"Rehab is going great" - Francis Ngannou provides update on knee injury

Francis Ngannou has provided fans with some insight into his ongoing recovery from a knee injury. ‘The Predator’ tweeted a video of himself receiving a massage as he rehabs his right knee.

The Cameroon native revealed that he’s in the nation’s capital, Yaoundé, where he’s currently undergoing physical rehabilitation. The video shows his knee being massaged by an individual named Daniel. Ngannou attached a statement alongside the video that read as follows:

“Rehab is going great out here in Yaoundé with Daniel”

Check out the Instagram post below:

Heading into his fight against interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January, Ngannou was already dealing with knee injury issues.

Regardless, the 35-year-old defeated 'Bon Gamin' via unanimous decision and walked away as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.

‘The Predator’ underwent surgery in March for ACL reconstruction and MCL repair. Ngannou hasn’t competed ever since. The Gane matchup was the final fight on his current UFC contract. The duration of Ngannou’s contract will reportedly expire this December.

Francis Ngannou has consistently maintained that he won’t sign a new UFC contract unless he’s given a pay raise and allowed to compete in the sport of boxing as well.

Ergo, many believe that if Ngannou refrains from re-signing with the UFC, he could compete for other MMA organizations and/or pursue a career in boxing in 2023.

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Tom Aspinall suggests Francis Ngannou’s potential fight against Tyson Fury should include grappling and kicks

Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and boxing heavyweight great Tyson Fury have long been lobbying for a mixed-rules fight against one another.

Following Fury’s win over Dillian Whyte in April, he and Ngannou verbally agreed to a fight. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether or not the UFC contractually permits the Cameroonian to fight Fury. The consensus is that the fight would basically be a boxing match contested with 4-ounce MMA gloves.

Speaking to Sky Sports, UK MMA stalwart Tom Aspinall recently noted that he’s trained with Tyson Fury before and that the legendary pugilist loves grappling and kicks.

The UFC heavyweight opined that the Ngannou-Fury mixed-rules fight should permit the use of grappling, kicks, clinches, etc.

Aspinall highlighted that this would make it a fair fight for Ngannou. Furthermore, the Englishman called for MMA-style five-minute rounds instead of three-minute rounds that are a staple of boxing bouts:

“I’ve grappled with him [Fury] before, yeah. He’s interested in it. So, I know he’s done bits of grappling, bits of kicks, and all that. He was down in our gym training with Darren Till before, doing kicks on the pads and all that stuff. So, he’s definitely got interest in it.”