Francis Ngannou wants ‘baddest man on the planet’ label after beating Tyson Fury

Francis Ngannou wants ‘baddest man on the planet’ label after beating Tyson Fury

Heading into the clash as a huge underdog, Francis Ngannou has the weight of the world on his shoulders as he’s forced to perform under the brightest lights of his combat sports career.

Despite reaching the pinnacle of mixed martial arts by becoming the UFC heavyweight king and defending his throne, ‘The Predator’ will now face the toughest test of his decade-long career in fighting. Tyson Fury wants to give the MMA star a rude awakening when they step into the cage together and put on a masterclass display before defending his title against Oleksandr Usyk in a few months’ time.

With all the confidence in the world, Ngannou spent time with the TNT Sports team to detail how he has been preparing for the bout on October 28. Instead of attempting to replicate his opponent’s style and stature, the Cameroon native instead opted to focus on himself for the past couple of months.

“I didn’t try to replicate what Fury would do, I [was] trying to install my own rules, how it would go, you know? I’m not going there to play Fury’s game but I’m going in there to play my own game.”

“So my training was based on like, me [and] how I’m going to fight to win [against] Fury and that’s what me and my coaches, we work on it.” Stated Ngannou. “It went well. Tough, but it went well. We started earlier because I’m aware of my lack of experience in this sport, in boxing. I know it’s my first fight but I’m a man of challenge and I have overcome a lot of challenges.”

Related: Francis Ngannou desperate to stop Tyson Fury from “cheating” ahead of their boxing showcase

With the world watching on Saturday night, Francis Ngannou believes they will all be calling him “the damn man” following his meeting with Tyson Fury. The knockout artist insists this is a battle between the two baddest men on the planet and he wants to be known as the only one with a win over ‘The Gypsy King’.

“They will say Francis Ngannou is the damn man,” Ngannou said in reference to what the fans will say about him in the aftermath of his boxing debut. “We are the baddest men on the planet… After everything that could happen on Saturday night, there are two, right? We are already [the] number two baddest man on the planet, [we’re] just aiming for the first spot.”