Curtis Blaydes thinks Francis Ngannou could beat top heavyweight boxers

UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes believes former opponent Francis Ngannou could be successful in pro boxing.

There are a handful of popular crossover ideas in combat sports and one of them, undeniably, involves Francis Ngannou moving from mixed martial arts to the boxing ring. His current status as UFC heavyweight champion would usually mean it’s unlikely we’d see such a transition, but ‘The Predator’ has a slightly different situation in comparison to most of the promotion’s top stars.

In addition to being out through injury until the end of the year, his contract is also set to expire this December. While the UFC is expected to make an effort to keep him on the books, the lucrative appeal of a boxing showdown with someone like Tyson Fury could be too good to turn down.

A lot of his divisional rivals have been asked about what’s going to happen with Ngannou and where he goes from here – including UFC Columbus main event winner Curtis Blaydes.

Blaydes, who finished Chris Daukaus during last weekend’s headline fight in Ohio, had the following to say when asked how the champion would fare inside the squared circle.

“Based on boxing in the heavyweight division I’ve watched, I think he does well. I think he has the reach, we know he has the explosion and the athleticism.

“With those gloves, those bigger gloves, he may not have the same impact, but I think he wins. I think he can beat any of those guys.”

Curtis Blaydes holds a 16-3 (1) pro MMA record with six wins in his last seven bouts. However, two of those three career losses have come courtesy of the same man – Francis Ngannou.

Their first collision was ended via doctor stoppage in April 2016. Then, two and a half years later, Francis made even quicker work of ‘Razor’ with