Manchester United staff will have been wincing as they watched Andre Onana get floored by UFC star Francis Ngannou. The duo fought on the Old Trafford pitch after United defeated Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday.
Onana shared footage and pictures of him meeting his fellow Cameroonian Ngannou after the match. But one clip in particular will not have pleased head coach Ruben Amorim.
In the video, the duo line up to fight each other before Ngannou quickly drags Onana to the floor. He holds the goalkeeper from behind and pins him to the grass for several seconds.
Ngannou then pretends to perform a UFC move on the United star before rolling away. The pair are in hysterics as Onana rises to his feet and goes to embrace Ngannou.
I demand a rematch in a real ring! ?????? Let’s settle this once and for all! @francis_ngannou pic.twitter.com/uSW5339rLe
— Andre Onana (@AndreyOnana) November 29, 2024
“I demand a rematch in a real ring! Let’s settle this once and for all!” Declared the shot-stopper on social media platform X. It feels unlikely that United will allow that to happen any time soon.
Other MMA fighters have been welcomed onto Premier League pitches in recent months. It comes after Conor McGregor and Bukayo Saka “sparred” after a Champions League match earlier this season.
McGregor aimed several kicks at Saka and the Arsenal star was forced to warn him to “be careful”. “Good to meet you @thenotoriousmma. No harm done, just a friendly spar,” Saka wrote afterwards, suggesting it was all good-natured fun.
Meanwhile, Onana has been in excellent form for United this season and will hope to win Amorim his first Premier League victory this weekend. The Red Devils face Everton tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon in the Portuguese boss’ first league outing at Old Trafford.
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Onana was excellent in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich, making several excellent saves. He then helped United secure their first victory of the Amorim era with a 3-2 triumph over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.
"We are all happy to have him, he is a very positive coach," Onana told MUTV last week of the first few days under his new manager. "He played years ago so he knows how to manage a dressing room. We are all happy and very positive."
The 28-year-old, who was signed by Erik ten Hag in 2023, has earned five clean sheets in 12 Premier League appearances so far this season.