Francis Ngannou may have become somewhat of a draw in the boxing world now, but his roots remain in mixed martial arts. There have been speculations that ‘The Predator’ could be taking on Deontay Wilder next, as ‘The Bronze Bomber’ also expressed interest in a boxing match against the former UFC champion. But what about his MMA career? Well, it seems like that career is currently in limbo.

During a recent interview, Francis Ngannou‘s head coach, Eric Nicksick, revealed some concerning facts about his fighter’s MMA career. The Cameroonian-French star has had only one MMA fight since his departure from the UFC in 2023, and since then, there has been no news. And guess what? Nicksick doesn’t have a clue either. He claims to be constantly in contact with Ngannou, but he has heard nothing from him about anything related to MMA.

“We talk regularly, but we just talk as buddies. I know the Wilder rumor has been kicking around. I talked to him a couple of days ago, but it was more about just life and family. I’ll see him next week,” Ngannou’s head coach told MMA Junkie during a recent interview. “It sounds to me like he wants that Wilder fight, and I haven’t heard much more about the MMA side at all, to be honest with you.”

Nevertheless, Eric Nicksick is still envisioning ‘The Predator’ making his way back to MMA, which is what he wants. After all, he’s the one who takes care of that aspect of Francis Ngannou’s career. However, he’s well aware of the speculations about his potential boxing match against Deontay Wilder, and Nicksick confirmed that boxing is what Ngannou wants at the moment.

“Of course [I would like him to return to MMA]. That’s my specialty on the side of things. I still feel like we have a lot more we can do on the MMA side,” Francis Ngannou’s coach added. “He shifted his focus more over to boxing, and for me on the MMA side of things, I miss that growth and maturation that we had.” Well, regardless of what anyone feels, the former UFC heavyweight champion remains firm about pursuing boxing wholeheartedly. And guess what? Ngannou even shared an update a few days ago.

Francis Ngannou reveals discussions for the Deontay Wilder fight

Francis Ngannou shared a training clip on his Instagram handle, practicing the overhand right. If you’re wondering why the overhand right, it’s actually Deontay Wilder’s biggest weapon in his arsenal, and ‘The Predator’ has challenged him to see who hits harder. After that tease, Ngannou made an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s YouTube show.

The 38-year-old revealed that negotiations were indeed going on behind the scenes with Deontay Wilder’s representatives. But other than that, there was nothing more that he shared. “Yes, I do [want to fight Deontay Wilder]. We haven’t engaged personally, but it’s gonna be soon… We are setting some things up,” Francis Ngannou told the veteran combat sports journalist.

Well, it seems Ngannou is determined to face ‘The Bronze Bomber’ next. However, the real question is about Ngannou’s MMA career and whether it will suffer due to his boxing pursuits. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.