Fears for Fury as all top ten rank UFC heavyweight fighters have higher strike accuracy than Ngannou

The boxing world was recently shaken by Tyson Fury’s near-defeat at the hands of former MMA Star Francis Ngannou.
After this shocking blow to the boxing legend, the sport experts at Sportsboom have analysed extensive fight data from the top ten ranked UFC heavyweight fighters to see which fighters might also be able to stand their ground against Fury – and as it turns out, the answer is, a lot of them.

Sportsboom looked at strike accuracy percentages, knockouts, and reach to calculate which fighters in Fury’s weight class could possibly compete, and it turns out that in terms of striking accuracy – Ngannou doesn’t even crack the top ten. You can find their full analysis and data tables here.

It could be argued that the closest matchup is UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones with a reach of 84.5, a mere .5 under Fury, a fantastic reputation as a striker, a strike accuracy rate of 58% (17% more than Ngannou’s 41%) and with less than ten pounds and one year between the two, it could be a fight fan’s match made in heaven.

However, 30-year-old Tom Aspinall who has actually been Fury’s sparring partner in the past, proving he’s able to keep up with the boxing powerhouse, could make for an even more interesting bout with an impressive strike rate of 66.

Fury has previously told media that Aspinall could contend with Jones due to his striking prowess, being known for his knockouts in spite of having a slightly shorter reach at 78.

All of the fighters on the list had some background in a striking based sport, and also all ranked ahead of Ngannou in terms of striking accuracy, meanwhile for fairness sake in these imaginary bouts all fighters had a reach of over 75 and were in the same weight classes.