Combat sports enthusiasts had plenty to say after former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou suffered a devastating knockout loss to ex-unified boxing titleholder Anthony Joshua.
After departing the UFC at the start of 2023 under a cloud of uncertainty and doubt, Ngannou shocked the world in his boxing debut last October. Having first defied expectations by securing a showdown with WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury, “The Predator” went above and beyond in the ring, knocking “The Gypsy King” down and remaining competitive throughout the 10-round affair.
With two of the three scorecards controversially denying him a memorable victory, Ngannou returned to the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday in pursuit of going one step further in his sophomore boxing outing against Joshua.
Unfortunately for the Cameroonian, his pursuit of that goal was emphatically shut down by “AJ,” who followed a knockdown in round one with a second in round two, and a subsequent one-punch KO moments later.
The scary scene saw Francis Ngannou rendered unconscious on the canvas, where he remained for a considerable time after a KO blow that marked one of the most brutal in recent memory.
MMA & Boxing Communities React To Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou
Unsurprisingly, the conclusion of the “Knockout Chaos” event in the Middle East drew plenty of reactions across the boxing and mixed martial arts communities on social media.
While some focused on the vicious nature of the punch that sent Francis Ngannou crashing down, many were quick to point out that the result by no means diminishes what “The Predator” accomplished against Fury five months ago.