{"id":490278,"date":"2026-02-19T14:18:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/490278\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T14:18:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:18:08","slug":"why-francis-ngannou-vs-jake-paul-in-mma-is-the-fight-to-make-according-to-legendary-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/490278\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Francis Ngannou Vs. Jake Paul In MMA Is The Fight To Make According To Legendary Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Legendary MMA coach Eric Nicksick believes Jake Paul\u2019s first MMA fight should come against Francis Ngannou, and that the crossover matchup now \u201csticks out\u201d as the one to make.\u200b Speaking about Paul\u2019s long-discussed move to MMA, the Xtreme Couture<\/a> head coach pointed to the recent back-and-forth between Paul and Ngannou as the key factor that pushed the idea from fantasy to a realistic option. <\/p>\n

Why Francis Ngannou Vs. Jake Paul in MMA is the Fight To Make<\/p>\n

Nicksick referenced Paul\u2019s public callouts of Ngannou following the former UFC heavyweight champion\u2019s high-profile boxing run, and said that if Paul truly wants to \u201cjump in the deep end,\u201d there is no bigger test than facing Ngannou in a cage. He added that when he stands next to Ngannou, despite being around Paul\u2019s size, he feels \u201clike a little kid,\u201d a line that shows the physical gap Paul would have to deal with at heavyweight.\u200b Speaking to Action Network<\/a>, he explained:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe name that\u2019s always going to stick out there now [for Jake Paul\u2019s MMA debut] is going to be Francis, because of the boxing element, and Jake calling out Francis. I don\u2019t know where Francis is at with his negotiations or his contracts with PFL. But, definitely,\u00a0 that\u2019s a fight that would be cool, if the money\u2019s right. And after that little dialogue back and forth of these guys talking shit to each other, then you might as well if you want to jump in the deep end, and you want to fight Francis, because I\u2019ll tell you what, man, I\u2019m probably the same size as Jake and when I stand next to Francis, I feel like a little kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul signed a multifight, multiyear deal with the Professional Fighters League in early 2023, giving him a platform for a future MMA debut while he continued his boxing career. PFL leadership has since reiterated that the YouTuber-turned-fighter remains committed to competing in the SmartCage but Jake Paul<\/a> recently stepped away from the PFL.<\/p>\n

Paul, through Most Valuable Promotions, is now promoting MMA with its debut main event Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey<\/a> on Netflix. Jake Paul vs. Francis Ngannou<\/a> on Netflix could be a major event.<\/p>\n

Ngannou\u2019s situation is more fluid<\/a>. After leaving the UFC as heavyweight champion, he signed a multifight PFL deal in 2023 that granted him MMA exclusivity on pay-per-view while allowing separate boxing contracts and giving him an executive role with PFL Africa. Ngannou debuted for PFL in October 2024, defeating Renan Ferreira and becoming the promotion\u2019s first Super Fight heavyweight champion, before shifting focus between MMA and marquee boxing bouts against Tyson Fury<\/a> and Anthony Joshua. <\/p>\n

\"JakeMIAMI, FLORIDA \u2013 DECEMBER 19: (R-L) Anthony Joshua punches Jake Paul during the heavyweight bout during Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua at Kaseya Center on December 19, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato\/Getty Images for Netflix)<\/p>\n

In late 2025, Ngannou indicated that his PFL deal is set to expire in time for a planned UFC event at the White House in mid-2026, raising questions over where he will compete next and how a potential Paul fight would be structured.\u200b<\/p>\n

\"Francis<\/p>\n

That uncertainty<\/a> did not stop Nicksick from endorsing the matchup. He noted he is unsure where Ngannou\u2019s current negotiations with PFL stand but stressed that, if the financial offer is right, a Paul\u2013Ngannou MMA fight \u201cwould be cool\u201d given their shared boxing history and trash talk. For PFL or any promotion willing to stage it, the bout would combine one of the sport\u2019s most feared heavyweights with one of combat sports\u2019 biggest influencers, and Nicksick clearly sees it as the standout choice for Paul\u2019s first step into MMA.<\/p>\n

\"FrancisPhoto by Tim Wheaton<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Legendary MMA coach Eric Nicksick believes Jake Paul\u2019s first MMA fight should come against Francis Ngannou, and that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":490279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,85],"class_list":["post-490278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=490278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/490279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=490278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=490278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=490278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}