Daniel Cormier has an interesting take on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA. At the peak of his MMA stint, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion transitioned to boxing following a contract dispute with UFC President Dana White. But DC believes that Ngannou has returned to cage fighting at the age of 38 simply because of his loss to Anthony Joshua.
In just his first professional boxing fight, Ngannou took on the former Unified Heavyweight heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury. Although he lost the fight, he put on a very impressive performance. So much so that most fans believed that he was robbed of a win in the bout.
However, Ngannou couldn’t carry on the momentum in his next fight as he was knocked out by Anthony Joshua. This, according to Cormier, was the turning point for the Cameroonian’s boxing career.
In a recent episode of the Good Guy/Bad Guy Show on YouTube, ‘DC’ spoke about his concerns for Ngannou ahead of his PFL debut,
“I don’t really know that he wants to do this anymore…..He chose boxing and if it hadn’t gone the way that it went with Anthony Joshua, he might still be boxing, that’s my concern.”
That is a concern for DC because Ngannou has already proved his mettle in MMA. A disinterested fighter can not do much when the bell rings no matter how hard he tries.
That said, for now, ‘The Predator‘ is focused on his next opponent and has called him the biggest challenge of his career.
Ngannou’s ‘biggest challenge’ in Ferreira
Ngannou will be taking on the former PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira, who actually makes the Cameroonian dwarf in comparison.
So, the size, strength, and reach of the Brazilian could pose problems for the 38-year-old. In a recent press conference, he even emphasized how being 6 ft 8, Ferreira would be a real pain for him to deal with.
“The challenge that is ahead of me is the biggest. I’m gonna be having a 6 foot 8 guy across the octagon that I’m going to take out. So he’s the biggest challenge so far.”
Aptly named ‘The Battle of The Giants’, this fight promises to bring fireworks with both fighters possessing one-punch KO power. Besides, Ngannou loyalists will be tuning in to watch the return of their hero in MMA. UFC fans will also tune in to see how their former champion fares after such a long time.
For Ngannou though, this is a lot more personal as this fight actualized only a few months after the death of his son, Kobe. The former UFC champion has since asserted that he is fighting in the memory of his son, and that makes him so much more motivated!
