Francis Ngannou is looking to face Rico Verhoeven in his next combat-sports move.
The former UFC heavyweight champion told TMZ Sports that a fight with Verhoeven is 'very compelling' and 'very interesting'.
## What's Next for Francis Ngannou?
Ngannou, 39, is coming off a first-round knockout of Philipe Lins after returning to MMA on Netflix’s first live MMA broadcast.
Verhoeven, one of kickboxing’s biggest heavyweight names, recently pushed Oleksandr Usyk deep into a heavyweight boxing title fight before losing by 11th-round stoppage.
The matchup has already come close once, with Ngannou saying Verhoeven was the original name discussed for his May MMA return before Verhoeven signed to box Usyk.
## The Potential Fight
TMZ Sports asked Ngannou whether a Verhoeven fight would happen in boxing or MMA, and he did not sound tied to one ruleset.
“Either one. I would like to fight him,” Ngannou said.
Ngannou built his name in MMA, crossed into boxing against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, then returned to the cage against Lins.
Verhoeven became a dominant kickboxing heavyweight before stepping into a major boxing title fight against Usyk.
## The Previous Discussion
BoxingScene reported in March that Ngannou and Verhoeven had already been explored as a possible MMA matchup before both men moved in different directions.
Ngannou said at the time that MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian contacted him with an offer and that the original name was Verhoeven.
“I was like, ‘Damn, that sounds good,’” Ngannou said, according to BoxingScene.
That plan changed when Verhoeven signed for the Usyk fight, and Ngannou instead moved forward with Lins on the May 16 MVP MMA card in Los Angeles.
Netflix reported that Ngannou stopped Lins at 4:31 of the first round, as part of the *Rousey vs. Carano* card.
## The Impact of Verhoeven's Usyk Fight
Verhoeven’s boxing detour did not hurt interest in an Ngannou fight, and it likely made the idea easier to sell.
Reuters reported that Usyk stopped Verhoeven with one second left in the 11th round of their May 23 WBC title fight near the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Verhoeven entered with only one previous professional boxing match but kept the fight close enough that two judges had it even after 10 rounds and one had him ahead, according to scorecards cited by Reuters.
The stoppage became a talking point because Verhoeven beat the count after a late knockdown before the referee waved off the fight.
Verhoeven told DAZN afterward that he thought the stoppage was early and called for a rematch.
Ngannou has his own history with a debated boxing result, having dropped Fury in their 2023 crossover fight and lost by split decision.