Francis Ngannou

The latest entry in combat sports' crossover era could, nay, would be the biggest.

Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury dispatched Dillian Whyte in London last Saturday in his ostensible retirement fight. But in this case, retirement might mean more of an extended vacation, one that doesn't see Fury get out of bed for less than $40 million. 

Boxing fans are holding out hope for a heavyweight unification bout between Fury and the winner of a rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, which hasn't been officially announced yet but is currently targeted for July. 

That would be nice and all, but where's the carnival intrigue in that? It's not really a party until there's confusion over the ground rules.

Perhaps that's why, after his hand went up Saturday, the Gypsy King beckoned Francis Ngannou into the ring. The UFC heavyweight champion and the best heavyweight boxer around have been teasing a crossover battle for some time now. It would be a monstrous payday for both men and a must-watch for even the purest of combat sports purists. (For Fury, it would also have the fringe benefit of allowing him to technically keep his promise and remain retired from boxing.) 

Ngannou is expected to sit out all of 2022 following knee surgery. It's a convenient way of waiting out his UFC contract so he can go test the boxing waters—an undisputed bucket list item for him. And who can blame him? Twelve of his 17 pro MMA wins have come by knockout, and Ngannou just looked on as Fury made a reported 56 times more money for beating White than he did for beating Ciryl Gane back in January.

Could this actually happen? 

"Definitely," Ngannou said Saturday. "Sometime next year, 2023. That fight will happen because, by the end of this year, we're going to sort it out." 

We'll see. There's no guarantee the UFC won't interfere in some way with Ngannou on this contract situation, and the situation has been tense. No one seems too sure what will happen, but knowing the UFC, they aren't going to happily or easily let him go. 

If the fight does happen, there would need to be asterisks, of course. Either man would destroy the other in his native rule set, with Fury sticking-and-moving Ngannou into oblivion or Ngannou mauling Fury into the canvas. So it would happen under hybrid rules, which can vary but could involve gloves sized halfway between the two sports, heavy clinching but no takedowns or submissions, and plenty of other twists and turns. It's all on the table for negotiating, essentially. Ngannou said "MMA gloves, in the ring" after the fight, and noted they would be "mixing it up" rules wise, but who knows what it might actually look like.

There is precedent. Last year, the ever-intrepid Triller Fight Club tried what it called triad combat, essentially a boxing-MMA mashup.

Under these rules, legal moves included:

- Clinching

- All punches

- Hammerfists

- Spinning backfists
 

However, the following moves were illegal: 

- Takedowns

- Submissions

- Trips

- Foot sweeps

- Headlocks

Without knowing the exact rule set, breaking down a potential fight between the two is tough. Still, we know a lot of it would come down to Ngannou's ungodly one-shot power and Fury's ability to evade it. Fury has never been stopped in his career, but that zero would face a special kind of threat in Ngannou.

Fury is light on his feet, especially for a guy who stands 6'9". He's always working behind his lead hand, firing the jab or just pawing at his opponent for strategic purposes. At 85 inches, his reach gives opponents fits.

But that reach advantage would be a scant two inches against Ngannou. That means it will be easier for Ngannou to get inside and attack that long midsection—something Deontay Wilder had success with. Starching the body could slow Fury's movement, making him more susceptible to further attack. That could include one of those patented Ngannou bullrushes that are designed to overwhelm opponents. Fury has seemed pretty, well, unoverwhelmable in his career, but the equation changes when you hit as hard as Ngannou can.

That said, the advantage has to go to Fury.

Ngannou has the quintessential puncher's chance. Although he has a much deeper gas tank now than he did just a few years ago, he still can't be expected to dance with Fury for 12 rounds. Fury would build up unbelievable volume as the fight hit the final quarter pole, battering if not finishing Ngannou for a convincing win. Fury knows full well that Ngannou would have to get him early, and he should be able to use his footwork and range management to stay out of the danger zone.

There's a "but" with Ngannou, though, and a brutal knockout would set the sports world on fire. Regardless of whether it happens, the existence of that threat and the novelty rules will make this fight compelling.

But there's another but. Ngannou is far from some mindless smashing machine. Look at the way he's improved from fight to fight; he didn't just fall upward into the championship levels. Look at the grappling he incorporated against Gane—four of five takedowns landed and more than eight minutes of control time, per UFC stats. After laying one of the UFC's biggest eggs of all time in an offense-less decision loss to Derrick Lewis, he responded with a bonus-winning 45-second knockout of Curtis Blaydes. After Stipe Miocic smothered him in 2018, Ngannou was still aggressive but more measured in 2021 en route to a second-round knockout. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a learning computer. So that, and not his power, may be the real "but."

