Blaydes eyes post-UFC boxing match with Ngannou as retirement goal

Curtis Blaydes has named Francis Ngannou as his ideal opponent for a post-UFC boxing match, telling Home of Fight that he envisions the crossover bout as a final send-off after a long career in the Octagon. The heavyweight contender (19-6) was clear, however, that his MMA future lies exclusively with the UFC.

“I want to be in the UFC as long as I can, and I want to end with the UFC,” Blaydes said. “I could see myself at the end maybe taking a random boxing match against Francis Ngannou, if he is active still. Something like that just on the way out. But in terms of MMA, I do believe that I will only be with the UFC and when I do end, it will be with the UFC. And I will be happy with that.”

Blaydes cited long-serving UFC veterans Drew Dober and Neil Magny as the template for the career he wants to build — fighters who have spent over a decade in the promotion and carved out respected roles as divisional gatekeepers. “I look at guys for inspiration like Drew Dober, Neil Magny. I want to be like them. I want to have a legacy like theirs,” he added.

Blaydes and Ngannou have history that makes the hypothetical boxing match a natural talking point. The two first met at UFC Fight Night in 2016, when a badly cut eye forced a doctor’s stoppage at the end of the second round, handing Ngannou the win. Blaydes then reeled off six consecutive victories before a rematch in 2018, which Ngannou ended emphatically — knocking Blaydes out in just 45 seconds.

Most recently, Blaydes suffered a unanimous decision loss to Josh Hokit in a “Fight of the Night” performance at UFC 327 this past April.

Ngannou, meanwhile, departed the UFC in 2023 following a contract dispute and moved into boxing, where he lost a controversial split decision to Tyson Fury before being stopped by Anthony Joshua. He has since returned to MMA on two occasions, most recently knocking out Philipe Lins on a Most Valuable Promotions card last month.

Whether a Blaydes-Ngannou boxing match ever materialises will depend on both men’s trajectories, but Blaydes has made clear it is the one crossover fight he would consider stepping through the ropes for.