Cameroonian fighter Francis Ngannou made a killer comeback after scoring a KO win and snagging a win at his PFL debut. The fighter has solidified himself as a formidable opponent, and fighters like Isreal Adesanya believe he has earned his place as the GOAT.
MMA fighter turned boxer Francis Ngannou has had an impressive unbeatable record for eight years. “The Predator” brutally finished staples of the heavyweight division, such as Alistair Overeem, Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, and many more. The fighter took a break from MMA to follow his dreams of boxing. However, Ngannou suffered defeat at the hands of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Following his recent losses, Ngannou finally decided to take a break from boxing and return to MMA. The fighter faced Renan Fereira in a debut match on Saturday, and he defeated the champ and claimed the heavyweight title. Many doubted Ngannou would have a successful comeback, but he proved naysayers wrong. The fighter scored a knockout win, and Adesanya believes the fighter should be given the title of heavyweight champion, not the winner of the Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic bout. The Nigerian fighter has been one of Ngannou’s firmest supporter and has rooted for the fighter since his reign in the UFC.
“Hell no [the debate isn’t done],” Adesanya said in a Battle of the Giants reaction video. “Stipe is the last one I can remember people saying. Well, it was Cain [Velasquez] first and then Stipe, and then right now, people still hold Stipe as the greatest of all time in the heavyweight division. But I think he’s one of the greatest, and he has beaten Francis. However, Francis beat him in the worst way. Again, it’s all subjective, it’s all art, it’s all who you like.
“I think Francis is the greatest heavyweight of all time, but again, now Jon is in there, he’s the heavyweight champion. He’s only fought once at heavyweight, but he’s also one of, if not the greatest fighter of all-time. Tom Aspinall’s even in the f*cking mix, and he’s only just kind of getting his ball rolling. It’s exciting as a fan, but right now in this moment, I am just so happy for [Ngannou] and what he has accomplished and to see him go through it with the adversity he had to go through with the death of Kobe.”
Former UFC champion Adesanya says Ngannou’s legacy makes him one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time. Although he may not have had as long a reign as other heavyweight champs like Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, and others, there is no denying Ngannous’s outstanding skill and long list of formidable victories.
“Stipe is the last one that I can remember people saying. Well, it was Cain first and then Stipe. Right now, people still hold Stipe as the greatest of all time in the heavyweight division. However I think he’s one of the greatest,” Adesanya explained.
“He has beat Francis, but then Francis beat him in a worst way… But again, it’s all subjective. It’s all art. It’s all who you like. I think Francis is the greatest heavyweight of all time.”
“Now, Jones in there is the heavyweight champion. He’s only fought once at heavyweight, but he’s also one of, if not the greatest fighter of all time. But look, Tom Aspinall is even in the f****** mix, and he’s only just kind of getting his ball rolling.” Adesanya said of the 31-year-old interim champion Aspinall.
Although Ngannous’s boxing stint was brief and unsuccessful, his MMA comeback washed off the sour taste of his boxing losses. The fighter went right back to his winning ways and completely floored his opponent in the first round of the championship bout.
“Flawless,” Adesanya said of Ngannou’s win. “That was a beautiful performance. He took one leg and dodged a flurry and eventually timed his right hand. Shot for a double, kept him there and knocked him out. Proud, inspired, and just happy to watch him do his thing because he’s gone through so much in his career even still. After the whole boxing thing, people were doubting him and then he lost to A.J., people went. ‘Oh, we knew it.’ It’s like people are prisoners of the moment.
“They forget. They forget who this man is or who people are, they’re just prisoners of the moment right now. So I’m glad he reminded everybody why he’s the best, why he’s the one, why he’s Francis Ngannou.”
