Despite Francis Ngannou’s $10,000,000+ Purse, UFC Legend Chael Sonnen Bills His Fight With Tyson Fury as ‘Most Ridiculous’
After a long wait, the highly anticipated boxing debut of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is set to take place on October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This event has generated significant excitement among fight enthusiasts. However, Chael Sonnen, a former UFC fighter turned analyst, does not share the same enthusiasm for the MMA-Boxing crossover and has expressed his reasons for it.
Known for his outspoken nature, Sonnen is one of the most vocal figures in the MMA world. As expected, he did not mince words when sharing his opinions about the Fury vs. Ngannou matchup. His insights and critiques are likely to add more discussions and debates to the already heated anticipation surrounding the event. Fight fans will be eager to hear what Sonnen has to say about this intriguing crossover fight.
Chael Sonnen was quite critical of the Ngannou vs. Fury boxing matchup, terming it a mismatch and drawing an analogy to top NBA stars like LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal competing against an NFL team. In an interview with The Schmo, he expressed his strong opinion that this sporting competition is absurd and compared it to the idea of putting the Lakers, a top NBA team, against Tom Brady and the Patriots, a successful NFL team, but under football rules. According to Sonnen, this crossover event is the most ridiculous sporting event he has witnessed in his lifetime.
He seems to believe that the skills and techniques required in MMA and boxing are vastly different, and pitting a prominent heavyweight UFC fighter like Ngannou against a skilled boxing champion like Tyson Fury in a boxing match doesn’t make sense. Sonnen’s comments highlight his skepticism about the fairness and validity of the matchup, despite the large payout Ngannou is set to receive for the fight.
Despite Chael Sonnen expressing confidence in Francis Ngannou’s potential against Tyson Fury, another UFC icon, Khabib Nurmagomedov, has a different perspective on how the fight may unfold. The former UFC lightweight champion, known as ‘The Eagle,’ also shared his thoughts on this MMA-Boxing crossover.
According to Nurmagomedov, like many others in the MMA community, he believes that facing Tyson Fury would be a challenging task for Francis Ngannou. While the details of his warning weren’t specified, it can be inferred that Nurmagomedov sees Fury as a formidable opponent for Ngannou in the boxing ring.
It’s not uncommon for fighters and analysts to have differing opinions on potential matchups, and in this case, Nurmagomedov’s views add to the discussion and anticipation surrounding the Ngannou vs. Fury bout. Fight fans will undoubtedly be intrigued to see how this MMA-Boxing crossover plays out and which prediction holds true.
Khabib Nurmagomedov appears to hold Tyson Fury’s boxing abilities in high regard. He expressed satisfaction that if the fight were to take place in MMA, Francis Ngannou would have a reasonable chance against Fury. However, Nurmagomedov believes that in the realm of boxing, there are only a few competitors who can truly challenge Fury.
Due to this perception, the former UFC champion feels that Ngannou will face a significant struggle in the boxing match against Fury. Despite the challenge ahead, Nurmagomedov also expressed happiness for ‘The Predator’ (Ngannou) receiving a substantial payout after his departure from the UFC.
Nurmagomedov’s analysis adds more depth to the discussions surrounding the matchup and further highlights the contrasting worlds of MMA and boxing, where fighters’ skills can vary significantly depending on the sport’s rules and techniques. Fans of both fighters will be eagerly anticipating the showdown to see how the fight unfolds and whether Ngannou can rise to the challenge against the formidable boxing champion, Tyson Fury.
