Francis Ngannou Talks Potential Jake Paul Fight in Video, 'I Need to Give Him Some Slaps'

Francis Ngannou is set to make his return to mixed martial arts on May 16 against Philipe Lins, but the former UFC heavyweight champ is also keeping an eye on Jake Paul.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Ngannou explained "I need to give him some slaps" in teasing a potential bout with Paul.

"I just feel like I need to give him some slaps," Ngannou told us. "That's just how I feel, you know, like slapping him off."

This does mark a vast change from the way Ngannou previously talked about this as a possibility.

When Paul tried to call out Ngannou late last year after a bout with Gervonta Davis fell through, the former UFC star confirmed Paul's camp made an inquiry but "there is no such thing happening."

The tenor changed a couple weeks ago when Ngannou said during the press conference for the May 16 event that will be headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano that he's "interested in beating his ass" when talking about Paul.

After getting obliterated by Anthony Joshua, including a "double" broken jaw, against Anthony Joshua, it's hard to imagine things going better for Paul if he were to get into the ring with Ngannou.

Granted, Ngannou doesn't have the same level of boxing experience as Paul, but his only two fights (both losses) are against Joshua and Tyson Fury. He jumped right in to the deep end of the pool.

Ngannou weighed in at 256.8 pounds for his last MMA fight against Renan Ferreira in October 2024. He also has a reach of 83 inches. Paul's weight for the Joshua fight was 216.6 pounds, while his reach is 76 inches.

We will see what the future holds for Ngannou as a member of Paul's Most Valuable Promotions team after his bout with Lins.