Is it to grab attention, or does he really want to fight Francis Ngannou? In a recent pinch, legendary MMA fighter Fedor Emelianenko, age 47, decided to do the unexpected! He called out Francis Ngannou, that too, for a boxing match! After his last performance in the ring, the former UFC heavyweight champion has attained elite status among boxing fans.

Last year, ‘The Predator’ took on the most sought-after heavyweight in the world, Tyson Fury, and nearly caused an upset. Not to forget, he even knocked down Fury and is about to fight Anthony Joshua on March 8 in Saudi Arabia. So, the question is, what led to a retired MMA guy calling out Francis Ngannou? Emelianenko tells all in an interview with Red Corner MMA!

Emelianenko thinks it would be interesting to fight Francis Ngannou

This isn’t the first time ‘The Last Emperor’ is contemplating a return to combat after retirement. He originally called it quits in 2015 but came back for a few more fights in the octagon. Then, he retired in February 2023 and is already thinking about a comeback. During the interview, Emelianenko didn’t shy away from expressing his desire to box Ngannou!

“I would like to fight Francis Ngannou! I want to box him. I can’t do MMA anymore. But I would like to box him,” said Emelianenko. When reminded about Ngannou’s age and performance against Fury, the MMA legend claimed, “I’d like to fight him. Maybe it’s…not overconfidence, but…it’d be interesting to fight him.” However, this isn’t the first time ‘The Last Emperor’ has called out a boxer!

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Fedor Emelianenko wanted to fight retired boxing legend

A while back, reports came out that there could have been a fight between Emelianenko and Mike Tyson! It turned out to be utterly false, but Emelianenko had previously expressed his desire to fight Tyson in an interview with Ariel Helwani. During the interview dated 10 August 2023, the retired MMA legend claimed, “MMA is done, 100 percent.”

“I’m not going back to MMA. I want to try myself in boxing. I think that’s going to be interesting,” he continued. Later in the interview, Emelianenko suggested that he had watched Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr., which made him think “Mike Tyson would be an interesting fight.” The Russian Mixed Martial Artist feels, “He has a big name, he’s a legend…It would be interesting because…he’s still in good shape. He still works pads, he still has that same power.”

Also Read: Fedor Emelianenko Political Career: How Is the MMA Icon-Turned Russian Politician Connected to Donald Trump?

With the Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury fight creeping in quickly, Fedor Emelianenko has thrown his name in the mix for a fight against Ngannou. The fight is unlikely to ever happen, but who knows? Much weirder things have happened in the sport before! Do you think Francis Ngannou should fight ‘The Last Emperor?’

Watch This Story: 57-Year-Old Mike Tyson Called Out to Fight on Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou Undercard