Conor McGregor doesn't count out Francis Ngannou against Tyson Fury: 'With power … anything can happen'

27/10/2023 14:00

Conor McGregor will be front and center to watch ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou attempt to shock the world when he faces Tyson Fury in a 10-round boxing match on Saturday.

The Irish superstar announced that he'll be in attendance for the crossover showdown with Ngannou making his professional debut against arguably the best heavyweight boxer in the past 25 years. Ngannou will enter the fight as a massive underdog but McGregor knows anything is possible when it comes to fighting, especially after he attempted to pull off a similar feat when he faced Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match back in 2017.

"Francis has power," McGregor said on Twitter. "Francis has big power with a striker's mentality. If it gets a bit tougher for him in the later rounds, the striker mentality will withstand versus if it was a mixed martial artist's mentality. With power, with that anything can happen."

McGregor also touted Ngannou working with Mike Tyson to help him prepare for Fury, which could benefit him both mentally and physically ahead of the fight.

It's well documented that Fury was named after the former heavyweight knockout artist but now he'll have to stare across the ring to see Tyson coaching his opponent in Ngannou. Add to that, Tyson was almost always the shorter, smaller man in many of his biggest fights and that could perhaps offer Ngannou some insight as he looks to close the distance on the taller, longer Fury.

"Mike Tyson in the corner — that type of style could be a kryptonite of a long, rangy distance type of fighter in Tyson Fury," McGregor explained. "I don't think Tyson Fury is going to want to let Francis test his power on him.

"Has Mike Tyson given some tips on how to get inside, change an angle, to bang a shot that clips the top of the temple, to make it into an interesting bout?"

While the odds are definitely stacked against Ngannou winning, McGregor appreciates that much like himself, the Cameroon native always preferred to stand and strike with opposition in the UFC. That foundation should allow Ngannou to make a smoother transition into boxing and provide some really dangerous weapons to use against Fury.

"Francis Ngannou for me is more of a kickboxer/boxer than he is a mixed martial artist, in my opinion,"McGregor said. "He's more of a standup fighter than he is a mixed martial artist. You start throwing in grappling with Francis, it's never good for him. He has a striker's mentality. This will stand to him in this bout.

"He has a tall ask with Tyson Fury but any man can land a shot. Tyson does get hit. It's going to be a tough ask. I'm excited to see it unfold."

For all the ways he talked up Ngannou, McGregor knows that Fury will offer the former UFC heavyweight a remarkably tough and potentially impossible test to pass come Saturday.

"Tyson looks great in the buildup," McGregor said. "Fast, light, elusive, it could be a seriously stellar performance from Tyson Fury here."

McGregor will witness it all ringside when Fury and Ngannou throw down on Saturday with the main card kicking off on pay-per-view at 2 p.m. ET.