Deontay Wilder vs. Francis Ngannou? It could happen.

Ngannou made a successful return to MMA competition last October with a thumping first-round knockout of Renan Ferreira at PFL Battle of the Giants. It was Ngannou’s first MMA fight since January 2022 when he retired from the UFC in 2023, signed with PFL and subsequently competed in a pair of high-profile boxing fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

After beating Ferreira, Ngannou dedicated the victory to his son Kobe, who tragically died last April. He declined to comment on what his next move would be, although boxing is still on the table and Wilder is interested in negotiating a potential matchup between heavyweight stars.

“Even since I’ve been free, a lot of offers have been coming in,” Wilder told TMZ Sports. “A lot of things in different countries and things like that. Even Francis, I hope you’re doing well, I’m sorry for your loss. I can only imagine what it’s like to lose a child. I hope to never even feel that feeling. I hope life goes well for you, brother.

“That’s a conversation I’m still looking to get into the mix and talk about,” Wilder added when asked about the fight against Ngannou.

Wilder, a former WBC titleholder, is mired in the worst slump of his career with just one win in his past five outings. Last April, he lost to Zhilei Zhang via TKO in the fifth round. The 39-year-old is still highly regarded for his finishing power, with all but one of his career victories coming via KO/TKO.

Ngannou is 0-2 as a pro, although he was widely praised for scoring a knockdown of Fury en route to a controversial split-decision loss. Against Joshua, his loss was more final as he was knocked out in the second round.

Regardless of what the official record says, Wilder won’t overlook Ngannou when they enter the ring together.

“Every fight is competitive,” Wilder said. “When you have a man who has two hands and two feet and a heart, who has the will to win, then you have competition. You have a fight on your hands. That’s why when you enter the ring, you respect every man who steps in there. You just never know which dog he’ll take to the fight.

It’s unknown when Wilder will be able to compete, as he told TMZ Sports that he suffered an arm injury (“two tears in my shoulder”) in November 2023, prior to losses to Zhang and Joseph Parker. Speaking about his recovery, Wilder is optimistic he can continue to perform at a high level.

“For me, the best is yet to come,” Wilder said. “We’re still going. We’re still here. We just arrange things together, I arrange a lot of things. I had a lot of outside distractions to get rid of, a heavy burden on me. I was taking care of a lot of people and it got to the point where I just couldn’t do it anymore. I have seven children of my own, I cannot take care of everyone.”

“Even those closest to me, I have been betrayed by so many people. It’s been a domino effect over the last five years. If anyone knows of betrayal, it is worse than heartbreak.”