Francis Ngannou continued to shut up his doubters this past Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury did the honors of welcoming “The Predator” to the squared circle for the first time as they’d been teasing since last year. As tumultuous as the journey was to get to this spectacle of a point, it was well worth it in the end for Ngannou despite suffering a split-decision defeat.

The highlight of the match came in round three when the former UFC heavyweight title holder scored a big knockdown on “The Gypsy King,” showing he was a legitimate threat after all. Ngannou arguably did better than any MMA fighter has ever had any business to in a crossover matchup like it was. With the UFC departure leading Jon Jones to take the throne in Ngannou’s absence earlier this year, debate began regarding who was truly the best heavyweight on Earth. As a former champion in the same division, Daniel Cormier feels Ngannou is now completely undeniable.

“[It was] one of the most courageous and greatest performances I have seen by an athlete outside of their realm of expertise,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Guys, make no mistake about it, I believe this with 100 percent of myself. Everything I hold to be true in my life, Francis Ngannou is the baddest man on the planet. 100 percent, 1000 percent.

“We always call the heavyweight champ the baddest man on the planet and it’s usually the MMA guy that is the baddest man on the planet. That’s why when Tyson Fury started to call Jon Jones out and everything I was saying how he could not beat Jon Jones in an actual fight. Francis Ngannou proved he is the baddest man on the planet.”

Fury vs. Ngannou wasn’t the first bout of its kind. In 2017, Conor McGregor famously took his talents to the boxing ring for a monster fantasy boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. Unfortunately for McGregor, he didn’t find the success that Ngannou did, losing via TKO in round 10 of his first and only boxing match.

One of the biggest fears for Ngannou supporters ahead of the clash, if not the biggest, was how his cardio would hold up in the later rounds if they got there. Despite the drastic size difference, McGregor for example suffered from these effects against Mayweather but Cormier was admittedly surprised to see Ngannou continually find success at the tail end of the action.

“There’s no way a fight between any boxer and a UFC heavyweight champion in mixed martial arts goes to that type of decision,” Cormier said. “It was the most impressive performance I’ve ever seen for a guy outside of their realm of expertise because they (boxers) can’t do it.”

The question now is what’s next for the Cameroonian. MMA can easily become an afterthought but Ngannou has since mentioned he will return to the cage, which would be in his new home of the PFL. Before the Fury encounter, Ngannou highlighted a possible return to MMA in the first quarter of 2024. Plans can always change, however, and with an outcome as good as this one was in all aspects, deciding what to do now could be the hardest choice of them all.

“He over-delivered in that fight so now there’s a world of opportunities still out there for Francis Ngannou,” Cormier said. “Does he actually go to PFL when right now, he could go out there and fight some of the great heavyweights around the world. He could go fight Deontay Wilder and nobody would bat an eyelid. He could fight some of those guys that Tyson Fury fought.”

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TOP STORIES

Plans. Francis Ngannou not done with MMA, rips judges in Tyson Fury bout: ‘It’s a shame for boxing’

Complicated. Sean Strickland says quiet part out loud on UFC fighter pay, implies UFC censored him

Surprised. Tyson Fury on Francis Ngannou after controversial result: ‘He’s a lot better than I thought’

Critique. Eddie Hearn: Tyson Fury ‘looked like he’s never boxed before’ against Francis Ngannou

Crazy. ‘Absolute robbery’: Pros react to Francis Ngannou nearly beating Tyson Fury

Patience. Conor McGregor targets April return, relates to Alexander Volkanovski: ‘I’ve been kept from my living’

Injury. Khamzat Chimaev suffered torn hand ligament against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294

Upset. Mayra Bueno Silva reacts to no-contest ruling, wants to ‘humiliate’ Julianna Pena for mental health mockery

Options. Francis Ngannou opens as betting underdog for potential Tyson Fury rematch; Deontay Wilder leads odds for next Ngannou opponent

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VIDEO STEW

Fury vs. Ngannou Post-Show.

UFC Ultimate 30.

Free fight.

Bellator Jiu-Jitsu.

Mix it up.

The War Room: Almeida vs. Lewis.

Pereira in boxing?

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MORNING MUSIC

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Everybody gets a bonus!

Posters.

Clapped.

Victory.

Not too bad.

Just Machi.

Stamp.

This guy.

Sick.

He what.

Shot caller.

Kicking.

Fun.

Part 2?

Damn.

Can’t be stopped now.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Steve Erceg (10-1) vs. Alessandro Costa (13-3); UFC 295, Nov. 11

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Ngannou is just an insane story from top to bottom, man. I don’t know what he does next but it would be just the most MMA thing ever if he does end up fighting in PFL and gets dominated or something goofy like that. For the sake of the story, we’ll hope that doesn’t happen, of course...

Thanks for reading!

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POLL POSITION

Last Week’s Results:

Friday: 55% of 450 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Are you going to watch Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou tomorrow?”

Thursday: 59% of 528 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Should Stipe Miocic still have been involved in a fight at UFC 295?”

Wednesday: 82% of 524 total votes answered “Yes” when asked, “Does a Robert Whittaker vs. Kamaru Usman matchup at middleweight interest you?”

Tuesday: 56% of 425 total votes answered “Yes” when asked, “Is Islam Makhachev the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world?”

Monday: 76% of 709 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Should Khamzat Chimaev get the next middleweight title shot?”

Today’s exit poll:

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