The unexpected twist that made Francis Ngannou say no to a Jake Paul fight

Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

The unexpected twist that made Francis Ngannou say no to a Jake Paul fight

Originally posted on HITC | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated May 22, 2026 6:30 PM ET

Francis Ngannou didn’t take kindly to early talk about facing Jake Paul.

The Predator has boxed twice since leaving the UFC in 2023. After nearly beating Tyson Fury, he suffered a heavy knockout loss to Anthony Joshua, leaving him with a 0-2 record.

The former UFC heavyweight champion has since returned to MMA and most recently appeared at the sport’s first-ever event on Netflix, where he knocked out Philipe Lins in the opening round.

There are no clear plans yet for what comes next for the Cameroonian, though a long-rumoured fight against ‘The Problem Child’ is still being talked about.

After Davis withdrew, Anthony Joshua stepped in to replace him, but before ‘AJ’ got the call, the offer had gone out to Ngannou.

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix

Francis Ngannou changes his mind about facing Jake Paul

Rather than jumping at the opportunity, Ngannou felt that, given his standing in combat sports, the fight wasn’t a step forward for him. But since then, he seems to have had a change of heart.

In an interview with Sky Sports News this month, Ngannou shared why he’s now more open to the idea of fighting Paul in the future.

“At first I wasn’t so excited (about fighting him),” Ngannou said. “I wasn’t looking into that but I think at some point I need to handle him. I think I can kick his ass if I might say so,” he added.

Jake Paul has lost twice as a professional boxer: once by decision against Tommy Fury and then by knockout loss to Anthony Joshua. With Ngannou looking for another shot in boxing, Paul could be on his radar as a possible opponent.

Even while promoting Lin vs Paul on Netflix, both fighters continued their back-and-forth during fight week. The American took shots at how Francis handled AJ’s power in their clash.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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