[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] belueves [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] has a puncher’s chance against [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag].
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou meets current WBC heavyweight champ Fury in a crossover boxing match Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While McGregor knows it won’t be easy for Ngannou to land a big shot, he doesn’t rule out the possibility.
“Francis Ngannou, for me, is more of a kickboxer/boxer than he is a mixed martial artist in my opinion,” McGregor said on “X.” “He’s more of a standup fighter than he is a mixed martial artist. You start throwing in grappling with Francis, it’s never good for him. He has a striker’s mentality.
“This will stand to him in this bout. He has a tall ask with Tyson Fury, but any man can land a shot. Tyson does get hit. It’s going to be a tough ask. I’m excited to see it unfold. Tyson looks great in the buildup – fast, light, elusive. It could be a seriously stellar performance from Tyson Fury here.”
Ngannou’s power has shut the lights off numerous former champions and legends in the UFC. He will have Mike Tyson in his corner, and McGregor, who’s expected to be attend the fight, thinks Tyson’s style could lend well to Ngannou’s.
“Francis has power,” McGregor said. “Francis has big power with a striker’s mentality. If it gets a bit tougher for him in the later rounds, the striker mentality will withstand vs. if it was a mixed martial artist’s mentality. With power, with that, anything can happen.
“Mike Tyson in the corner, that type of style could be a kryptonite of a long, rangy distance type of fighter in Tyson Fury. I don’t think Tyson is going to want to let Francis test his power on him. Has Mike Tyson given some tips on how to get inside, to change an angle, to bang a shot that clips the top of the temple, to make it into an interesting bout?”
[lawrence-related id=2691171,2691113,2691123,2690895]
For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.