‘That’s How Crossover Boxing Matches End’

Dana White wasn’t surprised by the result of Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion, Ngannou, made his sophomore appearance in the boxing ring against perennial top boxer, Joshua, this weekend (March 8, 2024). Unfortunately for “The Predator,” it went far worse than his debut against Tyson Fury in October 2023.

Ngannou, 37, competitively battled with Fury to a split decision loss (watch highlights) that many spectators argued he should have won, and in the grand scheme, he did. Against Joshua, however, Ngannou suffered a brutal second round knockout loss (watch highlights). UFC CEO, White, felt the result was what should have happened in Ngannou’s first boxing match had “The Gypsy King” taken it more seriously.

“I saw it on social media,” White said at the UFC 299 post-fight press conference. “Going into the Fury fight, if Fury trained for the fight, and didn’t show up and look like he ate Tyson Fury, it’s probably the way that fight would’ve ended, too.

“I mean, listen,” he continued. “You know how I feel about crossovers in boxing. That’s how they end. Just like that.”

Ngannou’s primary reason why he left UFC in early 2023 was because he wanted more freedom to compete in competitions like boxing matches. Therefore, the promotion released him while he was champion, which led to a deal with Professional Fighters League (PFL). The Cameroon native hasn’t fought in mixed martial arts (MMA) since his first and only UFC title defense when he earned a unanimous decision against Ciryl Gane in January 2022 (watch highlights). He’s expected to debut in PFL sometime in 2024.

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For complete UFC 299 results and play-by-play, click HERE!