Will Tyson Fury fight Francis Ngannou after the MMA heavyweight's exit from the UFC?

Francis Ngannou is now a free agent after his contract with the UFC expired this January. As such, he is now available for a potential fight against Tyson Fury.

UFC president Dana White has confirmed that the organization has waived their right to match any offer that the former heavyweight champion receives, and that he is free to sign with any organization.

Ngannou has expressed his desire to fulfill his dream and compete in pro boxing on numerous occasions. In a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, 'The Predator' admitted that he would like to compete in boxing before signing with another MMA promotion:

"I want to do some boxing at first before MMA because regardless, maybe explore the possibility to do one boxing match then come back into MMA with another promotion."

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Ngannou stated that he doesn’t mind facing WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury with 4 oz. gloves in a hybrid fight:

“Whatever it is with Tyson Fury, I will take it. I have no problem doing boxing with four-ounce gloves. We were talking about something hybrid, maybe the four ounce gloves, maybe inside the cage. We’ll figure it out”

.@francis_ngannou names Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua as ideal opponents for a potential first boxing match 🥊 #TheMMAHour

▶️ youtu.be/0vngym7ChcM https://t.co/cFX4tZGXal

'The Gypsy King' had also reposted the news of Francis Ngannou being a free agent on his Instagram Story in a since-deleted post, showing that he could be interested in finally making this happen.

Watch Francis Ngannou discuss his UFC exit below:

Tyson Fury’s call-out of Francis Ngannou

After his sixth-round KO victory against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in London last year, Tyson Fury brought Francis Ngannou into the ring and spoke to ESPN about a potential crossover mega-fight featuring the two behemoths.

Standing alongside Ngannou, Fury said:

“This is going to be a very special fight. Never before seen in the history of our sport. You know we’re not talking to light guys 140 pounds, he’s 270 pounds. It’s going to be an explosive fight when it happens”.

Check out the full post-fight interview below:

There appear to be quite a few options on the table for Francis Ngannou. Most recently, Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn teased a potential fight between the former UFC heavyweight king and Anthony Joshua. Hearn also proposed a two-fight series with Dillian Whyte.

Eddie Hearn has said he'd be open to an Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou crossover fight, but revealed he'd most want to make Ngannou vs Dillian Whyte (who is an ex-kickboxer) as a two-fight series - one in the ring, one in the cage. [@SiriusXMBoxing & @DAZNBoxing] https://t.co/GKbr0xQ4fk