Francis Ngannou Drops Tyson Fury, Loses Controversial Split Decision in Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, saw a unique combat sports spectacle on Saturday night.

On the one side was lineal UFC champion Francis Ngannou, who won the title by knocking out Stipe Miocic in Round 2, then successfully defended it against interim champion Ciryl Gane. He was making his pro boxing debut against undisputed heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who had never lost in his career, most recently knocking out Derek Chisora in the 10th round in December 2022. Would Ngannou's frightful punching power, the most devastating that the heavyweight division and perhaps all of MMA has ever seen, give him a chance against the supremely talented Fury, a 6-foot-9, 270-plus pound goliath with the ring movement and footwork of a skilled light heavyweight? It was a tantalizing matchup, calling to mind the famous showdown between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, another instance where a top MMA striker and champion has challenged a legendary boxer. However, Fury was still a huge favorite, with many giving Ngannou little chance.

It didn't take long for the 37-year-old Cameroonian to prove them wrong. Displaying textbook technique, agile movement, and a high fight IQ, including managing his energy superbly, Ngannou was competitive from the very beginning. Fury had a hard time getting his jab going, especially as Ngannou countered him well. Furthermore, Fury's usual clinch tactics were less effective against Ngannou, who was as heavy as him and accustomed to it from his time in MMA. Fury took the opening round, but Ngannou won Round 2 and then shocked the world in the third frame, dropping the heavyweight boxing champion with a left hook. Fury got up and survived, and recovered over the middle periods, taking rounds 4, 5, and 6. During this period, it looked like Ngannou was too tired, and Fury would triumph on the cards easily enough after the initial excitement.

However, Ngannou was far from finished, having conserved enough energy to fight effectively late into the fight. He stormed back to win Round 7 and in an action-packed Round 8 where both men had their moments, badly hurt Fury again, who suddenly appeared exhausted himself. Fury, however, showed his championship mettle to win Round 9, with the fight all tied up for all three of Sherdog.com's virtual scorers.

The last round was close, with neither man clearly winning it. Still, the Sherdog scorers gave it to Ngannou by the slimmest margin, and by extension the fight, 95-94. One of the ringside judges agreed, having it 95-94 Ngannou. Another had it 96-93 Fury, and the deciding judge had it 95-94 for Fury. Regardless of the split-decision victory, which aroused immediate controversy, it was a hugely successful showing for Ngannou, who proved he is as good as or better than the world heavyweight boxing champion, and a massively disappointing one for Fury. Fury is scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk in a heavyweight superfight at the end of December.

Beyond the headliner, the main card was populated solely by heavyweights. The co-main featured a battle of undefeated heavyweight prospects as Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) confronted David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs). In the first round, Adeleye had some success moving backward and countering. However, Wardley took over from there, using quick, well-timed combinations and carefully anticipating Adeleye's movement and counter shots. He hurt Adeleye in Rounds 4 and 6, wobbling him. Late in Round 7, Wardley blasted his foe with a left hook-right cross combination, dropping Adeleye. After Adeleye got up on shaky legs, Wardley continued to wallop him with big blows, prompting the referee to stop the contest with 17 seconds left in Round 7.

Former WBO world champion and Top 5 heavyweight Joseph Parker looked to get back on track after a knockout loss to Joe Joyce when he faced heavy-handed Simon Kean of Canada, who came into the contest with an impressive 23-1 record, 22 of those wins by knockout. Parker was faster and more defensively sound, repeatedly tagging Kean, though the Canadian landed several big right hands that Parker clearly felt. However, in Round 3, Parker unloaded on Kean, finally felling him with a monster right uppercut. Kean couldn't beat the count, with the official time being 2:04 of the third. Parker now moves to 33-3 as a pro with 23 knockouts.

Arslanbek Makhmudov came in as a huge favorite against Junior Anthony Wright, and he didn't disappoint. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Makhmudov dwarfed the 6-foot, 229-pound Wright, a former cruiserweight, and it wasn't long before he found a home for his devastating right hook. The first one sent Wright crashing to the canvas and the second prompted the referee to stop the contest after just 70 seconds. Makhmudov is now a pristine 18-0 as a pro with an incredible 17 knockouts, 12 of them in the opening stanza.

Kicking off the main card in style, Great Britain's Moses Itauma floored the hapless Hungarian Istvan Bernath with a jab, then clobbered him with a swarm of punches, stopping him at 1:53 of the first round. Itauma moves to a perfect 6-0 as a boxer.

On the undercard, Martin Bakole, who weighed in at 299 pounds, the heaviest of anyone at the event, didn't let it stop him from scoring a fourth-round knockout against veteran Carlos Takam. In the opening fight, the only one featuring non-heavyweights, Jack McGann knocked out Alcibiade Duran 37 seconds into the second stanza at junior middleweight.