CLEVELAND, OHIO: Jake Paul commended Francis Ngannou for quitting the UFC and "making his own lane" by taking on Tyson Fury. On October 28 in Saudi Arabia, Ngannou will compete in his first professional boxing match against heavyweight champion Fury.
Due to the fact that Ngannou is not ranked by the WBC and is therefore unable to compete for the world championship, Fury's WBC belt will not be on the line in the fight.
However, both fighters' professional records will still be on the line as the bout is still set to go 10 rounds of three minutes each.
Jake Paul is happy for Francis Ngannou
Both Paul and Ngannou had joined PFL, an MMA organization, earlier this year in preparation for their super-fight pay-per-view debuts.
'The Problem Child' recently discussed the bout with TNT Sports and acknowledged that Ngannou has a tough fight ahead against Fury.
"I'm just excited for Francis to be getting his opportunity and to be showing other fighters particularly from the UFC that they can break out of there and make their own lane. He's finally getting the pay he deserves but it's definitely going to be a tough challenge," Paul said.
He further added, “I've fought all of these MMA fighters and none of them have been able to do anything against me."
He then tried to predict what could happen in the course of the fight.
"Tyson is going to bring the smoke but Francis has that one-punch knockout power so we'll see if he can land on Tyson. It's going to be a good fight and I'm excited for it.” Paul said.
Francis Ngannou vs Tommy Fury
In a contest to determine who will be dubbed "the baddest man on the planet," Ngannou is a colossal underdog against Fury.
For the bout, the former UFC champion is working with MMA trainers Eric Nicksick and Dewey Cooper in addition to boxing superstar Mike Tyson.
Tyson told First Take that he expects Ngannou to make the bout much more competitive than most fans anticipate.
“We’re going to work and we’re going to exert everything he has for this particular match. I definitely believe that it’s going to be a tougher fight than anyone thinks,” he said.
However, Tommy Fury is also scheduled to face KSI for a boxing match on October 14, 2023.
The card will also include a match between Logan Paul and Dillon Danis, a contest that has become more personal than professional due to Danis trash talking Logan's fiancee Nina Agdal.