Anthony Joshua to UFC: Will he join the UFC and who will he fight?
ANTHONY JOSHUA has hinted that he could swap codes and fight in the UFC.
Anthony Joshua has hinted that he's open to fighting in the UFC
The IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight champion suggested that he’s interested in trying his hand at mixed martial arts earlier this week.
He added further fuel to the fire when he admitted he’d be open to working with UFC president Dana White and Zuffa boxing.
“We’ll listen, and 100 percent if it makes sense, we’re all in,” Joshua told ESPN.
“So I’m happy that Dana’s coming into the game. Hopefully, we can add some excitement and we can progress forward and make some more money and make some good fights.”
Joshua’s revelation beggared one question: Who would he fight if he decided to grace the Octagon?
Express Sport has answered that exact question for you, bringing you the four most likely opponents for the former Olympian.
Scroll down to see the four men who would more than likely be in the frame to fight Joshua if he were to enter the mixed martial arts world.
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That’d be a good scrap
Stipe Miocic
UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has on multiple occasions made it clear that he wants to fight Joshua in a boxing match.
The Cleveland native, who also works as a firefighter, called out Joshua once again earlier today, tweeting: “@AnthonyJoshua whenever you’re ready.”
Miocic’s eagerness to fight Joshua outside of his comfort zone makes him the prime candidate to welcome the 28-year-old to the Octagon.
And luckily for Joshua, Miocic’s belief in his stand-up means he’d more than likely opt to not take him to the ground.
“He’s a great guy, I think we both love fighting and I think it’d be an amazing fight,” Miocic said of a possible fight with Joshua during an interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
“He’s tough, he’s a champion for a reason. I think I’d give him a run for his money.”
Stipe Miocic (left) has called out Anthony Joshua on multiple occasions
Francis Ngannou
A fight which would also make sense for Joshua would be one against vicious knockout artist Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou’s boxing-heavy style would make him an ideal opponent for Joshua, who recently talked up the possibility of locking horns with ‘The Predator’.
“I feel like a good scrap would be, I think the guy from Congo [Ngannou is from Cameroon]," Joshua said during an appearance on Sky Sports Toe 2 Toe podcast.
"I think he just lost recently. Big unit, that’d be a good scrap."
If Joshua were to be matched up against Ngannou, he’d have to watch out for the 31-year-old’s piston-like left hand, which scored him the 2017 knockout of the year in his UFC 218 bout with Alistair Overeem.
A between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou would be an entertaining affair
Jon Jones
One would be remiss to talk about Joshua entering the UFC and not discuss the possibility of him fighting Jon Jones.
Jones is widely considered to be the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts and a bout between him and Joshua would be a huge pay-per-view draw.
It’d be a risky one for Joshua to take though as Jones possesses some of the deadliest kicks and elbows in mixed martial arts.
Despite being well aware of the tools Jones possess, Joshua reckons a fight with the former UFC light-heavyweight champion would be an entertaining affair.
“Then you’ve got Jon Jones, that’d be a good scrap," he said after talking up a fight with Ngannou.
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones would be a formidable opponent for Anthony Joshua
Brock Lesnar
Perhaps the biggest fight Joshua could land in the UFC would be one against the former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
Barring Conor McGregor, Lesnar is the biggest draw in the history of the UFC, with hundreds of thousands of WWE fans tuning in to watch him every time he fights.
A fight with Brock Lesnar would bring Anthony Joshua a huge payday
A bout with Lesnar would do wonders for Joshua’s bank balance but would likely see him suffer a defeat.
Lesnar is a two-time NCAA All-American wrestling champion and would have absolutely no problem taking Joshua to the ground.
However, every fight starts standing, meaning ‘AJ’ would have a chance to stop the WWE superstar in the early moments of the first round.