Deontay Wilder Offers UFC Legend Francis Ngannou 2-Fight Contract in Boxing and MMA

Boxing star Deontay Wilder provided Francis Ngannou with a lucrative path forward following the former heavyweight champion's split with the UFC.

Wilder said in a Jan. 26 interview with Trill Boxing (via the Mirror's Donagh Corby) he'd like to sign a two-fight deal with Ngannou that would allow them to compete in a boxing ring as well as an MMA cage.

"I even thought about this idea," Wilder said. "I said, 'Alright, let's make it a two-fight deal. Everybody always comes to boxing; let's do this: you come to my s--t; I'll come to yours.' I'm a true warrior, that even makes it more exciting, and I'm serious about that, too. That's something I thought about even since the first spark of the idea."

In January, UFC President Dana White confirmed Ngannou was no longer with the promotion after contract discussions between the two sides broke down. White said the star had declined "a deal that would've made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the company."

Ngannou responded by telling Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (via ESPN's Marc Raimondi) money wasn't his sole motivator when weighing his next steps and contended that the UFC failed to fulfill all of the requests he laid out.

The 36-year-old is 17-3 with 12 knockouts in MMA, but he'd be significantly overmatched in a boxing ring opposite Wilder. "The Bronze Bomber" has a 43-2-1 record, and all but one of his wins have come by knockout.

Of course, the roles would be reversed when Ngannou and Wilder were competing with MMA rules.

A two-fight agreement figures to be lucrative for the pair. Unfortunately for Wilder, he's not the only boxer pursuing this opportunity. On Monday, Ngannou responded to comments from Tyson Fury and agreed to all of the conditions Fury had laid out for a theoretical bout:

The ball appears to be in Ngannou's court.