Rico Verhoeven Sends Message to Francis Ngannou About Potential Crossover Fight: “This Has to Happen!”
After Francis Ngannou’s victory over Renan Ferreira, the 2023 PFL heavyweight champion, at the Battle of the Giants event in Riyadh, discussions about his potential next fights have garnered significant attention. Ngannou made an impressive debut in the PFL, finishing Ferreira with strikes in the first round. With this victory, Ngannou has opened up many options for himself in both MMA and boxing, one of which is a mega-fight with Rico Verhoeven, a prominent figure in the kickboxing world.
Rico Verhoeven, a superstar of Glory, did not miss the opportunity to express his support for this matchup. In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Verhoeven emphasized that the combination of these two top fighters is a must. “When we talk about ‘Baddest on the Planet’ and crossover fights, this has to happen!” Verhoeven asserted. He added that the absence of this fight is a major oversight in the list of crazy matchups they’ve created. “Let’s make this happen! We could have a kickboxing, MMA, or boxing match, and it would definitely be an exciting fight.”
Huge Opportunity from a Ngannou and Verhoeven Showdown
Verhoeven also expressed interest in organizing a fight in Saudi Arabia, which is actively developing MMA and attracting significant attention from sports fans. He emphasized that “there are so many different colors in these fights.” Additionally, Verhoeven mentioned the possibility of staging a “home-and-away” style match with Rico Verhoeven, which would not only create an engaging fight but also open up many opportunities for both fighters.
Rico Verhoeven currently holds the Glory heavyweight kickboxing title and will defend his title against Levi Rigters on December 7. A confrontation between Verhoeven and Ngannou would be a thrilling battle, where two of the world’s strongest fighters face off, attracting interest from various combat sports. With PFL ready to create big matchups, we may soon witness an unprecedented crossover fight between these two superstars.
