Deontay Wilder confirms plans to crossover to MMA amid talks with Francis Ngannou: “I’ll be a dangerous man”

Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is serious about potentially facing Francis Ngannou in the cage.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ is currently awaiting his next opponent, defeating Robert Helenius last year. Following the win, Deontay Wilder was ordered to face Andy Ruiz Jr. by the WBC. However, talks with ‘Destroyer’ as well as Anthony Joshua fell apart, leaving the former champion without an opponent.

With that in mind, his callout of Francis Ngannou makes a lot of sense. The Predator’ is fresh off his split-decision loss to Tyson Fury in his boxing debut. However, it was nearly Deontay Wilder in there. Earlier this year, the former heavyweight champion confirmed his plans to face the MMA fighter in the PFL in the future.

Following his fight with ‘The Gypsy King’, Francis Ngannou confirmed that he was again in talks with Deontay Wilder for an MMA fight. While he hasn’t started training for it yet, the boxer is interested. During a recent interview with Blue Blood Sports TV, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ discussed his plans for a future move to the cage.

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Photo by Timothy A Clary

“People don’t know me and Francis was supposed to fight first,” Deontay Wilder stated in the interview, discussing a future bout with Francis Ngannou. “Certain things came up, all I can say is it’s business. That fight took place, which is cool because Francis has made a name for himself… I’m thinking about doing both, UFC and boxing. I’ll be a dangerous man in the UFC with those four-ounce gloves, I broke the hitting machine with those four-ounce gloves.”

He continued, “That was some real stuff. I think it’s the competitive side of me, wanting to do both. Get in there, and just show the ability of what I can do. I don’t think there’s nothing cooler than being a champion in both [sports].”

What do you make of these comments from Deontay Wilder? Do you want to see the boxer fight Francis Ngannou?