Ngannou: Fury should've lost point for illegal elbow

Not only does Francis Ngannou believe the judges robbed him of a win against Tyson Fury, but he also thinks the referee should've hit Fury with a point deduction midway through the fight.

The former UFC heavyweight champion tweeted Wednesday that he doesn't understand why referee Michael Griffin "didn't take a point" from Fury after the WBC and lineal heavyweight champion landed an illegal elbow in the sixth round.

Fury went on to defeat Ngannou by split decision this past weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to remain undefeated. But Ngannou, who was making his boxing debut in the highly anticipated crossover bout, walked away with a moral victory after exceeding expectations against the No. 1 heavyweight in the sport. Ngannou shockingly dropped Fury with a left hook in the third round.

Had Fury lost a point for the illegal strike, the contest would've been ruled a split draw.

Fury's elbow, a move allowed in other combat sports like MMA but prohibited under boxing rules, seemed to go unnoticed by the referee:

Ngannou added that he was "a lion fighting a pack of hyenas" in the bout.

Fury and Ngannou have both expressed interest in a future rematch.

For now, though, Fury will take on Oleksandr Usyk in a long-awaited undisputed heavyweight title fight reportedly set for February, while Ngannou's next move is unclear. Ngannou could return to MMA in early 2024 - he has an exclusive deal in that sport with the PFL - but he may pursue other big-money boxing matches against the likes of Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua instead.