Conor McGregor has explained why he thinks Francis Ngannou has a chance to beat Tyson Fury.
On Saturday night, WBC heavyweight champion Fury will take on former UFC champion Ngannou in a ‘battle of the baddest’ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of the bout, British boxer Fury is the overwhelming favourite to win as Ngannou is making his professional boxing debut against arguably the greatest fighter of his generation.
However, UFC star McGregor has explained why Ngannou has a chance to cause an almighty upset this weekend.
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Speaking on Twitter, the Irishman explained: “Francis has power.
“Francis has big power with a striker’s mentality. If it gets a bit tougher for him in the later rounds, the striker mentality will withstand versus if it was a mixed martial artist’s mentality. With power, with that anything can happen.”
McGregor continued: “Mike Tyson in the corner — that type of style could be a kryptonite of a long, rangy distance type of fighter in Tyson Fury.
“I don’t think Tyson Fury is going to want to let Francis test his power on him. Has Mike Tyson given some tips on how to get inside, change an angle, to bang a shot that clips the top of the temple, to make it into an interesting bout?”
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McGregor also spoke about Ngannou’s style and mentality.
He added: “Francis Ngannou for me is more of a kickboxer/boxer than he is a mixed martial artist, in my opinion.
“He’s more of a standup fighter than he is a mixed martial artist. You start throwing in grappling with Francis, it’s never good for him. He has a striker’s mentality. This will stand to him in this bout.
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“He has a tall ask with Tyson Fury but any man can land a shot. Tyson does get hit. It’s going to be a tough ask. I’m excited to see it unfold.”
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Topics: Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou, Boxing, Heavyweight Boxing, Conor McGregor
Marcus Chan