Francis Ngannou hasn't given up on fighting Tyson Fury in the boxing ring despite admitting he will be 'out for quite a while'.

The UFC heavyweight champion, 35, has undergone knee surgery after he tore his ACL and MCL during his fight against Ciryl Gane.

He is not expected to be able to compete for the rest of the year as a result.

However, Ngannou has vowed to be back as soon as possible after he picked up the injury in January.

The Predator has been calling out the Gypsy King amid reports of a rift with UFC president Dana White.

Fury, 33, is currently in training in his hometown of Morecambe as he prepares for his first bout on British soil in four years.

The WBC heavyweight champ's hugely-anticipated scrap with Brit rival Dillian Whyte was finally confirmed earlier this year.

But Ngannou still believes it will happen one way or another once his leg is fully healed.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 22: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon looks on against Ciryl Gane of France in their heavyweight title fight during the UFC 270 event at Honda Center on January 22, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Ngannou said on his YouTube channel: “I don’t really care about what will be, I just think it will be a fight against Tyson Fury.

“It can be in a phone booth, or wherever, but that fight will happen. That fight will happen.

“Obviously, he will not come to MMA. That’s not something that would happen. He would get killed.

“Basically in the heavyweight division, when you see two heavyweights getting in the octagon or in the ring, everybody could knock everybody out - that’s a fact.

"It’s also not easy to knock somebody out, it's not easy to find someone or hit someone properly, so it could also go to a decision.

Tyson Fury knocked out Deontay Wilder in their October trilogy fight in Las Vegas

"We have seen a lot of this over time so everything is possible."

Ngannou is currently riding a six-fight winning streak with all but one of those wins coming by way of knockout.

He added: "I also need time to figure out my contract situation and wherever I'm going right now.

"The UFC and I, we have to sit down and talk real business, but this time with real consideration because they have to take me seriously.

"The heavyweight division is a landscape that can change at any time in a period of one month between two fights which is like four months.

"When I fought for my last fight against Stipe to my fight against Ciryl Gane a lot of things had changed.

"Like at the moment that I fought Stipe, Ciryl Gane wasn't even in the landscape.

"If I had to mention opponents, it would've been people like Jon Jones or a potential rematch against Stipe, or a fight like that.

"A lot of things can happen, but the only thing that will stay and remain the same is the fact that I am the undisputed heavyweight champion."