On Friday, the night before UFC 299, former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou made his second appearance inside a boxing ring against former two-time champion Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In his debut, Ngannou faced boxing legend Tyson Fury and went the distance. Ngannou scored a knockdown in the third round but came up short losing via split decision. His performance against Fury lead to the fight with Joshua.
Ngannou was knocked down by Joshua in the first frame. In the second round, he hit the canvas again. When he got up, and the fight was resumed, Joshua connected with a straight right hand that visciously crumbled the former UFC titleholder.
During the UFC 299 Post-Fight Press Conference on Saturday, UFC CEO Dana White commented on Ngannou’s loss and wasn’t surprised by the result.
“Going into the Fury fight, if Fury trained for the fight and showed up looking like he ate Tyson Fury that’s probably how that fight would have ended,” White said. “You know how I feel about crossovers into boxing. That’s how the end. Just like that.”
Ngannou is expected to return to mixed martial arts later this year. “The Predator” inked a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League in May 2023 but has yet to fight under the PFL banner. His first PFL opponent is expected to be Renan Ferreira.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/dana-white-weighs-in-on-francis-ngannous-knockout-loss-to-anthony-joshua
