Fury Praises Ngannou, But ‘He Can Go Back Into MMA’

*** HIGHLIGHTS! Watch Joshua Crumble Ngannou With Insane Knockout! ***

Tyson Fury was in attendance to watch Francis Ngannou get slept by Anthony Joshua on Friday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the heavyweight king offered some words of support for “Predator” after his first knockout loss.

Ngannou, who nearly defeated Fury in his boxing debut last October, was expected to give Joshua a good run for his money atop the “Knockout Chaos” pay-per-view (PPV) card. The former UFC heavyweight champion was only a 3-1 underdog and had already displayed the punching power against Fury that would be needed to defeat someone like Joshua.

Unfortunately, Ngannou never got his chance to land his patented knockout blows. This time around, “Predator” was the nail, not the hammer. Joshua clobbered him with three knockdowns over the first two rounds of action culminating with a devastating right hand that left Ngannou unconscious. It was a crushing defeat for Ngannou, the mixed martial arts (MMA) community, and anyone who backed the Cameroonian fighter.

Fury, who is scheduled to meet Oleksandr Usyk this May for boxing’s heavyweight crown, was front and center to watch Joshua’s epic knockout win over Ngannou. “Gypsy King” had struggled to keep Ngannou at bay during their superfight last year so it was quite a moment for all. Fury was certainly impressed with Joshua’s performance, but also had some kind words to say about Ngannou after the main event concluded. Check it out below:

“There’s a lot of people who have not got the guts to go and chase their own dreams,” said Fury during the DAZN broadcast. “And it’s usually people who are not successful who hate on very successful people. So for people who want to criticize Francis Ngannou for getting knocked out try boxing yourself. It’s a tough game.

“I would just say to Francis that he believed in his dream and followed it. He made a sh-t ton of money, which is fantastic to support his family. And he had a great journey. Keep going if he wants to box. He’s still undefeated as a champion in MMA. He can go back into MMA and destroy that world again.”

Fury also caught up with reporters after the event concluded and decided to throw a little bit of shade at Ngannou after all.

“It was a rude awakening for Ngannou,” said Fury. “You get a bit cocky like he did, and it was what it was.

“He got knocked out, and that’s what a boxer should do to an MMA fighter.”

Ngannou did earn a ton of money for his clash with Joshua this weekend in Saudi Arabia, but “Predator” is likely headed back to the cage for his Professional Fighters League (PFL) debut against Renan Ferreira later this year.

For complete Ngannou vs. Joshua results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

This story originally appeared on MMA Mania