If you haven't given into crossover combat sports yet, then what in the name of Frank Gore are you waiting for? This matchup is the cream of the crossover crop, the rare spectacle with no discernible ceiling on hype, and there's plenty of room for everyone. 

For our sakes, here's hoping Ngannou's right and this one gets sorted out.

After knocking out Dillian Whyte in the sixth round of their heavyweight title fight on Saturday, Tyson Fury teased a bout with UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. 

According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Fury brought Ngannou into the ring during his postmatch interview and said the two would be fighting at some point. 

"Going to be an explosive fight when it happens," Fury said.

The most obvious potential road block to a Fury-Ngannou bout is Ngannou having a contract with the UFC. 

Barring some agreement between the UFC and Top Rank, a bout would have to wait until Ngannou's current deal with the UFC expires. 

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told ESPN's Lance Pugmire he thinks the fight "should be easy to make" since Fury and Ngannou "are with ESPN."

Arum is referring to the UFC's television contract with ESPN, but that has nothing to do with whether or not UFC President Dana White would allow one of his fighters to work in another sport. 

Ngannou also sounded confident the superfight would happen:

There appeared to be some contract issues between the UFC and Ngannou's camp last year when the promotion moved quickly to make an interim heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 in August. 

Things eventually got worked out, as Ngannou returned to the Octagon in January to defeat Gane by unanimous decision and win the unified title. He is unlikely to fight again this year because of a damaged ACL and torn MCL that will require surgery. He suffered the injuries during training for his bout with Gane. 

Fury and Ngannou have been going back and forth about a potential fight for months. The Gypsy King went so far as to tell iFL TV in February (h/t Martin Domin of the Mirror) he has a date in mind for the bout. 

"I'm gonna fight Francis Ngannou in Las Vegas next year, next March or February," Fury said. 

In an interview with Barstool Sports last month (h/t MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun), White said it would be "a really bad idea" for Ngannou to fight Fury because his boxing prowess doesn't compare to someone like Fury.

Fury is unbeaten in 33 career fights with a 32-0-1 record. He avenged the only non-win on his resume by beating Deontay Wilder by TKO and knockout in their subsequent fights after a draw in December 2018. 

Ngannou is arguably the most dominant fighter in the UFC right now. The Predator has won six consecutive fights since back-to-back losses against Lewis and Stipe Miocic in 2018. He has a 17-3 career record with 16 wins via stoppage (12 knockouts, four submissions).     

Stipe Miocic, Daniel Cormier, Francis Ngannou—for several years, they've been the three-man weave at the top of the heavyweight division.

Going back to 2016, in Miocic's first title defense, these three fighters have comprised 14 of the 18 combatants involved in undisputed UFC heavyweight title bouts. 

It's time for fresh blood, a new talent infusion. And it's coming.

Cormier is retired. Miocic is 39 and mired in inactivity. A move up to heavyweight for Jon Jones would be a welcome and intriguing addition, but he's too mercurial to rely on. 

As for Ngannou, well, the champ can stay, one supposes.

But who beyond Ngannou is ready for the bright lights and the toughest tests? There are fighters prepared to fill the breach and become the new guard in what is historically the UFC's most glamorous weight class.

In fact, the three competitors we're listing here may be the best heavyweights period, non-Ngannou division.

This Saturday, the picture will continue to evolve as two top-10 heavyweights, Chris Daukaus and Curtis Blaydes, clash in the main event of UFC Fight Night 205 in Columbus, Ohio. A win could establish the winner as a favorite for an interim title bout, an entirely possible scenario with Ngannou out until at least the end of the year as he recovers from knee surgery.

Who's ready to break through the logjam and establish themselves as the division's top talents? Let's get it on.

Ciryl Gane

Record: 10-1
Age: 31
Current UFC rank: 1

He may have just lost to Ngannou, but Ciryl Gane is still a tough nut to crack at heavyweight. His game is more skilled and more nuanced than that of the classic heavyweight slugger.

Gane not only relies heavily on movement but can keep it up through five rounds. He's adept at switching stances and knows how to rack up the striking volume, even if he doesn't throw every strike with fight-ending intentions. Despite losing to Ngannou by unanimous decision, Gane still out-landed the champ in significant strikes (63-43) with a higher accuracy rate (69 percent to 41 percent). That discrepancy had a lot to do with Gane's quickness and agility, as he made Ngannou miss time and again.

