Francis Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick has thrown severe gas on discuss that Jake Paul’s first MMA struggle might come towards the previous UFC heavyweight champion, and says Workforce Ngannou can be able to take that matchup if the deal is smart.
Nicksick’s feedback on Jake Paul vs Francis Ngannou
Talking lately about Jake Paul’s long-discussed transfer into the cage, Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick stated the YouTuber-turned-boxer has inadvertently lined himself up with Ngannou because the standout choice for an MMA debut. He pointed to Paul’s public callouts and the shared boxing storyline as the important thing causes that matchup “stands out” above the remainder.
Nicksick laid out his pondering intimately, highlighting each the enterprise and sporting angles behind the thought. Talking to Action Network, he stated:
“The title that’s at all times going to stay on the market now could be going to be Francis, due to the boxing factor, and Jake calling out Francis. I don’t know the place Francis is at along with his negotiations or his contracts with PFL. However, positively, that’s a struggle that might be cool, if the cash’s proper.
“And after that little dialogue forwards and backwards of those guys speaking shit to one another, then you definately would possibly as nicely if you wish to bounce within the deep finish, and also you need to struggle Francis, as a result of I’ll inform you what, man, I’m most likely the identical measurement as Jake and once I stand subsequent to Francis, I really feel like a bit child.”
Nicksick’s reference to Ngannou’s contract talks comes at a time when the heavyweight’s place available in the market has shifted once more. The Skilled Fighters League confirmed in early March that it had “made the choice to half methods” with Ngannou, ending a high-profile partnership that started in 2023. The promotion praised him on the way in which out and framed the transfer as a reset because it continues to “recruit and signal one of the best athletes within the sport,” whereas wishing him success within the subsequent part of his profession.
Francis Ngannou’s subsequent transfer is already set, with the previous UFC and PFL champion signing with Jake Paul’s Most Invaluable Promotions and reserving his MMA return towards ex-UFC heavyweight Philipe Lins on Could 16. The five-round heavyweight bout will function the co-main occasion to Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano on MVP’s inaugural MMA card, which streams dwell on Netflix from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, marking Netflix’s first dwell MMA occasion.
A number of shops confirmed that will probably be Ngannou’s first MMA struggle since his first-round stoppage of Renan Ferreira for the PFL Tremendous Fights heavyweight title in October 2024, and it lands lower than two weeks after PFL introduced his launch, underlining how shortly he pivoted into the MVP–Netflix partnership.
For Nicksick, the intrigue in Paul vs Ngannou lies in how excessive that check can be for a debuting MMA fighter. The coach famous that he’s roughly the identical measurement as Paul, but when he stands subsequent to Ngannou he feels “like a bit child,” a easy visible that captures the dimensions and energy hole between a pure heavyweight and a cruiserweight-sized crossover title. Ngannou constructed his status within the UFC as one of many sport’s most harmful knockout artists, and people heavy palms have carried over into his boxing outings towards Fury and Joshua.
If this struggle does come collectively, it might pit one in every of MMA’s most feared heavyweights towards one in every of fight sports activities’ most seen influencers in Paul’s first cage look, and Nicksick has publicly signalled that Ngannou’s camp is keen to be in that reverse nook.
