Tom Aspinall has given his thoughts on a potential showdown with Francis Ngannou as the Cameroonian heavyweight prepares for his long-awaited return to the cage.
Aspinall is the current UFC interim heavyweight champion and defended his belt against Curtis Blaydes in front of a baying Manchester crowd in July to cement his place as the top contender in the division.
In the meantime, the 31-year-old must wait for his shot at undisputed gold as he serves as the backup fighter for Jon Jones’ clash Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 next month.
Before Jones joined the pantheon of two-weight champions in the UFC, the heavyweight division was ruled over by the devastating knockout artist Ngannou.
Ngannou departed the UFC following a highly-publicised dispute with the promotion surrounding the issue of fighter pay last year, and has since embarked on an eventful crossover run in professional boxing.
Tom Aspinall has revealed how he thinks a fight between him and Francis Ngannou would play out
Ngannou is set to return to MMA for the first time in nearly three years on Saturday night
The 38-year-old departed the UFC without ever losing his heavyweight title inside the Octagon
The Predator is finally set to return to MMA at PFL Battle of the Giants on Saturday night, and Aspinall insisted he would love the opportunity to take on the lineal heavyweight king.
‘Oh, that’s a good fight,’ Aspinall said on his YouTube channel, regarding a potential clash with Ngannou.
‘That’s a great fight. Always been a big fan of Francis. Love his story. Love what he’s all about.
‘I think it’s a 50-50 fight, to be honest. Francis is a scary man, but I think, technically, I would take the edge. But, I think that’s a great fight.’
Francis has previously expressed an interest in locking horns with the UFC’s current crop of heavyweight talents in a cross-promotional event with the PFL.
But Aspinall insisted his technical ability would give him the edge in a hypothetical showdown
However, Dana White has historically shown little interest in any kind of co-promotion, making the hypothetical matchups unlikely to materialise in the near future.
In any case, Ngannou must first get past PFL star Renan Ferreira, a 6ft 8in behemoth riding a four-fight win streak, when they meet inside the cage in Saudi Arabia.