It was even more egregious in his third-round knockout of Derrick Lewis, where Gane had a 98-16 significant strike advantage. Yes, I would say that's significant.

There's a lot of point fighting, but he's not above throwing some spinning ish, be it a spinning kick to the body or a spinning elbow off the clinch break, if he sees the right opening.

Supremely confident but conservative, Gane normally goes for the kill when he's confident he can get it. In the Lewis fight, he swarmed forward after he had fully roasted Lewis' lead leg on a spit using an incessant barrage of kicks. Only then did Gane rush in. 

There are questions. Ngannou was able to keep him on his back for extended periods once the action hit the ground. On the other hand, Ngannou weighs roughly the same as a small panel truck. So maybe that one's a push.

Gane doesn't have an opponent yet. The winner of Saturday's main event could make sense, as could Tai Tuivasa or Tom Aspinall.

Curtis Blaydes

Record: 15-3 (1)
Age: 31
Current UFC rank: 4

If he wins in emphatic fashion Saturday, who knows? Blaydes may well end up as one-half of a future interim bout.

Blaydes is first and foremost a wrestler. He holds the records for most takedowns among heavyweights (62) in UFC history and has logged 75-plus minutes of total control time in 14 UFC contests.

He is not a K-1-level kickboxer, but Blaydes can put your lights out (10 career knockouts) on the feet or with merciless ground-and-pound. His hands are sharper than he sometimes gets credit for. I think that's why they call him "Razor" instead of "Roller" or "Lawnmower" or "Fan." 

He's getting really good at using his boxing to set up takedowns, and he's adept at catching kicks to force the action to the mat. So it's a slippery area, the standup game with Blaydes. Sometimes, he'll rush in or telegraph his takedown shots, as he did against Lewis, an instant before Lewis put him to sleep with a shovel punch as Blaydes darted in from long distance. 

But he seemed to have cleaned that up against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, staying more measured and mixing up his attacks. 

At 31 years old, Blaydes is still improving. Saturday, he faces an interesting opponent in Daukaus, a headhunter's headhunter who has only gone to decision once in 16 pro fights and has four UFC wins, all by knockout. We'll see if Blaydes can avoid a reckless firefight and work smarter to win his sixth fight in seven contests.

Tom Aspinall

Record: 12-2
Age: 28
Current UFC rank: 6 

The Englishman deserves to be in this conversation after dispatching a very good opponent in Alexander Volkov last week at UFC London. 

Aspinall made a 12-fight UFC veteran in Volkov look like a very physically fit popcorn peddler they pulled from the stands. Aspinall cut through Volkov like cream cheese left on the counter too long, eventually submitting him with a straight armbar in under four minutes.

You wouldn't know it was the biggest fight of Aspinall's life based on his cucumber-y coolness in there. He made measured decisions, but that's not a euphemism for "inactive." Quite the contrary; Aspinall let his hands go, and they may be the fastest hands in the division. He hit with precision and efficiency, too, landing 29 of 43 significant strikes for a 67 percent success rate—more than twice the output of Drago, himself known as a high-volume striker but who managed a relatively meager 13-of-23 for a 57 percent success rate.  

One caveat: Aspinall has yet to go to a decision in his entire career. He's only reached the second round three times and once in his five-fight UFC tenure, and that was a dominant submission of Andrei Arlovski. Eventually, Aspinall will be pushed into the later rounds, and that will pose a fascinating test for his cardio. 

As it stands, though he just jumped up five spots to No. 6 in the official UFC rankings, he's in more rarefied air than that. He's probably the best British MMA fighter out there today in any division. If Blaydes wins Saturday, no one would be mad at a Blaydes-Aspinall interim title bout. Except Gane. But hey, welcome to a new three-man weave among the heavyweights.

Welcome back to the B/R MMA Mailbag. Here's where we answer your questions about all the various MMA issues of the day. 

This week we're focused on the UFC's heavyweight division, which is steeped in drama thanks to champ Francis Ngannou's extended absence and Tai Tuivasa's one-shot knockout last weekend of all-time UFC knockout king Derrick Lewis.

It's kind of a weird division right now, with top stars on ice and new stars, Tuivasa notwithstanding, slow to materialize.

We asked for your questions Monday. What did you want to know about this glamorous if depleted division?

Questions may be edited for length or clarity.

What about Stipe Miocic? Is Jon Jones really gonna fight? If so, when? —@Bear2327

Stipe needs a fight! —@Brundon

Miocic has been the odd man out lately at the top of this division, but if our readers are any indication, he's far from forgotten.

