Fedor Emelianenko says he would box Francis Ngannou but denies any talks
The 50-year-old says he has too many injuries to manage an MMA fight now, and called the idea of facing Ngannou thinking out loud.
Fedor Emelianenko has said he would be interested in fighting Francis Ngannou under boxing rules, but insisted he has never been in negotiations for the fight.
Emelianenko told the Russian YouTube show Ushatayka, in comments reported by Sherdog: “If we're talking about being a downright dream, I'd be interested in fighting Francis Ngannou under boxing rules... I couldn't manage MMA now because I have too many injuries, but I'd have a go at him in boxing. That's just me thinking out loud. I never said we were in negotiations.”
Emelianenko retired after a first-round loss to Ryan Bader at Bellator 290 in 2023. On the same show, he said Dana White does not stand by his words and that the UFC only showed interest in him when he was tied to another promotion.
Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, lost boxing matches to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before returning to MMA. He knocked out Philipe Lins on the undercard of MVP's first MMA event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood in May.
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