On Saturday night, Ngannou showcased one of the most remarkable combat sports displays in the last decade by going head-to-head with the undefeated heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in his boxing premiere. While Ngannou did end up on the losing end of a closely contested split decision, his performance surpassed all expectations, including a third-round knockdown of Fury. This unexpected showing immediately fueled speculation that Ngannou might commit to boxing entirely, as it offers the potential for larger paydays and more significant matchups. Nevertheless, the PFL standout insists that he's not finished with MMA just yet.

Ngannou Stated, “Combination. I can do both. Nothing is stopping me from doing both. f I have the skill for both of them, why not? As for right now, I have a deal with PFL and I’m intending to fight MMA again. I love it. I’m more comfortable. I still love it. I might do some MMA fights, but I’m still going to do boxing. I never intended to just step over and do one fight and just go out. That wasn’t the plan at all, never. The plan is still the same.”

By now, who could possibly question him? Whether it's his journey from Cameroon to France as a young man, his rise in the world of MMA to become the UFC heavyweight champion, his willingness to stand up to the UFC and pursue his own path, or his recent performance that brought him within a single round of defeating Tyson Fury in his boxing debut, Ngannou has consistently proven himself by silencing those who doubted him.

Despite the final decision by the judges, Ngannou asserts that both he and Fury are well aware of the true victor in that bout.

 “I think it’s a shame for this sport. And those judges or whoever, they should be sanctioned. Again, I want to understand why those judges judge like that, because for me, to be honest, I don’t care that much about that decision, but I think those kinds of decisions mess up a lot of people’s careers.”

“If he’s being honest, he would say I won that fight,” Later on his YouTube channel, Ngannou further stated. “I won that fight. There is not a question about it. And even before getting here, I knew if this fights goes to decision, I’m not winning. Not because I didn’t do good, because I’m the new guy in the house. I come here and I just want to kick into people’s business.”

“There’s a structured business out there and you need to do a lot to destroy it. That’s why it would be an upset. I wasn’t expecting to win like that in a decision. But it is what it is. I do my job. I know I did everything I could have done. I did my best. Maybe next time I should just do better to convince people.”

The possibility of a rematch between Fury and Ngannou is uncertain. No rematch clause was included for this fight, and Fury is already looking ahead to a unification showdown with Oleksandr Usyk. Initially scheduled for December, the match has apparently been postponed to 2024, given Fury's challenging encounter with Ngannou.

Likewise, Ngannou had been preparing to rejoin MMA and make his PFL debut in early 2024. However, his remarkable performance on Saturday night may have altered those plans, creating new prospects for the lineal heavyweight champion.

“I’m going to fight sometime in February or March,” Ngannou added, “Maybe in the cage or in the ring, but I’m going to fight. I already basically have both, and we are working on what’s going to work better.”

Considering his impressive performance against Fury, if Ngannou does decide to return to the boxing ring before his next bout, he will carry a significant amount of confidence with him.

“I’m going back without that victory, which is not what I was looking for. I was really looking forward to winning this fight. But I did learn a lot tonight about the sport. This is really my first time to fight and to do 10-round boxing match, straight boxing. I told myself that I didn’t do bad against the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, so I’ve just to go back and focus on that, and use that experience to work on it and get prepared for the next time. I think this just gets me even more excited and hungry to prove. I was wounded, but I realize I can bite.”