After months of waiting, former UFC champion Francis Ngannou will finally make his boxing debut against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The event, which takes place on October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has already generated a lot of buzz among fight enthusiasts. However, Chael Sonnen, a former UFC fighter turned analyst, isn’t enthused with the MMA-Boxing crossover and has his reasons.
Sonnen is one of the most vocal figures in the MMA world. Thus, staying true to his nature, the former UFC title contender didn’t hold back while sharing his opinions about Fury vs. Ngannou.
What did Chael Sonnen say about Ngannou vs. Fury?
The three-time UFC title contender was recently interviewed by The Schmo, and he was asked about Ngannou’s boxing debut. According to many sources, the former UFC heavyweight will earn the largest payout of his career in this bout. His purse is said to be more than $10 million.
Despite the money involved, Sonnen termed this battle a mismatch, comparing it to top NBA stars like LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and others going against an NFL team. Talking about the fight, Sonnen said:
“It is the most ridiculous sporting competition. Let me give you an example… take the Lakers… I don’t know if LeBron was ever on that team. But remember, when they were really good. Take them and go put them against Tom Brady and the Patriots, right… you got these great teams. But you’re gonna go do it under football rules. Do you see how stupid it is? Do you see why it’s never happened?… This is literally the most ridiculous sporting event of my lifetime.”
Sonnen, though, seemed confident about Ngannou’s potential against the WBC Heavyweight champion later in the conversation. However, another UFC icon has a divisive view on how this battle will go.
Khabib Nurmagomedov warned Francis Ngannou about Tyson Fury
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, like almost everyone else in the MMA community, had a few words to say about this crossover. While discussing the match, ‘The Eagle’ warned Francis Ngannou that facing the British fighter would be difficult.
Nurmagomedov is pleased with Fury’s boxing abilities. ‘The Eagle’ claimed that if it was an MMA battle, Ngannou would have a decent chance. In boxing, though, Nurmagomedov feels there are only a few competitors who can present tough competition to Fury.
As a result, the former UFC champion feels Ngannou will have a significant struggle. Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, expressed his delight at ‘The Predator’ being paid well after his UFC exit.
