Francis Ngannou has set his sights on a lucrative return to boxing – and has named the knockout artist he wants to square off against next.

After reaching superstardom in the UFC as the promotion’s formidable heavyweight champion, Ngannou is now putting more focus into his boxing career.

With two big-money bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua already under his belt, Ngannou has tasted the riches that can be awarded to those at the top of the sport, regardless of the result.

Of course, those two fights fared very differently for the Cameroonian. Many thought Ngannou beat Fury in his professional boxing debut, but the same could not be said in his follow-up clash with AJ, getting slept in brutal fashion.

Ngannou has since dipped his toes back in the MMA scene, crushing PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira on his debut to demonstrate his superior threat in the cage.

However, he now is eyeing a return to the boxing ring, and is eager to set up a bout against another man known for his immense punching power.

Francis Ngannou has issued a plea to set up a bout with one of the hardest hitters on the planet

Ngannou has two boxing bouts under his belt against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

Ngannou rose to superstardom in the UFC, where he became their heavyweight champion

Ngannou has issued a plea to fight Deontay Wilder – a bout that would all but guarantee a knockout and would therefore be very marketable to a wide audience, pitting two of combat sport’s hardest hitters against each other.

The pair have always looked destined to face off one day, with reports claiming a two-fight deal has previously been discussed.

‘I will do boxing next,’ Ngannou told Sportsbook Review. ‘[I’m passionate about fighting Deontay Wilder] because there’s an 80 percent chance that somebody will go to sleep. It will be one or the other.

‘Maybe not in his past two fights, but Deontay Wilder is known as a guy that knocks everybody out or tries to knock you out.

‘I’m going against that guy, and I myself can knock someone out. Deep inside me there is a little bit of ego, like I know I hit harder.

‘I’m saying from my experience that we will have that ego that we both want to prove ‘no, it’s me [who hits harder].

‘Who is the biggest hitter between you and Deontay? Those sorts of conversations are popping around a little bit and even though you think you don’t care about it, it sticks somewhere in your mind.’

Wilder has yet to return to the sport since suffering back-to-back defeats against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.

Deontay Wilder hasn’t fought since suffering defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang

Ngannou wants to square off against the ‘Bronze Bomber’ to guarantee a knock-out

And while the ex-WBC heavyweight champion is a shadow of his former self, a bout between the ‘Bronze Bomber’ and Ngannou would have immense commercial potential as the world discovers who truly is the hardest hitter in combat sports.

As well as bragging rights, the pair would be certainly guaranteed a hefty pay day as the headliner of such an event.