Many believed it would never happen. That Francis Ngannou couldn’t land the fight. But after holding out on the UFC, allowing his contract to expire and vacating the MMA promotion’s heavyweight title after they refused to capitulate to his desire to box lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, “The Predator” did indeed land the biggest boxing spectacle since Mayweather-McGregor.
That spectacle arrives on Saturday, October 28, 2023 as the “Battle of the Baddest” plays out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fury, already lined up for a showdown with Oleksandr Usyk later this year or in early 2024, will feature in a non-title fight with Ngannou that is nevertheless a professional contest.
As such, an upset win for Ngannou, clearly the underdog given his lack of boxing experience, would almost certainly set up an even bigger rematch. That nevertheless was a very steep hill to climb.
The Battle of the Baddest main card gets underway at 1PM ET (the ESPN+ broadcast kicks off at 2PM) airing exclusively on ESPN+ PPV in the U.S., and TNT Sports Box Office in the U.K. Full results from the event can be found below.
Battle of the Baddest: Fury vs. Ngannou Results
Main Card
Heavyweight: Tyson Fury def. Francis Ngannou by split decision (94-95, 96-93, 95-94)
Heavyweight: Fabio Wardley def. David Adeleye by TKO, Round 7, 2:43
Heavyweight: Joseph Parker def. Simon Kean by KO, Round 3, 2:04
Heavyweight: Arslanbek Makhmudov def. Junior Anthony Wright by TKO, Round 1, 1:10
Heavyweight: Moses Itauma def. Istvan Bernath by TKO, Round 1, 1:53
Heavyweight: Martin Bakole def. Carlos Takam by TKO, Round 4, 2:15
Preliminary Card
Super Welterweight: Jack McGann def. Alcibiade Duran Galvan by TKO, Round 2, 0:37
