“I want to fight top players”

Francis Ngannou is eyeing big boxing fights with British superstars Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua after his shock UFC exit.

UFC Predator Dana White announced Saturday that “The Predator” has been stripped of his undisputed heavyweight title, released by the UFC, and is now free to pursue other opportunities.

This comes almost a year after his victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, which triggered lengthy contract negotiations with MMA’s premier promotion, as Ngannou’s contract had technically expired.

But talks between the two were fruitless, as the knockout artist from Cameroon wanted to be free to fight in the event of a big boxing match.

In April, after Fury stopped White at Wembley Stadium, he jumped into the ring and the two men talked about a potential crossover fight under hybrid rules.

Now a free agent, Ngannou hopes to make that fight happen, but he said he’s also interested in fighting Joshua and MMA fighters outside of the UFC.

He told MMA Hour: Having discovered MMA for the first time in my life, I feel that I have the mileage to contribute to my sport.

“In a perfect world, depending on the challenges out there, I would put myself in a boxing match and get MMA.

“I think Fury retired and came back. [is] Fight Usyk. We don’t know where Fury is now, but now is the time.

“Before, I couldn’t do anything concrete except social media, but now I can join the discussion and keep track of everything.

“Whatever it is, if it’s with Tyson Fury, I’m up for it. Boxing in four-ounce gloves is fine.

“We get it. Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua would be my ideal first opponent.”

The “Gypsy King” has a bigger fish to fry at the moment in his historic heavyweight undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk scheduled for March.

However, if for some reason the fight with Usik doesn’t happen, he could revisit a potential fight with Ngannou later, or face a former UFC fighter.

On the other hand, Joshua is trying to rebuild after losing streak to “Joker”. ‘

“AJ” has been strongly associated with the fighter with Dillian White’s last opponent, Jermaine Franklin, but the deal never came to fruition and Ngannou was seen as a more intriguing comeback opponent. may be

If one of Britain’s best fighters wants to fight Ngannou, the 36-year-old is expected to be inundated with offers from other boxers, MMA promotions and Hollywood in the coming days, so be quick. You have to act.