Francis Ngannou has indeed committed to returning to pro MMA competition.
Ngannou has made a name for himself in the boxing world after nearly defeating WBC heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury late last year. “The Predator” has a big boxing showdown scheduled for March 8 against Anthony Joshua. Many have found it hard to believe Ngannou will step inside the PFL SmartCage at all if he’s able to defeat Joshua.
The former UFC heavyweight ruler is now insisting that he will indeed return to MMA soon, and he’s even got his sights set on the winner of one pivotal showdown.
Francis Ngannou To Fight Under PFL Banner Against Renan Ferreira or Ryan Bader
The PFL has announced that Francis Ngannou will be fighting the winner of the PFL vs. Bellator: Champs main event between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader, which is set for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this Saturday. PFL CEO Peter Murray said the following in a statement on Ngannou’s first MMA fight outside of the UFC since 2015.
“The PFL is excited to announce Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA in the PFL PPV Division will be against the winner of the PFL Champion vs Bellator Champion Heavyweight Superfight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader,” Murray said.” Francis is a true combat sports icon with a global fan base and appeal. We, along with the rest of the MMA world, will be watching to see who his first opponent will be, Ferreira or Bader.”
It’ll be interesting to see if anyone will be in Ngannou’s ear should he defeat Anthony Joshua in an attempt to convince him to hold off on that MMA return. With that said, Ngannou and PFL seem to have developed a strong business relationship. So, “The Predator” may want to keep that deal going strong by fighting in the PFL cage as promised.
Here is the video hyping up Francis Ngannou’s PFL debut:
🚨𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨
𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗩𝗬 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 For Saturday Night 👀@francis_ngannou will face the winner of the Renan Ferriera vs Ryan Bader bout#PFLvsBellator pic.twitter.com/4dP9RqYiMu
— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 22, 2024
