He could go fight some of these guys that Tyson Fury fought – Dillian Whyte is one.”

Cormier also thinks Ngannou giving Fury a stern test is a bad look for boxing.

“You know who lost tonight? The sport of boxing,” Cormier said. “You’ve got a dominant heavyweight champion that just fought a guy making his pro debut to a split decision when you already have another fight on the books for December (against Oleksandr Usyk). So whether it be taking him light, whether it be Francis was better than he expected, it does not matter. There’s going to be some work to be done to restore the way Tyson Fury is looked at right now as he heads into his next fight with Usyk.”

For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.



from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/7O6vULw
via IFTTT
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Drew Dober offers to be Michael Chandler's warm-up fight for Conor McGregor

LAS VEGAS – If Michael Chandler wants to step into the cage before his long-awaited matchup against Conor McGregor, Drew Dober has his hand raised. Dober (26-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) returns to action on the main card of UFC Fight Night 229 to face Ricky Glenn (22-7-2 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC). While he isn’t looking past his upcoming opponent, Dober has threw his name in the hat should Chandler get tired of waiting around for McGregor to commit to a fight date. “He’s definitely waiting for Conor, I’m still unsure if Conor’s going to ever show up,” Dober told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “If he wants a 5-foot-9 southpaw to get him warmed up for that fight, I’m absolutely available. He’s just got to let me know when he wants to do it.” Dober, a lightweight competitor, is willing to move up in weight to face Chandler, even though the two fighters share the same weight class. “He said he’s 190 pounds right now? I can fight him at 170,” Dober said. “I’m here for the excitement and he brings ...
Read more

Henry Cejudo: 'I still don't see Sean O'Malley as the best in the world' ahead of UFC 299

Henry Cejudo is not sold on Sean O'Malley as UFC bantamweight champion. O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) knocked out Aljamain Sterling to become 135-pound champion at UFC 292, whereas Cejudo is coming off a close title loss to Sterling at UFC 288 . O’Malley will make his first title defense against Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 headliner on March 9, and Cejudo is still adamant that “Chito” beats O’Malley again – despite being a sizable underdog. “I still don’t see Sean O’Malley as the best in the world,” Cejudo said on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel . “I don’t. I do believe ‘Chito’ Vera is going to beat him. You have good defense, you walk that dude down, you kick his freaking legs – he still has that wide leg – you kick his legs, you just bring the fight to him and grit. “This is what Sean O’Malley will do: He’ll look at the clock because he throws a lot of power. He is precise, but he throws a lot of it. I would bet the house on ‘Chito.’ Once I beat Merab (Dvalishvili), I’m goi...
Read more

Tatiana Suarez targets drop to strawweight next, lists Rose Namajunas as potential opponent

LAS VEGAS – Tatiana Suarez is set on a move back to strawweight, despite having a successful return at 125 pounds. Suarez made her long-awaited return to competition Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 220. Suarez (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who hadn’t competed in nearly four years due to a series of injuries, submitted Montana De La Rosa (12-8-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout. But despite picking up a dominant win at 125 pounds, as well as a $50,000 bonus, Suarez is determined to return to her original weight class and resume a title run. “I think they should give me a really good opponent at strawweight, and I’ll earn it,” Suarez told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 220 post-fight press conference. “I’ve never been given anything in my life. I’ve always earned it, and I don’t mind doing that because I think that builds character. You have to work for the things you want in your life. I don’t mind doing that because that’s how my mom and grandma raised me. “I’...
Read more