Francis Ngannou went from a pushover to a force to be reckoned with! More impressively, it took him just one fight against Tyson Fury. While the former UFC champion didn’t have any backers even back then, one guy stood firmly behind the ‘The Predator.’ It’s the MMA legend Dan Hardy, ‘The Outlaw,’ and he is back as Ngannou is about to take on Anthony Joshua!

Back in October, when everybody had expected ‘The Gypsy King’ to run right through Ngannou, Hardy said hang on a minute, this guy has a chance. What’s more, the Cameroonian didn’t disappoint. So, during Monday’s press conference for the fight, Hardy spoke to TNT Sports, giving his predictions again for the March 8 fight!

Francis Ngannou? Or Anthony Joshua? Dan Hardy, tell all!

Speaking to the interviewer, ‘The Outlaw’ expressed his surprise with Ngannou’s performance. Despite supporting him, Hardy did not expect Ngannou to do what he did. He felt Fury would still break Ngannou down in the mid-rounds. “But there were so many things that Ngannou did that surprised me as well as everybody else,” Hardy said.

Hardy proceeded to suggest, “[Ngannou] maintained his composure. He was patient. He wasn’t [biting] any faints,” so it was an all-around fantastic showing for the Cameroonian. Moreover, Hardy thinks several things Ngannou did in the Fury fight are going to be useful in the ‘AJ’ fight. Additionally, when the reporter brought up the surprise and unpredictability factor that Ngannou brought, Hardy revealed what he was expecting from Joshua.

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“Of course…the big surprise was how he was going to look the first time, AJ knows that now,” said Hardy. Having seen how and what Ngannou can do, Hardy expects Joshua to show up “supremely conditioned” and give Ngannou “all the respect he deserves.” When the reporter highlighted Ngannou’s punching power during the Fury fight, Hardy agreed and suggested, “Tyson’s a much more difficult person to hit than AJ.” 

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Hardy believes Ngannou would still be able to rock ‘AJ’ and play with him, coupled with the surprise for AJ that Ngannou can hit really hard. Meanwhile, ‘The Outlaw’ highlighted that the opening rounds could be difficult for Joshua, “where AJ could really start to panic when he realizes what he’s up against. I don’t think [if] he’s got the same composure that Tyson had to at least hold it together for ten rounds.”

When the reporter asked Hardy if that meant he was backing Ngannou, the former MMA champion claimed he thinks Ngannou won the fight against Tyson Fury. Hence, Hardy said, “I feel like this is a much more winnable fight for Ngannou, and I am going to back him.”

With the March 8 fight officially kicked off during Monday’s press conference, Dan Hardy is amongst the first few to predict the winner of the upcoming clash. Who do you think would win? Will this be an easier challenge for Ngannou?

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