The former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is all set to take on the reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a much-anticipated boxing match today. The match is expected to be an absolute star show and several big names will be attending the fight including Conor McGregor. The Irishman who is famous for his ability to captivate audiences has also confirmed his presence at the event through his social media handle. Interestingly, about seven months ago McGregor expressed a quite opposite take. In an interview with MMA Fighting, he said that “Ngannou made an error by leaving UFC.”
The crossover boxing match ‘Battle of the Baddest’ is scheduled to take place on 28 October 2023. The two champions will square off against each other in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The main event is scheduled to begin at 14:00 ET, whereas the Fury-Ngannou bout is expected to begin at 17:15 ET.
Amid the much-awaited Fury vs. Ngannou boxing bout, McGregor confirmed his attendance for the match. ‘The Notorious’ recently took to Twitter and confirmed his attendance for the fight. He shared a series of voice notes confirming his presence.
“The Notorious heads to The Kingdom 🇸🇦👑 #furyngannou”
The Notorious heads to The Kingdom 🇸🇦👑 #furyngannou pic.twitter.com/dZOCQMXvkI
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 26, 2023
Even though McGregor has agreed to attend the event he did have a different take when ‘The Predator’ left the UFC. Ngannou in his last fight defeated Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 and unified the heavyweight championship. But later due to complications in the contract negotiations he left the company.
This received a varied reaction from the MMA community and the support was divided on Ngannou’s decision to leave the promotion. Among all other fighters, even Conor McGregor felt that Ngannou made an error by leaving the promotion.
Conor McGregor explains how Francis Ngannou made an error by leaving UFC
The Irishman is known to express his views that mostly lead to beefs and controversies. But he also never shies away when it comes to offering his unwavering support. During an interview with MMA Fighting, McGregor specifically pointed out the Francis Ngannou situation and said,
“If you think of Ngannou… Think of all he got. He was in that P.I. using all the equipment. There was no dough on that. There would’ve been no charge on that. He’s getting accommodations, he’s getting everything sorted. I thought he made an error, to be honest.” (7:24 to 7:46)
To everyone’s surprise, ‘The Notorious’ didn’t applaud Ngannou’s decision-making when he left the UFC. Instead, the former two-division champion expressed that the UFC is the place to be, despite the money that boxing offers. However, ‘The Notorious’ is all prepped up to watch the Fury vs. Ngannou crossover live.
The upcoming Fury vs. Ngannou fight has generated an unprecedented level of excitement in the combat sports world. It has drawn the attention of fighters from both boxing and MMA communities. Fighters like Conor McGregor have already reserved their seats for the show. The big fight has all the hype and promises to be an entertaining showdown for the fans.
