UFC president Dana White doesn’t like crossover fights and isn’t interested in seeing his heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou take on Tyson Fury in a boxing match.
Ngannou defended his title at UFC 270 in January defeating interim champion Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision. According to Ngannou, it was the final fight on his UFC contract and at the end of the year he becomes a free agent. He’s been in negotiations with the fight promotion but Ngannou recently stated that a new contract has to allow him to enter the boxing ring.
Fury retained his WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles on April 23 by knocking out Dillian Whyte. Following the fight, Ngannou entered the ring and he and Fury agreed to a “hybrid fight.”
“This is going to be a very special fight like never before seen in the history of our sport,” said Fury about a match against Ngannou. “We’re not talking two light guys, 140 pound guys. I’m 270. He’s 270 pounds, so it’s going to be an explosive fight when it happens.”
“It’s going to be a hybrid fight with different type of rules,” said Ngannou. “MMA gloves in the ring.”
According to White, a fight between Ngannou and Fury is far from happening and certainly isn’t a lock to happen.
“That fight is definitely not a lock (happening),” White said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
White believes the match is ‘stupid,’ and a ‘waste of time.’ He considers talk of the two boxing a ‘silly conversation.’
“They’ve been talking about it. I mean, Fury is the best boxer, one of the greatest boxers of all time. You look at the guys he’s beaten and how easily he’s beating them.
“We’ll see how this whole thing plays out. I don’t love the crossover fights. I don’t love them,” White said. “Because they’re f**king stupid. That’s why. (They’re) a f**king waste of time, energy and money.”
“It’s silly, but I get it. Everybody wants to try to – I don’t know. I don’t even know.”
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To think that a mixed martial artist can go over to boxing and defeat the highest level of competition is silly. It’s just as silly as thinking a boxer can crossover to MMA and take on the top athletes. Common sense tells you that Ngannou isn’t going to stand much of a chance against Fury in a boxing bout.
“Boxing is a massive advantage for Tyson Fury. Ngannou just wrestled Ciryl Gane,” White said. “If you know anything about fighting, it’s just a silly conversation. It’s a silly conversation.”
White and the UFC allowed Conor McGregor to box Floyd Mayweather Jr. when McGregor held two UFC titles, but White doesn’t think the Ngannou situation can be compared to McGregor’s.
“The Floyd-Conor fight took on a life of its own. Everywhere I went that’s all people were asking me about. It got to a point where the fans wanted to see that fight and the media wanted to see that fight,” White said. “People are knocking our door down to see this fight.”
Dana White says a boxing match between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury is ‘silly, stupid, and a waste of time’
