Francis Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, has stated that he is close to signing with either ONE Championship or the PFL following his boxing career. ONE heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar has expressed his willingness to welcome Ngannou to Asia.

Bhullar, who will face off against interim titleholder Anatoly Malykhin in a title unification bout on July 14, stated in an interview that he is not intimidated by any opponent, even one as intimidating as Ngannou.

Bhullar asserted that he is not one to shy away from a fight, regardless of the outcome. He said, “That’s what a champion does, win, lose or draw.” As for Ngannou, Bhullar believes that he should go East and make a lot of money outside of the UFC, wishing him success in his boxing career.

Bhullar also sees similarities between Ngannou and Malykhin and believes that Anatoly has a lot of unanswered questions. Despite acknowledging Ngannou’s strength and power, Bhullar sees the need for a deliverance system to land a bomb.

Bhullar said, “If your delivery system isn’t there to land a bomb, you can sit at home with your bomb. It means nothing.” Bhullar also mentioned that he has never been hit and is confident in his grappling skills.

Bhullar formerly competed in the UFC and left the company after winning against Marcelo Golm and Juan Adams in 2018 and 2019. He later won a decision over Mauro Cerilli in his ONE debut and knocked out Brandon Vera to claim the heavyweight title in May 2021.

With his fight against Malykhin coming up, Bhullar said that he would find it very interesting to face Ngannou later on, viewing it as a measuring stick for himself. He wants to know his limit as an athlete, saying, “This journey as an athlete, is about me.”