Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall says he is "surprised" that Francis Ngannou is the underdog against Anthony Joshua.
The heavyweight pair fight on March 8, live on DAZN PPV, and there is plenty of pressure on both men to succeed.
On his boxing debut, Ngannou stunned everyone watching as he knocked down WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, though he went on to suffer defeat via the judges' scorecards.
After back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua returned to form with three wins in 2023, the most recent being an impressive victory over Otto Wallin.
The winner of Friday's bout could set themselves up for a fight with the winner of Fury vs. Usyk - which takes place on 18 May.
Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of Joshua vs. Ngannou, Aspinall said: "I think the most surprising thing about Ngannou is that he is not intimidated by anyone.
"We saw in the last fight that Ngannou is a devastating puncher, he has dynamite in his fists.
"Boxers are not used to the angles that MMA fighters throw punches at, you'll see Ngannou dipping to the side and coming over the top.
"Ngannou is the underdog, after the last fight I'm surprised, whoever lands first with one of those big bombs will get the win."
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