Anthony Joshua is a nightmare that both Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou would like to forget. But the former unified heavyweight champion just doesn’t stop shadowing the two, as they headed into Tuesday’s press conference. This comes after ‘The Predator’ was released from his PFL contract after three years and just one fight. 

In the immediate aftermath, Jake Paul’s MVP confirmed that the former UFC and PFL heavyweight champion would face Philipe Lins, a fellow former UFC fighter. The fight is added to the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card as the co-main event on Netflix. Fast forward to Tuesday, Ngannou was scheduled to attend a press conference in Inglewood, California. 

But before making his way onto the stage to be bombarded with questions, ‘The Problem Child’ paid a visit to Francis Ngannou backstage. Accompanied by his business partner, Nakisa Bidarian, Jake Paul entered the room before shaking Ngannou’s hand and giving the former UFC champ a brief hug. MVP shared the clip on Instagram, highlighting their “link up” before the presser.

However, once the press conference began and Ariel Helwani asked Jake Paul about fighting Ngannou next, the friendly demeanor quickly vanished.

“Yeah, no, I mean, I’m down,” Jake Paul said. “I’ve always been down. You were the option before Anthony Joshua, and you ran like a duck. And I bet you didn’t think I would last longer than you did with Anthony either. So you just know that you get worked in boxing, and I would love to see it someday.”

“No, I think you were just being a small boy, not understanding, being a little disrespectful, and that’s why I want to kick your a— now,” Ngannou responded boldly. “I really didn’t want to fight you. But now I want to beat you. So there’s a difference. And that’s why I [made] the statement that I want [to] just beat you up.”

Last year in November, Jake Paul was scheduled to face Anthony Joshua in a boxing match. However, before he settled on the British heavyweight, Francis Ngannou was approached for the fight. The Cameroonian French MMA veteran appeared in an interview with TMZ Sports at the time and revealed that he had refused the fight offer.

Paul eventually went on to face AJ, where he ended up with a broken jaw in three places before losing via sixth-round knockout. Ngannou, on the other hand, fought Joshua back in March 2024. ‘The Predator’ was coming off a loss to Tyson Fury, where he earned respect by dropping ‘The Gypsy King’ but lost the fight. 

However, he couldn’t replicate the performance against Joshua, as he got folded like a lawn chair in the second round, losing the fight. With memories of both fights fresh in mind, when fans discovered Ngannou and Paul’s exchanges on social media, they couldn’t help but bring up Anthony Joshua.

Was Jake Paul scared of Francis Ngannou?

Before Joshua defeated Paul, everyone already knew how the fight would end. Fans tuned in mainly for the satisfaction of Paul getting knocked out. Now that Paul is back to talking trash, many were quick to remind him of what happened. “Bro, Joshua shut Jake up, why’s he talking again 😂,” one user asked. Still, ‘El Gallo’ has been taking pride in the fact that he lasted longer than Ngannou against Joshua. 

Meanwhile, this fan felt Paul’s speech had been altered permanently since the Anthony Joshua fight. “Who noticed that Jake [doesn’t] talk well again after Anthony Joshua’s fight 😂😂😂,” the fan highlighted. Even though Paul did have procedures for his broken jaw, it doesn’t appear to have had a major effect on his speech. 

Someone else tried to explain why Paul lasted longer than Ngannou against Joshua. “Anthony didn’t fight the way he fought Francis against you, lol. Plus, you ran, Francis didn’t,” the user explained. Paul was way too slippery during the fight, whereas Ngannou wanted to spark Joshua out with his power, but never got the opportunity. 

Meanwhile, this user reflected on the dressing room exchange between Paul and Ngannou. The user posted: “Jake was lowkey shivering bruh😭.” But can you blame him? Ngannou is a 6-foot-4-inch giant who is known for his power.

The next user highlighted Paul’s hypocrisy. “Supp man, how are you behind closed doors, [but] in front of a camera, talks more s—t than he can back up 😂,” the user commented. It’s an obvious attempt at building a storyline to set up a lucrative fight eventually. 

With that said, Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou appear to be heading on a collision course with each other. However, do you think that’s the sort of fight fans want from Ngannou? If yes, can Paul win?