Cristiano Ronaldo played a big role in Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury becoming official 

Francis Ngannou is basking in the glory of his recent triumph – securing a lucrative offer to face heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.

While the MMA community at large is heaping praise on Ngannou for his relentless efforts to secure the best possible opportunity, there's a lesser-known, yet highly intriguing detail about how the fight came to fruition.

Ngannou has attributed his upcoming massive eight-figure deal to fight Tyson Fury to a chance encounter with football legend Cristiano Ronaldo earlier this year.

The former UFC heavyweight champion, who parted ways with the organization earlier this year, spent some time with Ronaldo during a visit to Saudi Arabia. Ngannou's meeting with the footballer proved to be a pivotal ice-breaker with officials in the United Kingdom.

MMA fans were treated to pictures of Francis Ngannou and Cristiano Ronaldo linking up earlier this year. Speaking about the footballer's influence in the fight with Fury materializing on a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Ngannou stated:

"Yes, that's where it [the talks of the fight] started in that moment."

Catch Ngannou's comment below (24:20):

Earlier this year, in an interview with TMZ Sports, Francis Ngannou detailed the interaction with Ronaldo and shared his awe at discovering the footballer's deep knowledge of the sport:

"I've been following Cristiano for the past, maybe 17 years. And then, you know, to get to meet him in person and find out that he is a huge fan of the sport and he's watched us fight... Very impressive! You know, to get someone like Cristiano Ronaldo knowing the game, knowing you or what you are doing, is pretty cool."

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Conor McGregor weighs in on the upcoming Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury boxing bout

Conor McGregor recently weighed in on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou's upcoming boxing bout against Tyson Fury. The highly-anticipated bout is scheduled to take place on October 28 in Saudi Arabia.

While many fans and boxing experts have already overlooked Ngannou's chances of winning the fight, McGregor believes “anything could happen” in the ring. The Irishman also factored Fury's inactivity, following his knockout victory over Derek Chisora in their trilogy bout last December while speaking about the Ngannou clash.

Previewing the fight in an interview with Adam Gyln, McGregor stated:

“I’m interested, let’s see how it goes. I’ve not heard much about it, but I’m happy for Ngannou, fair play to him. What weight is Tyson? Is he in shape? Anything can happen in there, so I wish them both well and I’m excited to see it.”

Catch McGregor's comments below: