'He looked lost'… Daniel Cormier expresses concern for Francis Ngannou ahead of potential Deontay Wilder fight
02/16/2025 12:54 PM
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has reservations about Francis Ngannou entertaining a boxing match with Deontay Wilder.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has a boxing match with Deontay Wilder on his radar for later this year. But another former UFC heavyweight titleholder believes it’s not a smart pursuit after Ngannou’s triumphant return to MMA.
Ngannou finished Renan Ferreira inside one round in his long-awaited PFL debut last October. The win came almost three full years since what was his UFC finale against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
After losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring, Ngannou remains in pursuit of earning his first professional win and making the case for high-profile bouts. In the meantime, a clash with Wilder is a strong possibility, as the matchup has been tossed around in MMA and boxing circles in recent years.
But Daniel Cormier believes Ngannou might be biting off more than he can chew.
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Daniel Cormier questions Francis Ngannou’s chances against Deontay Wilder
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier explained what makes him nervous about Ngannou facing Wilder.
"Sure, he's going to make a boatload of money, he always does, but at what point do you go [I don't know] because if you ask me it would seem like he's up against it again. Maybe he's just the biggest, baddest man on the planet that we all believe and he doesn't care that he's up against it and he wants to prove everyone wrong like he did the first time when he fought Tyson Fury and he fought him to a very close fight,” Cormier said of Ngannou. “But we cannot ignore the visuals of what we saw the last time, especially when he came back to MMA and fought so well…
“People don't hurt Francis Ngannou, but when it happened in the [Anthony Joshua] fight, he looked lost," Cormier explained. "That's what's concerning to me. Because I know there will be moments in that fight with Deontay Wilder the way that he punches where he's going to need to find safety." (h/t MMA Fighting)
Cormier has some legitimate reasons to feel uncomfortable with the prospect of Ngannou taking on Wilder in his third professional boxing match. Wilder defeated the likes of Luis Ortiz, Robert Helenius, and Bermane Stiverne earlier in his career and an Olympic bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Francis Ngannou eyes ‘dream’ showdown with Daniel Cormier’s former rival
In addition to his boxing ambitions, Ngannou remains interested in potentially facing Jon Jones in a cross-promotional bout. But UFC CEO Dana White, according to Ngannou, is a major obstacle in making the heavyweight super fight come to fruition.
Ngannou and Jones were expected to clash in 2021 after Ngannou captured the UFC heavyweight title by knocking out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. But the Jones fight negotiations eventually fell apart, and despite initially siding with Ngannou, White blames him for the Jones fight not reaching the finish line.
In the meantime, Ngannou seems locked in on facing Wilder for his next boxing test. Afterward, Ngannou may make his latest effort to clash with Jones.
