Francis Ngannou lost to Anthony Joshua in boxing.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans know that if Joshua (or Tyson Fury) stepped inside the cage, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight titleholder would deliver a similarly lopsided blow. I was relieved to know that.
Or will he?
“Would Anthony Joshua have beaten Francis Ngannou in mixed martial arts? I think he did,” former UFC flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson said on YouTube (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “It's going to be another impressive match. AJ understands his distance. He understands the void. He has better hands than Francis and makes Francis whiff. Unless Francis changes tactics and goes to clinch and wrestle (Joshua would win). But AJ is very athletic. He's more Smaller, more flexible. I think he can stuff the shot and give it to Francis Ngannou.”
The last boxer to step into the UFC Octagon was stuck inside the opening frame.
“Another downfall for Francis was that he had a boxing match with Tyson Fury,” Johnson continued. “So Anthony Joshua got a chance to watch Francis boxing fight. What did he learn from the Francis vs. Tyson boxing match? Maybe he said, 'Okay, Francis can't move his head. He doesn't move his head that much. In Tyson Fury's case, he's light on his feet, so Tyson is trying to avoid the fight. This time, Anthony Joshua started the fight right away. It's usually not a good sign when you're able to do your job and the other person doesn't respond.”
Ngannou, who left the UFC and signed with the PFL in early 2023, shocked the “Sweet Science” community with his dominant performance against Tyson Fury last fall, leading to the fight with Joshua and a second, industry-shaking fight. I dream of performance. Unfortunately, Joshua brought us all back to reality.
The good news is that Ngannou has 20 million reasons to be satisfied with his performance.
