Francis Ngannou‘s coach, Dewey Cooper, believes that Ngannou can continue to compete in both MMA and boxing, and could potentially become the first man to be the undisputed heavyweight champion in both sports.
Ngannou’s coach doesn’t see a need to pick between boxing and MMA. The PFL fighter’s already shown he’s a top-notch heavyweight in MMA. Remember when he nabbed UFC gold three years back? That brutal knockout of Stipe Miocic still rings in our ears.
This Friday, he’s got a shot at boxing royalty. If he pulls off an upset against British star Anthony Joshua, he’s one step closer to the throne.
Last October, Ngannou stepped into the boxing ring for the first time. He was a hair’s breadth away from winning a decision against Tyson Fury. That would’ve sent shockwaves through the combat sports world. Even though he didn’t win, his gutsy performance earned him a fight with Joshua. So, his return to the cage is on pause for now.
Coach Dewey Cooper sees a way for Ngannou to keep competing in both fields. It’s a path that could lead him to legendary status.
Cooper’s take on it? “I’d do them both [boxing and MMA],” he said on The MMA Hour. “A fight’s a fight’s a fight. Doesn’t matter which way he wants to do, I’d love to be part of it. MMA, cool. Boxing, cool.”
He added, “Your Excellency, Turki Alalshikh said the winner of Joshua and Ngannou will face the winner of Fury and Usyk. So, it’s gotta be one more fight. Fighting for the unified belt, all four of the belts in heavyweight boxing, is something few guys do. So after he takes care of Joshua, I’m sure his next fight will be boxing to go for those undisputed titles and be the first man to be undisputed heavyweight champion and UFC champion. Then, no one can deny he’s the baddest man ever on the planet.”
The thought of Ngannou facing Fury and then Joshua within five months was once unthinkable. His UFC journey ended when they couldn’t agree on a new contract. One sticking point? Ngannou wanted the freedom to pursue boxing opportunities, which UFC wasn’t keen on. After signing a deal with PFL to be both a fighter and an executive, Ngannou fully committed to his boxing plans.
Cooper was with him for much of this journey. Even he admits that such lofty goals seemed out of reach when Ngannou first mentioned them.
Ngannou had been talking about boxing even before he beat Stipe. “That was always a goal, but doing it, it was like, ‘How?’ We know how stringent the UFC contracts are, etc., so he talked about it a long time. Once he became champion, when he stopped Stipe, then he really started talking about it. Like, ‘Before I retire, I want to box.'”
Ngannou and Tyson Fury had been trash-talking on Twitter for years. “So when this happened, I wasn’t surprised. The world was surprised. When he left UFC, I knew that he would end up boxing and I knew that it was going to be a big fight. Nothing small for him. But he talked about this for years and it finally happened, it’s crazy the way he projected it into the universe and somehow it came true when it was a very bleak projection then.”
PFL would love to have its star signing step into the SmartCage sooner rather than later. Especially with an opponent already waiting for Ngannou. Renan Ferreira won the Ngannou sweepstakes with a 21-second knockout of Ryan Bader at February’s PFL vs. Bellator event. He’s already said he plans to wait for Ngannou rather than participate in the league’s upcoming heavyweight season.
Cooper thinks Ferreira is more than worthy of being the man to welcome Ngannou back to MMA. He just needs to be patient.
“Been watching [Ferreira] a long time,” Cooper said. “We follow each other on Instagram, he’s a sweetheart of a guy. Any fight of Francis’ excites me, any fight, especially a guy like him who loves to strike. The fights that [Ferreria] lost in PFL, the guy just took him down, so of course, any fight excites, but right now all I can say, that’s kind of difficult to get excited about when you’re fighting Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.”