Miocic only competed once per year from 2019 to 2021, going 2-1 by notching two wins over Daniel Cormier before losing the title to Ngannou. The matchmaking gods simply haven't looked his way, perhaps in part because of his relative lack of marketability.

No question he's been quiet lately, but a single tweet recently landed him back in the spotlight. That tweet came from a person named Jon Jones.

You might balk at Jones' vague language in the tweet, but it gets a little less murky when you remember that Miocic holds the record for most consecutive UFC heavyweight title defenses with three. So, by at least one metric, Miocic is indeed the best heavyweight ever. 

If one insider is to be believed, Miocic has been making the most of his layoff. ESPN and social media personality Chael Sonnen recently reported that Miocic, in an effort to compete with Ngannou and other fighters on the larger end of the spectrum, has put on 20 pounds of muscle and now clocks in at 249 pounds, much closer to the division's upper limit of 265. (For comparison's sake, Ngannou weighed in at 257 for his January bout with Ciryl Gane.) 

There's plenty of momentum for a Jones-Miocic matchup. Cormier, a former champ and current broadcaster, has given the match his stamp of approval. It is in no way far-fetched to expect the winner to be named interim heavyweight champ, especially given the UFC's conflict with Ngannou over paying him a fair wage for his efforts.

But as with all things Jones, just getting him back in the ring is half the battle. Until the cage door closes, his future will be uncertain. But if it doesn't work out, Miocic and the UFC might have to move on. At age 39, Miocic has to be motivated to get back into action as soon as possible. If a Jones matchup doesn't pan out, a bout with the red-hot Tuivasa could make for a juicy consolation prize.

It has to be Ngannou or Stipe next for Tai, right? —@ProgressiveFlo 

Is Ngannou coming back, and if he does who does he fight? —@EvilTexan88

If I answer your question, do I get discounted insurance for my RV? I certainly hope so.

Ngannou is on the shelf until the end of the year following knee surgery. His future in the UFC is mostly cloudy given his contract status and his stated desire to try boxing—a desire that's very much requited.

If Miocic vs. Jones doesn't move forward as an interim title match, Tuivasa might get a shot at Miocic. 

My personal vote, however, is for Tuivasa vs. Gane. Gane has the more deliberate game, while Tuivasa has, well, the less deliberate game. Anyone who can crush Lewis with a single elbow strike deserves to be tested against the best.

Is there any new blood aside from Tom Aspinall being injected into the heavyweight division? —@Bear2327

Despite his recent loss to Lewis, I'm not ready to punt on Chris Daukaus just yet. If you can bully or wrestle him, you've got a chance. If not, you're getting starched. Ask Aleksei Oleinik, Shamil Abdurakhimov, or any of the other 11 guys he's knocked out in 16 pro fights. Is he a future champ? Probably not. But he can continue to make noise and has a puncher's chance against anyone.

If you're looking for a deeper cut, try Alikhan Vakhaev. Coming out of the fighting hotbed of Russia's North Caucasus region, Vakhaev is 11-2 on regional circuits, punctuated by an active seven-fight win streak. His last loss came to Volkan Oezdemir, who fights in the UFC's light heavyweight division. The 6'6" Chechnyan knows how to use his size and range to pick opponents apart.

Let us now close up the B/R MMA mailbag. See you next week for new topics.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones made a cryptic post Friday on Twitter pointing toward his potential plan for a return fight:

Jones, who last stepped in the Octagon in February 2020, didn't drop any hints about who he's referring to, but there are several possibilities.

Fedor Emelianenko is often viewed as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history, but the 45-year-old Russian has never fought in UFC. His most recent bout came at Bellator 269 in October when he scored a knockout victory over Timothy Johnson.

More UFC-centric options include Stipe Miocic, Daniel Cormier and current UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Jones and Cormier have already faced off twice. "Bones" won the first meeting by unanimous decision in January 2015 and delivered a knockout in the second matchup in July 2017, though that result was later changed to a no contest after Jones failed a PED test.

Ngannou is set to undergo knee surgery following his successful title defense against Ciryl Gane in late January. That seemingly takes him out of the equation as Jones' opponent in the short term.

So that leaves Miocic as the most likely candidate to fit Jones' description.

Miocic held the heavyweight title for just shy of four years across two separate stints. He last fought in March when he dropped the belt to Ngannou.

A clash between Jones and Miocic would certainly be a main-event level attraction as the heavyweight division awaits Ngannou's eventual return.