Last year, on October 28th, 2023, boxing history was made when WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury met former UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou in a clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ngannou put on an explosive performance, even dropping Fury with a punch. However, Fury ultimately emerged victorious in a split decision.

Recently, on episode #160 of The Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show, Francis Ngannou appeared as a guest. They discussed the fight with Tyson Fury, and Rogan also expressed his personal belief that Ngannou should have won.

Joe Rogan’s Verdict on Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury

Months have passed since the controversial 10-round fight between Francis Nganou and Tyson Fury, but the outcomes continue to spark debate. On his podcast on YouTube, Joe Rogan reignited the discussion by asking Ngannou a question: “What did it feel like when you just went 10 rounds and a lot of people, including myself, thought you won?”

Upon hearing the question about his controversial fight, Francis Ngannou couldn’t resist responding. He concurred with the podcaster, stating, “Yeah, oh, I feel very good, you know. Regardless of the result, for me, knowing what I was going through mentally.

Recalling the fight on the podcast, Ngannou said, “What I envisioned happening in the fight—first round, second round—then finding myself feeling good in the 10th round, I truly believe I wasn’t performing poorly. So, for me, that was a win.” On an earlier episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast, Rogan expressed his opinion that Ngannou won the fight. Rogan speculated that the judges’ decision might have been influenced by a desire to set up a future fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk fight.

He stated, “I thought he won that fight… But, you know, they were setting up that [Oleksandr] Usyk fight. They were not gonna let — yeah, it just seemed like the fix was in a little bit.” Rogan’s statement that the judges favored Fury to set up a fight with Usyk is certainly a serious accusation, if true. However, the fight between Fury and Usyk later showed otherwise. Fury’s winning streak ended as he lost to Usyl by a split decision, making Usyk the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lenoxx Lewis in 1999. Ngannou also faces his second boxing match against Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou’s defeat also seemed to hurt Joe Rogan, who considers Ngannou a friend. Rogan expressed regret that he wasn’t able to keep Ngannou in the UFC, even suggesting he’d use a time machine to do so if he could. Discussing Ngannou’s upcoming fight with Anthony Joshua, Rogan admitted feeling down about the prospect of Ngannou getting knocked out again: “I loved that Francis made a ton of money. I loved that he dropped Tyson Fury. I do not love the Joshua fight. That was sad. Watching him get KO’ed like that against Anthony Joshua was really tough.”

Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou was a close one. Who do you think won? Did Ngannou, aka “The Predator,” deserve the win? Does he need a rematch to silence the doubters? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!