Francis Ngannou will be rooting for Tyson Fury to defeat Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday with hopes of setting up a rematch between them in 2025.
Former UFC heavyweight champion and current PFL Super Fight champion Ngannou still has a sour taste in his mouth stemming from his controversial split decision loss to Fury in October 2023.
Ngannou, among many others, felt like he was wronged by the judges on that night after he knocked Fury down and found much success. Since that fight, Ngannou went on to suffer a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua before returning to MMA with a first-round TKO of Renan Ferreira in October.
The next move for Ngannou is unclear, but he said boxing very much remains a priority.
“I’m not coming back because I never left – I’m still around,” Ngannou told Seconds Out. “What I do know for sure is that I want a rematch with Fury.”
The result of the anticipated rematch between Fury and Usyk could have an impact on what happens for Ngannou. If Fury loses, the path to booking that fight could potential open up for “The Predator.” But if Fury is victorious and avenges his loss to Usyk from earlier this year, then a trilogy bout could potentially come into play next year.
Although Fury losing might actually be the more ideal outcome for Ngannou, he said he expects his former opponent to get the win.
“Who do I think wins? I think Fury,” Ngannou said. “Not that I’m taking Usyk out. Much respect for Usyk for what he has done, and for their first fight. To be honest, he proved me wrong. I’ll admit that. I was wrong on that one. But I still go for Fury.”
