KEY POINTS

  • Dana White is not for the idea of a crossover bout between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury
  • Ngannou and Fury recently agreed to have a bout sometime soon
  • The UFC president could copy the blueprint made by ONE Championship in terms of a crossover fight

Talks of a crossover fight between mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou and British boxing star Tyson Fury have intensified over the last couple of months, but UFC president Dana White is not a fan of the idea.

In a guest appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” White initially mentioned that the Ngannou-Fury fight was asked to explain his thoughts on the matter.

“Cause they’re f*ckin’ stupid. F*cking waste of time, energy, and money… It’s silly, but I get it. Boxing is a massive advantage for Tyson Fury. Ngannou just wrestled Ciryl Gane. If you know anything about fighting, it’s a silly conversation,” White said.

The UFC heavyweight champion has a picture together with Fury in the boxing ring following the latter's victory over Dillian Whyte last April 23, which further stirred the pot of the two having a match of their own.

It seems as if the UFC’s head honcho has done a complete 180-turn on the idea of mixed martial artists getting in the ring with boxing’s top stars since the August 2017 mega matchup between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.

On this topic, White had a lot more to say.

“The thing was, the Floyd–Conor fight took on a life of its own. I mean, everywhere I went that’s all people were asking me about. It got to a point where fans wanted to see that fight and the media wanted to see that fight, and you know me,” he shared.

However, when comparing Mayweather versus McGregor to Fury versus Ngannou, White had an even more concise reason as to why he does not think it is ever going to happen.

“People aren’t knocking our door down for this fight,” the promoter stressed.

White understandably has his reasons, but with both men agreeing to a hybrid boxing match, the UFC could follow the blueprint that was created by ONE Championship.

The Singapore-based organization held a crossover fight between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon in which the rules would be alternating between Muay Thai and MMA over the course of the fight.

Johnson would go on to take the fight by submission in the second round after weathering a storm of strikes from Rodtang in the opening Muay Thai round.

Fury and Ngannou could have similar rules in that regard in order to create a fair playing field between the two strikers.

Hypothetically, White could still change his mind on agreeing to the crossover fight if the money is right and fan interest is there, but the hopes of seeing the two kings of their respective sport face each other may be on the shelf for now.

Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury is victorious as he defeats Dillian Whyte during their WBC heavyweight championship fight at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2022 in London, England. Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images