"I think I have my next title defense" - Francis Ngannou welcomes new UFC signee with playful banter

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has set his sights on his next opponent. 'The Predator' took to Twitter to welcome the new UFC signee with some fun banter.

The tweet comes in the wake of internet sensation Hasbulla Magomedov signing a five-year deal with the UFC. The light-hearted content creator of Makhachkala, affectionately known as 'Mini Khabib', is an avid follower of combat sports and will be in Islam Makhachev's corner at UFC 280.

Although not much has been revealed about the deal, it was enough to get a reaction out of Francis Ngannou. The Cameroonian reacted to the news by welcoming the new UFC signee with playful banter:

"I think I have my next title defense @Hasbulla_NFT."

Francis Ngannou was sidelined from action after undergoing surgery to repair the ACL and MCL in his right knee in March 2022 after the first successful defense of his heavyweight belt against Ciryl Gane. The 36-year-old is targeting a return in 2023 with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones as the frontrunner to challenge the Cameroonian.

As for Hasbulla, the MMA community views this as an opportunity for the 20-year-old blogger to settle his long-standing feud with Tajik social media celebrity Abdu Rozik.

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Has Francis Ngannou signed a new deal with the UFC?

Francis Ngannou has been at loggerheads with the UFC top brass over pay disputes. The UFC heavyweight champion has strongly publicized and highlighted the organization's unfair treatment of its fighters.

It is safe to say that 'The Predator' has goals of pursuing boxing once he finishes his contractual obligations with the UFC. Ngannou also joined heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury in the ring after his win over Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April, with both fighters verbally agreeing to a potential bout in the future.

Watch the interaction below:

The No.5 ranked men's pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC was in attendance at the organization's inaugural event in Paris. 'The Predator' caught up with ESPN MMA's Marc Raimondi for a quick interview and spoke about his plans for boxing in the future:

"My desire of boxing doesn't depend on Tyson Fury. Whether he's retired or not, I'm still going to do that. I still want a boxing match in my career, a few boxing matches. And that's something I'm going to engage in conversations when the moment comes"

He further added that he has not engaged in any concrete talks with the UFC over a contract extension:

"We haven't had the real talk, but boxing can happen in the UFC as well. We haven't had the real talk. Let's see how it plays. I'm open to any option. But what I do know for sure is that I'm going to do that damn boxing."

Watch the full interview below: