PRIDE MMA Legend Wants to Fight Francis Ngannou in the Boxing Ring
PRIDE MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko would risk it all to box Francis Ngannou.
Emelianenko, 47, last fought in February 2023 after a long hiatus from the sport, losing by TKO to Bellator's Ryan Bader. "The Last Emperor" has been skirting retirement for several years, but is still up for a challenge, no matter how large.
Speaking to Red Corner MMA on February 19, the MMA veteran was asked whether he was only interested in fighters from the boxing world or the MMA world.
"I'd like to fight Francis Ngannou," Emelianenko remarked. "I want to box him. I can't do MMA anymore, but I'd like to box him."
Emelianenko watched Ngannou steal a scorecard from Tyson Fury last year, but would still like to fight him.
"I saw that fight," Emelianenko said. "...I'd like to fight him. Maybe it's --- not overconfidence but... It'd be interesting to fight him. .... If a fighter goes in the ring and his hamstrings are shaking, that's not an established fighter. I'm a fighter, I still have my form, I still have the interest."
The Russian heavyweight is considered one of, if not the greatest fighters in MMA history. Emelianenko went practically undefeated from 2000-2009 before suffering his first loss by shock submission to Fabricio Werdum in Strikeforce. Emelianenko still went strong into the twilight years of his career, picking up wins over the likes of Frank Mir, Chael Sonnen, and Quinton Jackson.
As of now, Ngannou hasn't responded to Emelianenko, but he may be preoccupied. "The Predator" is currently gearing up for his March 8 super fight with former unified champion Anthony Joshua.
"We don’t know the strength of Anthony Joshua... but we’re going to find out in two months," Ngannou told High Performance. "We’re going to find out, and I think the reverse is going to happen. I’m going to be the one taking his soul."
It may be the case that Emelianenko is too low-profile considering Ngannou is currently tackling the biggest names in professional boxing. If they do ever fight, an exhibition match would be a good scenario.
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