Francis Ngannou returned to the ring on Friday, after a razor-thin split decision loss against heavyweight champ Tyson Fury in a non-title bout.
Just a few years ago, that sentence would have been near unthinkable to write, let alone read. But Ngannou, known to MMA fans as “The Predator,” has proven to be that rare figure able to almost will his dreams into existence. After winning the UFC heavyweight championship and defending the belt, Ngannou held out in a lengthy contract dispute with the promotion, during which one of his demands was to pursue a boxing match with Fury.
UFC heavyweight champ vs. boxing heavyweight champ certainly had a nice ring to it. But when Ngannou vacated his title and signed with rival PFL, it seemed like the boxing dream had fizzled. Dana White sent to far as to suggested his former employee (sorry, indepenent contractor) had “fumbled the bag.”
As it turns out, Ngannou fumbled the bag all the way to the bank, landing the Fury fight and knocking the heavyweight champ down in the bout. Many had Francis winning, though the scorecards say otherwise, but his performance landed him a ranking, and a second look against another boxing star in Anthony Joshua, in a card with the rather fun moniker “Knockout Chaos.”
Where to Watch Joshua vs. Ngannou: Knockout Chaos
The Knockout Chaos card can be viewed via either DAZN (with subscription) or PPV.com on Friday, March 8, 2024 with the event taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The undercard gets underway at 11AM ET. Full results from the event can be found below.
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: Knockout Chaos Results
Anthony Joshua def. Francis Ngannou via R2 KO, 2:38
Joseph Parker def. Zhilei Zhang via Decision
Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball Ruled A Split Draw
Israil Madrimov def. Magomed Kurbanov via R5 KO
Mark Chamberlain def. Gavin Gwynne via R4 KO, 2:46
Justis Huni def. Kevin Lerena via Decision
Louis Green def. Jack McGann via KO, Round 1, 1:29
Roman Fury def. Martin Svarc via Decision
Ziyad Almaayouf def. Christian Lopez Flores via Decision
Andrii Novytski def. Juan Torres via KO, Round 3
