Francis Ngannou would be hesitant about a rematch with Anthony Joshua after how the lead-up to their fight this year unfolded.
The former UFC heavyweight champion faced Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and suffered a second-round knockout loss. Since then, "The Predator" made a successful return to MMA in October, securing a KO victory over Renan Ferreira at the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants event, also held in Saudi Arabia.
In a recent interview with Radio Rahim of Seconds Out, Ngannou revealed his reservations about a rematch with Joshua down the line, pointing to unsettling circumstances surrounding their initial fight week that he's previously brought up.
The rematch with Joshua, to be honest, I feel very off and not very comfortable in that fight,” Ngannou admitted. “It’s something that could happen, but what I do know for sure is that I want the rematch with Fury. Again, I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I didn’t like the Joshua fight. I think things wasn’t right, nothing was right, and if it’s gonna be the same scenario, I’m not interested.
Ngannou elaborated on his concerns, reiterating complaints about what he considered unfair treatment during the fight preparation process.
Something unfair definitely happened. I don’t have the full picture, but I have seen some myself that wasn’t right. I was in the locker room for almost four hours, for example, which is not something that does happen in a fight. So, just from that, not to talk about the entire week.
While Ngannou hasn’t ruled out the possibility of facing Joshua again, his sights seem firmly set on a rematch with Tyson Fury, with whom he shared an intensely competitive boxing bout earlier in his crossover career.