Would Deontay Wilder have a good chance of beating Ngannou in an MMA fight?

[NEETzschean]

There's recent precedent (Pereira-Adesanya 3) for a specialist KO’ing a 200+ lbs (on fight night) UFC lineal champion, who was P4P No.2. There's also precedent for a boxer beating a former two-time UFC HW champion in an MMA fight: a 20 lbs overweight and shot beyond belief 48 year old Mercer (who wasn't even a KO artist in his boxing prime) iced the previously un-KO'd 33 year old Sylvia with one punch, in 9 seconds.

Let's say the first fight is a boxing match and Wilder (who was able to land big on 6’8 master boxer Fury) KO's a slow and defensively open Ngannou early. In the MMA rematch Wilder would have a huge advantage, with the previously un-KO’d, now 37 year old Ngannou terrified from the opening bell (partly because he wouldn’t want to be humiliated by an MMA neophyte) and carrying some additional physical wear. Ngannou mentally collapsed post-Miocic 1 (a fight where he wasn't even finished) and subsequently fought scared against a less rangy, less athletic, MMA KO artist in Lewis, losing a decision.

In an MMA fight Wilder would be wearing 4oz gloves, increasing his already monstrous power and there's no 10 count, so there's a great chance that the fight ends with the first knockdown.

Wilder knows that he couldn't afford to let Ngannou wrestle him so he would go for broke early, which is also when fighters are most vulnerable to explosive punchers.

 

[Small Town Andrew]

I dont think he has much of a chance if Francis fought to win and didnt just go out and throw wild haymakers

 

[Strychnine]

 

[ThunderStruck]

Not a chance in hell.

 

[flektarn]

Don't think it would go too well. Wilder fights around ~215 lb ? Ngannou comes in at 260? Any clinch work or wrestling is going to go Ngannou's way.

 

[C0NCH3TO]

Ngannou smokes him without the need of any wresslin.

 

[NEETzschean]

Don't think it would go too well. Wilder fights around ~215 lb ? Ngannou comes in at 260? Any clinch work or wrestling is going to go Ngannou's way.

That's why Wilder would have to go for a KO/KD punch early. The weight difference isn't a pure advantage for Ngannou, at 260 lbs he's a lot slower than a 3 stone lighter Wilder.

 

[ExitLUPin]

Francis has competent wrestling..... And while he doesn't have a notable submission game it's still more than enough to tap Wilder. Deontay gets worked and murked on the ground.

 

[NEETzschean]

Francis has competent wrestling..... And while he doesn't have a notable submission game it's still more than enough to tap Wilder. Deontay gets worked and murked on the ground.

What if 4oz gloves Wilder nails him on the chin/temple/forehead in the first 10 seconds?

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

D1 Ngannou would make it look like Couture vs Toney.

 

[MT5]

Wilder wasn't even able to adapt and change strategy on the third Fury fight, aside from a few body jabs the first round or two. Now he's gonna be a great MMA fighter? C'mon. Yes, punchers chance and all that. But I'd take all my winnings from betting on Wilder for the boxing match and put in on Ngannou for the MMA match.

 

[Will G]

What if 4oz gloves Wilder nails him on the chin/temple/forehead in the first 10 seconds?

Sounds familiar...

 

[cws80us]

If Francis fought smartly like he did against Gane, he would win easily.

 

[Chalky White]

According to his coaches and a bunch of other fighters that have trained with Ngannou, he spends most of his training time working on his wrestling/grappling since being embarrassed in the 1st Stipe fight.

He started too late in life to become anything special at it, but Wilder certainly wouldn’t have enough time to bridge the gap. It would be a 1st round ground and pound.

 

[NEETzschean]

D1 Ngannou would make it look like Couture vs Toney.

A shot beyond all belief 48 year old Ray Mercer (who wasn't even a KO artist in boxing) KO'd the previously un-KO'd 33 year old Tim Sylvia cold in 9 seconds in an MMA fight.

 

[MrFreeze]

Done in 1 (leg kick)

 

[NEETzschean]

Wilder wasn't even able to adapt and change strategy on the third Fury fight, aside from a few body jabs the first round or two. Now he's gonna be a great MMA fighter? C'mon. Yes, punchers chance and all that. But I'd take all my winnings from betting on Wilder for the boxing match and put in on Ngannou for the MMA match.

Fury is vastly more difficult to land on than Ngannou and Wilder still managed to land big on Fury on two occasions.

I never said "he's going to be a great MMA fighter" but I think he has a good chance of KO'ing Ngannou if he lands big in the first 10 seconds like Mercer did on Sylvia.

 

[King in the North]

Maybe a slightly better chance than Ngannou has in boxing if he decides to stand with him (although the threat of the takedown and leg kicks also mean Francis could win here). But Ngannou easily takes Wilder down and Wilder probably just taps when he starts getting hit, as he should.

Wilder wins in boxing
Ngannou wins in mma

it is that simple

 

[Fight Professor]

Wilder is not going to win in small gloves with a takedown threat. Francis is going to fake takedowns and land haymakers.

 

[MeatWagon06]

Done in 1 (leg kick)

No wonder he was spent after wearing that outfit to the ring against Fury. Pfffftttt