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Deontay Wilder hoped to fight Francis Ngannou before Tyson Fury
Deontay Wilder was formerly seen as one of the top contenders to face Francis Ngannou. The Bronze Bomber surfaced as a possible opponent for the Predators as they looked for someone to fight in their first boxing match.
Unfortunately for Wilder, a more well-known figure went ahead of him and grabbed what appeared to be a simple payday against the inexperienced boxer. I’m talking about lineal boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who replaced the former UFC champion in October in Saudi Arabia.
Undoubtedly, nobody ever anticipated the fight to be as intense as it was, resulting in a single judge’s decision after Ngannou stunned the world by taking down Fury in the third round and injuring him once more in the eighth.
People are unaware that Francis and I were actually meant to fight first, Wilder stated in a Blue Blood Sports TV interview. All I can say is that some things arose because of business. It’s great that the fight happened since Francis gained notoriety.
Wilder wants to be a two-sport champion in boxing and MMA
After losing two fights to Tyson Fury via TKO and KO, Wilder had a lengthy tenure as the WBC boxing champion. However, since losing the title, it has become more difficult for him to remain as busy as he would want. A fight with Anthony Joshua is being discussed, but no contract has been inked.
Meanwhile, Wilder is developing his own ideas for crossovers.
I’m considering boxing and UFC,” Wilder stated. to maintain the life and momentum of the action. In the UFC, I’ll be a dangerous man, dude. Using those four-oz gloves? Wearing those four-ounce gloves, I wrecked the f king hitting bag machine.
That was pretty serious stuff, Wilder went on. I saw myself competing in [the UFC]. I believe I want to connect that to my competitive nature, wanting to engage in both. Enter there and simply demonstrate my skills and abilities. Nothing is, in my opinion, more awesome than winning in both [sports]. Additionally, have the titles at the same time.
Related: Ngannou claims that Wilder has been practicing MMA for months and is very serious about the cross-over fight.
What would Wilder s chances in the UFC be?
Although boxing is a fundamental talent in mixed martial arts, the history of pure boxers in the Octagon is not very impressive. Practitioners of the sweet science have not been feared by their opponents in mixed martial arts, ranging from Art Jimmerson, who entered UFC 1 expecting to win easily, to James Toney, the former middleweight champion of lineal boxing, who was embarrassed by Randy Couture’s single-leg takedown at UFC 118 in 2010.
However, 48-year-old Ray Mercer stunned Tim Sylvia, the former UFC champion, in 2009 with a 7-second knockout victory. That, of course, came after his humiliating guillotine submission defeat in his MMA debut against Kimbo Slice.
At 38 years old, Wilder would probably be attempting mixed martial arts (MMA) like his well-known boxing forebears. However, heavyweight is known to be a weak class, so perhaps Wilder can find a rival who will attempt to stand and deliver a blow to the Bronze Bomber.
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The original editor of BloodyElbow.com is Nate Wilcox. He has so employed every writer and editor to work on the website. Strong opinions, the progression of fighting tactics, and a concentration on MMA history are hallmarks of Wilcox’s work for BE. From 2009 to 2011, USA Today published the SBN MMA consensus rankings, which Wilcox created. Prior to starting BE, Wilcox was an early political blogger and political operator for people like Senators John Kerry and Mark Warner. In Netroots Rising: A History of the Political Blogosphere from 2003 to 2007, he is a co-author. Wilcox is also the host of the Pantheon show Network’s Let It Roll show, which focuses on music history.
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