Anatoly Malykhin says potential superfight with Francis Ngannou “will get millions of views worldwide”
The first and only simultaneous three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin recently chimed in on the former-MMA-star-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou.
Cameroon's Ngannou famously had one of the most inspiring lives and career trajectories for any heavyweight athlete ever. 'The Predator', as Ngannou's fans call him, came from being a sandminer to being homeless to becoming a UFC champion to being one of the most watched combat athletes in the world today.
Last weekend, however, the 37-year-old KO artist's red-hot stint in pro boxing has been halted by pound-for-pound great and former unified heavyweight boxing world champion Anthony Joshua. 'AJ' knocked Francis Ngannou out inside two rounds.
It was just Ngannou's second pro boxing bout, with his first being a narrow loss to arguably the greatest heavyweight boxer of our time, Tyson Fury. With talks of whether 'The Predator' should be heading back to MMA after his devasting boxing loss, Anatoly Malykhin offered himself up as the Cameroonian's next big opponent.
'Sladkiy' told Morning Kombat on YouTube:
"So, if I manage that now, people are saying it's impossible to get a fight with [Frrancis] Ngannou, it's impossible to win [versus] Ngannou, but let's see if [ONE Championship CEO] Mr. Chatri [Sityodtong] can find a way to organize it, find a way to get Ngannou, we might have a result a big show that will get millions of views worldwide."
Anatoly Malykhin, who holds ONE's middleweight, light-heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world titles, may be on to something here. On paper, this has the potential to become one of the most explosive and exciting heavyweight bouts in all of combat sports.
Watch the full interview here:
Francis Ngannou's life and career fits a Hollywood biopic drama
Francis Ngannou came from being a sandminer in a small village in Cameroon to traveling the Sahara desert to being jailed in Spain to being homeless in Paris for a year. Despite all this, the hulking Cameroonian found his way in a fight gym and eventually made it to the UFC, where he rose through the ranks to become the promotion's heavyweight world champion.
After having contract battles with the UFC, Francis Ngannou forged his own path and left the promotion to become a professional boxer - making more than ten times he was making in MMA in the process. As a boxer he fought the likes of all-time greats like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
At 37-years-old, it can be argued that 'The Predator' is nearing the end of his amazing journey in fighting. The next few opponents should be names that are on the same level of as his - and Anatoly Malykhin fits the bill at the very least.