Ngannou is one of the biggest hitters in MMA historyCredit: getty

Ngannou came out on the wrong end of a controversial split decision against the WBC heavyweight champion but walked away from his boxing debut with a ton of credit.

Now, he’s secured a fight with the UK’s other heavyweight superstar.

On Monday, ‘The Predator’ was in London to officially confirm he will square off against Joshua at ‘Knockout Chaos’ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 8.

The 37-year-old publicly questioned Joshua’s chin during a press conference, and now he has predicted the former two-time world champion could end up in hospital if his defence is not on point when they meet.

“If I catch him then he’s going to sleep,” Ngannou said.

“Remember this is the heavyweight division and everyone is quite strong so you should keep your chin away.

“If you put your chin in the right position and get hit – even by the lightest fighter – then you might wake up in the white room.

“So, you better keep your chin away and fight smart.”

Fury knows how hard he punchesCredit: Getty

He’s warned Joshua to protect himself at all timesCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom

AJ has fought with a safety-first approach since being dropped several times in his shocking seventh-round knockout loss to Andy Ruiz in August 2019.

Before that, his gung-ho style saw him get rocked by Dillian Whyte, and dropped by Wladimir Klitschko – but he recovered to win both of those fights in emphatic fashion.

Joshua returned to his roots when he fought Otto Wallin at the ‘Day of Reckoning’ on December 23, and it paid dividends as he scored an impressive fifth-round stoppage win.

The 33-year-old is expected to take on Filip Hrgovic later this year before facing Fury or Oleksandr Usyk for all the heavyweight belts after their two-fight series is over.

With so much hanging in the balance, it’s currently unclear if Joshua plans to approach Ngannou in the same aggressive manner he did Wallin or revert to the style he has employed for the past five years.