RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] put on a better showing than most of the combat sports world thought he would in his boxing debut – and a far better one, at that.
Ngannou dropped a close split decision to WBC heavyweight champion [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] on Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou’s first pro boxing match came on the heels of his departure from the UFC over a contract dispute while still its heavyweight champion.
Ngannou wanted the ability to box, which the UFC historically has been opposed to letting fighters do while under contract – except Conor McGregor in 2017 against Floyd Mayweather. Ngannou has a new MMA deal with the PFL that allows him to box.
Fury was a 14-1 favorite heading into the fight and widely was expected to handle Ngannou with relative ease. But Ngannou knocked Fury down with a left hand in the third round – the fight’s only knockdown – and seemed to be the fresher fighter in the closing rounds, as well. The split decision loss was closer than almost anyone expected, and the live odds heading into the 10th and final round favored Ngannou to win the fight.
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn and The MacLife’s Oscar Willis analyzed the fight in the immediate aftermath on site in Saudi Arabia. Check out their conversation in the video above.