Francis Ngannou Gets Dissed by Jake Paul with Anthony Joshua Knockout Reference

Jake Paul confronted ex-UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, at the final face-offs before 'The Predator' fights Philipe Lins.

Francis Ngannou Gets Dissed by Jake Paul with Anthony Joshua Knockout Reference

Jake Paull trolls Francis Ngannou for losing to Anthony Joshua [via Yahoo Sports and Prize Picks]

In Short
  • Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul had a tense backstage interaction before Ngannou's fight against Philipe Lins.
  • Jake Paul mocked Ngannou for being knocked out by Anthony Joshua, despite also losing to him.
  • Ngannou acknowledged Paul's boxing skills but noted the significant weight difference between them.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou had an awkward interaction with Jake Paul while backstage at the Intuit Dome. Ngannou was confronted by Paul right before the former’s final faceoff against his upcoming opponent, Philipe Lins. The two are set to duke it out in the cage as the featured fight for the inaugural card of MVP MMA, a promotion co-founded by Jake Paul.

The American influencer-turned-boxer has openly called out Francis Ngannou to a boxing match at heavyweight. However, Ngannou has been dismissive of a match against Paul, but this stance has softened over time. Even so, the two have continued to exchange words, with Paul mocking Ngannou for getting knocked out by former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

That knockout was once again the point of contention between the two. Despite also being knocked out by Joshua last year, Paul teased Ngannou for getting “slept” by Joshua in 2024.

What did you dream of when Anthony slept you?

Jake Paul to Francis Ngannou

Ngannou didn’t shy away from the former Disney star’s trash talk. He poked fun at Jake Paul’s performance against Joshua by saying he was fighting, not sprinting like ‘The Problem Child’. Paul was criticized endlessly for his showing against Anthony Joshua last year, with even the referee chastising the pair for their poor display.

The 29-year-old posted a clip of the interaction with Ngannou on his Instagram with a caption that hinted at a potential fight.

If he can beat Philipe Lins tomorrow night on Netflix… let’s run it @mostvaluablepromotions

Jake Paul via Instagram

It seems Jake Paul is going all in on the idea of facing Francis Ngannou in an MVP event. Ngannou had earlier labelled a fight against Paul as disrespectful to his legacy. However, he has since tempered his disdain towards a Jake Paul fight.

Moreover, the Cameroonian heavyweight even gave credit to the polarizing boxer. ‘The Predator’ recently praised his rival and spoke about potentially fighting him in a boxing match.

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Francis Ngannou calls Jake Paul a “good boxer,” says he is open to fighting him

Jake Paul had revealed recently that his boxing career remains up in the air after suffering a broken jaw against Anthony Joshua. However, MMA veteran Matt Brown fact-checked Paul on this assertion, claiming that jaws “heal well”. Moreover, his combat sports career allegedly being in jeopardy has not stopped the American boxer from making callouts.

Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul (via X)
Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul (via X)

A couple of months ago, Paul called Francis Ngannou a terrible boxer. He offered to go back up to heavyweight and render Ngannou unconscious. Now, ‘The Predator’ has issued a callout of his own to Jake Paul and surprisingly, he was very gracious about the American, even giving credit to his skills as a boxer.

I didn’t say I want to fight Jake Paul. I said if he keeps insisting then maybe I will end up beating him up. He is a good boxer. I saw him from the beginning when no one believed in him and that he could become a professional – we thought he was just a content creator. But he managed very well to prove he is a legitimate boxer. I just don’t think we are the same weight class.

Francis Ngannou via BBC

Ngannou is right about the weight disparity, as Jake Paul weighed in at around 216lbs against Anthony Joshua. In stark contrast, the ex-UFC heavyweight star recently weighed in at 257lbs for his upcoming fight against Philipe Lins. This means there is over a 40lbs discrepancy between their last recorded weights.

Nevertheless, Ngannou is no stranger to having a weight advantage over opponents, with his upcoming opponent being 37lbs lighter. This fight marks Ngannou’s return to MMA after lasting fighting against Renan Ferreira in his first and only PFL fight.

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