Sean O’Malley thinks Francis Ngannou made the wrong decision by leaving the UFC.
‘The Predator’ shook up the MMA world when he decided to part ways with the UFC. The former heavyweight world champion was vocal about pursuing opportunities elsewhere to avoid restrictive contracts. During an episode of the TimboSugarShow, O’Malley had this to say about Ngannou’s decision:
“I said it since day one, since he [Ngannou] started talking s**t on the UFC on Twitter, it’s gonna be the biggest mistake of his life… Tyson Fury is not interested in Francis Ngannou anymore. He was interested in Francis when he was the UFC champ. He was the pound-for-pound baddest motherf*cker in the world. Now he’s not signed to the UFC, now it’s not as intriguing.”
‘The Predator’ last fought in January 2022, defeating Ciryl Gane to defend his UFC heavyweight championship. Ngannou’s win against Gane extended his winning streak to six, with his last loss coming against Derrick Lewis in July 2018. Although the UFC heavyweight division has moved on without him, the 36-year-old still has a strong argument for being the baddest man on the planet.
Boxing’s Heavyweight Champion standing next to the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Francis Ngannou says that him and Tyson Fury will fight under hybrid rules.
In a boxing ring but with MMA gloves. pic.twitter.com/UmndMNgyzX
— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) April 23, 2022
Watch Sean O’Malley discuss Francis Ngannou and more below:
Sean O’Malley believes the intrigue of Francis Ngannou competing in boxing is decreasing
Francis Ngannou’s primary purpose for leaving the UFC was to pursue a massive payday in professional boxing. In April 2022, Tyson Fury defeated Dillian Whyte and then brought Ngannou into the ring to discuss a potential super-fight. Nearly a year later, ‘The Gypsy King’ seems to be prioritizing a unified heavyweight championship bout against Oleksandr Usyk.
During the same episode of the TimboSugarShow, Sean O’Malley had this to say about the hype around Ngannou’s professional boxing venture potentially decreasing:
“You do that ‘cause you want that payday, you want that boxing payday, and that was in his head, that was in his manager’s head. That’s what I’m assuming, I’m guessing, obviously I don’t f*cking know, but I think he’s thinking, we saw Conor [McGregor] do it, but Conor did it with the UFC, he didn’t do it by himself. The more days go on, the less intrigued, the less care we have for Francis to go to boxing.”
Fury isn’t the only way Ngannou can secure a life-changing payday in professional boxing. Deontay Wilder has also shown interest in potentially fighting the former UFC heavyweight champion. Another possible option would be Anthony Joshua, but he seems focused on working back to a world championship. Only time will tell what’s next for ‘The Predator.’
Tyson Fury appears to be interested in Francis Ngannou again pic.twitter.com/LpGp9DEL3J
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 21, 2023
