Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou flips final Usyk vs. Fury 2 pick: ‘Don’t count Tyson out’

Dan Hiergesell is an expert voice who serves as MMAmania.com's weekend editor, covering mixed martial arts (MMA) for more than 15 years, getting featured on programs such as Countdown to UFC and SiriusXM Fight Club, among others.

Francis Ngannou has made his final prediction for Saturday’s (Dec. 21, 2024) boxing rematch between heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk and former champion Tyson Fury LIVE on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Fury, who fought Ngannou to a split decision back in Oct. 2023, is coming off the first loss of his professional career when he dropped a split decision to Usyk this past May. The two heavyweights have been lining up for a rematch ever since as Fury tries to win his belt back and cement himself as the best heavyweight boxer in the sport.

Ahead of his rematch with Usyk, Fury packed on about 20 extra pounds in effort to be a much bigger fighter on Saturday. Unfortunately, that didn’t work so well for Fury the first time around as Usyk’s speed, shot selection, and movement allowed him to have his way against Fury in the later rounds. It’s unknown at this time exactly how the rematch will play out.

Ngannou, who is an avid boxing fan, picked Fury to beat Usyk the first time around. On Friday, the former UFC champion believed a similar result would play out between the two men, indicating that he was siding with Usyk for the rematch.

“From what I saw last time, I think it’s really hard to have a different result,” said Ngannou during a recent interview with talkSPORT. “I mean, it’s not going to be – it might not be a knockout or something, but I think Usyk has a very slick [style]. But, don’t count Tyson out.”

On the same night, Ngannou flipped his official pick and ended up choosing Tyson once again. Check it out below:

“I think Fury,” Ngannou told Seconds Out. “Not that I’m taking Usyk out, respect for Usyk basically for what he had done for their first fight. ... He proved me wrong, I’ll admit that. I was wrong on that one, but I still see it for Fury.”

For complete Usyk vs. Fury 2 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.