Francis Ngannou has his sights set on a potential showdown with Rico Verhoeven, calling the matchup "very compelling."
The former UFC heavyweight champion spoke with TMZ Sports after his first-round knockout of Philipe Lins, revealing his interest in facing the Dutch kickboxer.
"[Rico] is very compelling. Very interesting.
But nothing has been done yet, so I'm looking forward to it," Ngannou said.
Verhoeven was nearly Ngannou's opponent before the Lins fight, as he was in deep talks with Jake Paul's MVP promotions.
Instead, Verhoeven chose to box Oleksandr Usyk, losing via controversial 11th-round stoppage despite leading on the scorecards as a massive underdog.
Ngannou knows the feeling of a disputed decision. He lost a split decision to Tyson Fury in October 2023, a result many fans questioned.
When asked whether a potential fight would be boxing or MMA, Ngannou said, "Either one. I would like to fight him."
No deal is finalized, but Ngannou made his intentions clear: "That's what I have in mind for right now."
