Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, is reportedly seeking to revive his fighting career after a significant break.
Ngannou`s most recent appearance in mixed martial arts was in October of last year. This marked his highly anticipated debut with the PFL organization, following his surprising departure from the UFC where he chose to vacate his heavyweight title.
Competing under the PFL banner, ‘The Predator’ secured the promotion`s heavyweight super fights title with a dominant performance against Renan Ferreira, ending the bout with a first-round knockout.
However, since that victory, the former UFC titleholder has remained inactive. This inactivity is largely attributed to the PFL`s ongoing challenge in securing a relevant and fitting opponent for him.
Discussions Underway for Potential Francis Ngannou Mixed Rules Super Fight
During his time away from competition, Ngannou had hinted at a possible return to the UFC with the specific goal of facing Jon Jones.
Nevertheless, UFC president Dana White recently announced Jon Jones` official retirement from the sport, a development that led to Tom Aspinall being recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Adding to this, White has indicated that he has no interest in bringing Ngannou back into the promotion, despite acknowledging that his return would undoubtedly inject considerable excitement into a division currently perceived as lacking it.
While ‘The Predator’ might not get the chance to compete against Aspinall, there is a growing possibility that he could instead face Aspinall’s accomplished kickboxing teammate, Rico Verhoeven.
Verhoeven recently defended his GLORY heavyweight title against Artem Vakhitov, a win that celebrated his tenure as champion extending beyond a decade.
The Dutch kickboxer has expressed his interest in a potential fight with Ngannou for several months, particularly as he contemplates making his foray into mixed martial arts.
He recently confirmed that preliminary conversations have already taken place with both the PFL and Saudi representatives regarding a potential mixed rules super fight against the former UFC champion.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani recently, Verhoeven disclosed that talks are underway for a unique multi-discipline fight format. This proposed bout would potentially consist of one round contested under MMA rules, followed by one round under kickboxing rules, and concluding with one round under boxing rules.
Verhoeven commented on the potential, stating, “The PFL is interested and the Saudis are interested, so I think there are a lot of things that might happen and just change combat sports in general.”
Who Else Might Francis Ngannou Face?
Ultimately, should Ngannou and the PFL not reach an agreement for the potential super fight against Verhoeven, there appears to be a limited pool of other compelling or logical opponents available for him.
This lack of suitable matchups is a primary reason why he has only competed once under the PFL banner so far, despite having easily defeated their most formidable heavyweight competitor on the roster.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his MMA future, ‘The Predator’ continues to tease a potential return to the boxing world, with Deontay Wilder frequently mentioned as the most probable opponent for such a contest.
