Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has no problem facing MMA veteran Francis Ngannou in a mixed-rules showdown.
Ngannou, a former UFC world champion, made his professional boxing debut in the month of October – in a non-title fight with WBC king Tyson Fury.
Besides dropping Fury in the third round, Ngannou gave the ‘Gypsy King’ a lot of problems throughout the fight and ultimately lost a razor-close ten round split decision.
Wilder believes the performance made a fight between them even bigger.
“Me and Francis were supposed to fight first [before Fury] but because of different circumstances it didn’t happen, but it’s cool because it was better for him to go and participate in a boxing match. It’s made it bigger and better for him because he’s made a name for himself in boxing to the point it’s getting people excited about a fight with the likes of me,” Wilder told Lucky Block.
There is talk of Ngannou facing Wilder in a mixed-ruled contest. Ngannou is under contract with MMA organization PFL.
Wilder feels that an easier scenario would be a two-fight series – one fight in boxing and another in MMA.
“I’d have to hear more about these ‘mixed rules’. I wouldn’t mind fighting in the octagon and stuff, but I’d have to understand how the mixed rules are distributed. What do they mean ‘mixed rules’? What can and can’t we do? But I know for sure – one fight in boxing and then one MMA fight – the rules are what they are,” Wilder said.
“We’ve got rules in boxing, we’ve got rules in mixed martial arts. But when you’re mixing both together now you have to come up with your own rules and it can get kind of frustrating or confusing. But it could be something that’s new and I’m all about change. I’d need to hear it, both parties would need to hear it, and go from there.”