Many pundits ask about the top of the food chain at each weight division between the different mixed martial arts promotions, but what about the heap of the crop between MMA and boxing? If we saw Francis Ngannou take on Tyson Fury inside the cage or the squared circle, what would happen?
Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury — MMA’s What If?
It would obviously depend on the ruleset. If we were going full MMA, Ngannou would be the clear favorite. And if it were boxing, then no doubt Fury would have his hand raised decisively.
But what if it were some sort of hybrid ruleset? One round MMA, one round boxing or something along those lines. Things could get very interesting. Boxing tips would be helpful for Ngannou, as it’s Fury’s bread and butter. But grappling and MMA would need to be taught to Fury to help with the MMA round.
Ngannou’s strengths
In the past, people questioned Ngannou’s technique. Not only when it came to his striking, but his wrestling ability as well. In recent outings, we have seen a distinct change in the way the Nigerian throws his punches. He does not reach or swing wildly anymore, in fact, his strikes have been cleaned up immensely since putting in the work with Xtreme Couture and specifically coach Eric Nicksick.
In the UFC 270 main event, Ngannou shocked the entire world when he primarily wrestled en route to a decision victory against Cyril Gane.
Ngannou suffered a serious knee injury before the fight and was told by his doctor to not step foot inside the Octagon. He did and in the first two rounds, he stated that he was worried about his knee. However, once he realized he could take the French fighter to the mat, it was all over. He sensed victory on the canvas and he did just that. One more tool in the heavyweight kingpin’s toolbelt.
Putting all those weapons together would be tough for anyone, especially Tyson Fury to handle.
Fury’s strengths
Both men are big, however, Tyson Fury is huge. Ngannou stands at 6’4″ and weighs about 257lbs, whereas, Fury is an astounding 6’9″ and weighs 277lbs. For being so big one would think it would slow him down, but it’s just the opposite. The Englishman is extremely fast and agile for such a behemoth of a human.
Put the speed and agility along with the fact that he has a gas tank for days and he is very tough to deal with. We saw against Deontay Wilder in the third outing, that Fury utilized his weight and leaned on him a lot. If he were to learn any sort of cage wrestling or grappling, then his weight and stature alone could cause trouble for Ngannou.
He also has fantastic ring awareness and footwork.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, this fight will never happen. But with the MMA What If’s series we figured we would put it out there. Who do you think would take the cake if Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury stepped foot in the cage or ring across from each other?
