UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou shared two “dream opponents” that he would have enjoyed fighting in their prime.
Ngannou (16-3 MMA) is set to defend his belt against current interim title holder Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January. Ahead of his highly anticipated showdown with the undefeated Frenchman, ‘The Predator’ made an appearance on Jeff’s Barbershop where he was asked if there were any heavyweight legends he wished he could have faced in their prime.
“I think I will put (boxing legends) Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson,” Francis Ngannou replied.
Despite being all smiles while speaking with Jeff Wittek, ‘The Predator’ has certainly not been joyful when discussing his current employer, the UFC.
Ngannou recently sounded off on the promotions decision to make an interim heavyweight title fight at UFC 265, a belt which was ultimately captured by the aforementioned Ciryl Gane.
“From what I’m seeing, the UFC is trying to discredit me. That’s what I know. And those promoting somebody cannot work together with discrediting him. You don’t do that to somebody that you want to promote,” said Francis Ngannou.
“What do I look for? First of all, I look for some respect, that’s to start. Then I look to get stuff right, I look to feel like I’m respected, to feel like they care at least. That’s it. I never asked for anything more than that. That would be enough for me. … I gained the position that I am at,” Ngannou added. “I wasn’t nominated, I wasn’t assigned to be here, I earned it. So that means I deserve a little bit of respect, just a little bit. I’m not a big deal, just a little famous, that’s it. (Laughs).”
