260 lbs Former UFC HW With 21 KOs Promises “Nasty and Ugly” Consequences for Francis Ngannou

Published 11/13/2023, 8:15 AM EST

Francis Ngannou seems to be the next big thing in the world of combat sports. Ever since the Cameroonian giant moved to the PFL, things have started to go uphill for him. He recently fought the WBC champ Tyson Fury in a boxing bout and nearly beat him. Now, other fighters from different combat styles, have started to call out the former UFC heavyweight champ.

Ben Rothwell, a former UFC heavyweight fighter, who had an impressive 39-14-0 record in professional MMA, is currently a revered BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) fighter, who has been undefeated in the fights he has been a part of. At a recent BKFC press conference, Rothwell called out Ngannou and now, ‘The Schmo’ confronted the 260 lbs heavyweight about it.

Ben Rothwell vs. Francis Ngannou at BKFC? What does Rothwell think of it?

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It’s easy to call out fighters, but to be able to back it up is another thing altogether. Ben Rothwell is not one to shy away from a fight and he made that clear when he called out Francis Ngannou at a BKFC press conference. The world of combat sports has been going crazy ever since they got wind of this. Rothwell has secured wins over some of the biggest names in the UFC but has not once crossed paths with Ngannou.

The Schmo recently interviewed Ben Rothwell and martial artist Todd Duffee (who Rothwell is scheduled to fight next), where he brought up Rothwell calling out Ngannou. He asked Rothwell how Ngannou would fare in Bare Knuckle and who would be the last man standing if the fight between them happened.

“I thought you’re going to say how well you’ll do in boxing, cause boxing, as you can see, is a different animal. It’s a different world. Those two guys went 10 rounds, and they really didn’t look too bad, okay? They really didn’t,” said Rothwell. The former UFC fighter then went on to make a strong case for why BKFC is different from boxing.

“Do you realize that in one three-minute round with bare knuckles – their faces or everybody’s faces are getting fucked up. This is bare knuckle, it’s not like anything else on the planet, and yeah… I don’t even – I’m not gonna tell you how it’s going to go. It’d be f*****g nasty and ugly and the fans would win,” added Rothwell.

Francis Ngannou Is Wrong to Prioritize Tyson Fury Rematch Over a Potential Anthony Joshua Fight

Ngannou has a lot on his plate right now – so much so that he might have to pick his battles. So is this fight possible? Let’s find out.

Francis Ngannou to compete in boxing and MMA – PFL CEO announces

Francis Ngannou might have lost the fight to Tyson Fury, but the world isn’t convinced that it was that simple. The internet is divided as some people think that Ngannou won that fight against Fury. Now, people are wondering what the results would be if the fight took place inside an Octagon. Well, it seems that the fans might have to wait a little bit before they find out.

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PFL CEO Peter Murray has stated that Ngannou might be competing in professional boxing before he re-starts his MMA career with PFL. It could be because Ngannou really did fight well against Fury, that Murray has decided to put him in boxing bouts. It could also be that Ngannou is looking to expand and take over the world of combat sports with PFL’s backing.

Now, he has a standing offer from a BKFC fighter as well. Whether it is feasible or not, is yet to be seen, since Ngannou has his own set of plans as well. When Jon Jones had to pull out of the UFC 295 fight card, Ngannou offered to fill in and fight Stipe Miocic. This would mean a cross-promotion fight between UFC and PFL. However, Dana White doesn’t seem enthused by the idea.

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When a reporter asked White if Ngannou vs. Jones could happen with the UFC co-promoting the fight alongside PFL, White seemed annoyed and said that he didn’t see the point of doing that. With White’s stance on Ngannou being so riding, it seems unlikely that he would be fighting in the UFC anytime soon. But what about the Ben Rothwell fight? Rothwell has 21 KOs to his name, so putting him away could be risky for even Ngannou. But is that a fight you would watch? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Hi, I am Arghyadeep, a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. Being brought up alongside two brothers who were avid WWE fans, I had no option but to watch alongside them and sometimes even partake in their ‘re-enactments’. However, I found myself gravitating towards combat sports soon after.

Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen

260 lbs Former UFC HW With 21 KOs Promises “Nasty and Ugly” Consequences for Francis Ngannou

Ben Rothwell vs. Francis Ngannou at BKFC? What does Rothwell think of it?

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