Donn Davis, the founder of the PFL, has backed calls for a fight between Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou in MMA.
The enthusiasm to see the Wilder fight has grown following Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury. The ex-UFC fighter dispelled any doubts about his boxing skills by going the distance and dropping Fury in the process. Although Ngannou may have lost via a split-decision, there is an increasing likelihood that the fighter will be ranked inside the WBC’s top ten. And that will help his credentials moving forward, especially since Malik Scott had confirmed that talks over a Wilder fight were underway. And now Davis has echoed those wishes by backing the fight.
“I think it would be fantastic, because I think he already proved against Tyson Fury what he has to prove for now. I think he’ll get back to that, but what would I think would be fascinating? Deontay Wilder in a mixed rules fight. I always say, what do I want to see? I know a lot about boxing and a lot about MMA, but I’m not a savant. I’m not a deep, deep, deep insider. So I like to test, what do I think millions of people would love to see? I think that’s the most interesting thing we could all see. I think Francis does Deontay Wilder, and I think it is a wild fight,” Davis said
The comments suggest that the PFL would be open to Ngannou boxing once again as Wilder has talked about facing Ngannou in MMA and boxing. The initial agreement with the MMA fighter allowed him to box in 2023 before a PFL debut in 2024. And while an MMA return is on the cards, another boxing bout could boost the PFL’s profile, as well as Ngannou’s stock. And by the looks of it, there is a demand to see the fight.
Social Media Response
Wilder va ngannou is more if an exciting fight
— aaron king (@aaronki96872969) October 31, 2023
Deontay wilder vs Francis Ngannou will be nuts!!!!!!
— WiseLending.com (@Wise_Lending) October 30, 2023
Enormous fight, that’s doing huge numbers
— Hunter (@hvntxr) October 30, 2023