Francis Ngannou uncorked a short left hook that collided with Tyson Fury's jaw. The impact of the blow sent Fury to the canvas, and could have changed the trajectory of the combat sports economy for the foreseeable future.
Ngannou lost the boxing match to Fury in October 2023 by decision, but knocked him down in the third round and boxed well overall against the best heavyweight in the world. Ngannou, who left the UFC as heavyweight champion in early 2023, was making his professional boxing debut in that fight, and many thought he should have won on the scorecards.
The trend of MMA fighters chasing big money in boxing, initially fueled by Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor in 2017 and given real direction thanks to the clever pairing of Jake Paul, seemed to be waning… until Ngannou He almost knocked Fury down.
Now, the transition from MMA to boxing has new life, with one manager telling ESPN that one of his current UFC clients is looking to fight out his contract with an eye on the boxing ring and another representative predicting that McGregor could be the next to arrive. the jump (again). Those in the industry, however, are divided on whether there are legitimate and consistent opportunities for MMA fighters to succeed in boxing or if it is just a pot of fool's gold.
“Francis did that and kept the door open longer, and the longer it's open, the more opportunities could arise, the more chance something could happen,” one prominent MMA manager told ESPN on condition of anonymity. “I think it's something that's often talked about in gyms and locker rooms, that guys in MMA can compete in boxing more easily than on the other side.”
Ngannou will compete in his second professional boxing match on Friday against Anthony Joshua, a former unified heavyweight champion with a large following, in Saudi Arabia. With this will come another giant payday, somewhere in the eight figures – the amount of money that even the biggest UFC stars (not named McGregor) often fail to earn.
In most cases, top main event fighters make the bulk of the events' revenue, while the UFC takes about 80% of the revenue, according to documents in the ongoing antitrust case against the promotion. The UFC even took a portion of the money made from Mayweather vs. McGregor, because McGregor was under contract with the organization and the UFC essentially acted as his promoter.
“We have fighters on our roster who want to box, who are actually choosing not to re-sign with the UFC – not to take double money – because they want to see if there is an option to box,” one manager said. he said with several of the UFC's top fighters.
One former UFC champion said the reason this happens is “all money,” because in boxing “if you sell 50,000 PPV, 100,000 PPV, you still make a ton of money because you're making money.” off your first purchase.” In other words, by eliminating the UFC as a middleman, there are more funds available to fighters, even if the event doesn't sell well compared to UFC cards.
“It's going to keep happening,” the former champion said. “If you thought it was the end, I think we're just at the beginning. I think more guys with big names, when they finish in the UFC, will follow this path to see.”
MMA fighters closely follow the boxing world and what Ngannou does in it, industry people said. But those in the know also warn that the grass is not always greener on the other side. “Name recognition” is a key phrase.
“I think UFC compensation is, for most fighters, the highest level of compensation they will receive anywhere else,” the prominent manager said. “I think UFC compensation has gone in the right direction.”
McGregor and Ngannou have been the only two UFC fighters to fight in boxing outside the organization while they were still in their prime. Others like Mike Perry have carved out a lucrative niche for themselves in Bare Knuckle FC. But some of the other athletes, such as former UFC headliners Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, Anthony Pettis and José Aldo, have stepped into the boxing ring late in their fighting careers. Jorge Masvidal told ESPN last week that he also plans to compete in boxing next, after retiring from the UFC last year.
“Other than Francis and Conor, I don't think anyone has done it in such a significant way,” said another manager who has represented multiple UFC champions.
Ngannou might have been the only MMA fighter to actually give a top-tier, high-level boxer a real career. But earning millions of dollars also has meaning. Several of the fighters who transitioned to boxing, including Diaz, made more money in those fights than in any UFC fight.
One top trainer noted that boxing training is also less strenuous on the body (there's no wrestling or grappling to deal with) and in most cases doesn't have as pronounced a weight reduction compared to MMA.
“I think it has staying power because of the monetary value these guys are getting,” said one top MMA coach. “And I think people should wake up to the fact that guys have a long career in MMA and then they can immediately move on to boxing and earn as much or possibly more in that field. But they also suffer less injuries. They don't cut as much weight and are capable of having a quick change in boxing. Aldo fought [in boxing] and I said, 'I could fight next week.'”
Right then and there, the trainer said that switching to boxing wouldn't work for everyone. MMA fighters who aren't big names aren't going to suddenly become top stars and make millions just because they put on bigger gloves and bigger shoes. There is also a weight class element. Ngannou had a ready-made popular opposition that he would find intriguing to confront. An MMA fighter coming into boxing would still need a big-name dance partner.
“If there's no clear plan of 'I can get this fight,' what are you going to do?” said the manager of some former champions. “Burn your way to the end of a contract? And then it's like, 'OK, now I'm a free agent and I can box the No. 16 player in the WBC that nobody knows and do the same thing I do.'” doing in MMA?'”
The prominent manager said the “sweet spot” right now is in the 190-pound range, because a popular MMA fighter could fight someone like Paul, KSI or Tommy Fury. That manager said it's possible that McGregor, who has two fights left in the UFC, could fall into that category. McGregor recently teased a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao.
“He'll be next,” the noted trainer said of McGregor. “And that's why you ask, 'Is this going to dry out?' No, because he will fight Canelo. [Alvarez], will fight Jake Paul. Something is coming with him that will reopen this.”
Last week, UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley and Ryan Garcia argued on social media about their desire to fight each other in boxing. Thanks in part to Ngannou, there appears to be no end in sight to the trend of MMA fighters transitioning to boxing. Even if it doesn't make sense to everyone fighting in the octagon.
“Boxing is not the rose garden that people think it is,” said one veteran MMA manager. “It's not. If you look at the way boxing works, most fighters make a lot less than MMA.”
