Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou aims to resume his career after a significant break.
Ngannou`s last MMA fight was in October, marking his anticipated PFL debut following his surprising departure from the UFC and relinquishing his heavyweight title.
‘The Predator’ secured the PFL heavyweight super fights title by completely dominating Renan Ferreira, achieving a first-round knockout.
Since then, the former UFC champion has remained inactive, largely because the PFL is finding it difficult to secure a suitable opponent for him.
Potential Mixed Rules Super Fight Talks Involving Francis Ngannou Have Commenced
While inactive, Ngannou hinted at a potential UFC return to face Jon Jones.
However, UFC President Dana White recently confirmed Jones` retirement, which resulted in Tom Aspinall being recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Furthermore, White stated he has no interest in Ngannou`s return to the promotion, despite acknowledging it could inject excitement into the division.
While ‘The Predator’ might not face Aspinall, there`s a possibility he could compete against Aspinall’s kickboxing champion teammate, Rico Verhoeven.
Verhoeven recently defended his GLORY heavyweight title against Artem Vakhitov, extending his reign as champion to over ten years.
The Dutch kickboxer has expressed interest in a potential fight with Ngannou for months, as he considers an MMA debut.
He recently confirmed discussions with the PFL and Saudi representatives regarding a potential mixed rules super fight against the former UFC champion.
Verhoeven informed Ariel Helwani that preliminary talks have started for a potential bout with mixed rules: one round of MMA, one of kickboxing, and one of boxing.
“(The PFL is interested) and the Saudi’s are interested so I think there are a lot of things that might happen and just change combat sports in general,” Verhoeven said.
Potential Opponents for Francis Ngannou
Ultimately, if an agreement isn`t reached with the PFL for a potential super fight against Verhoeven, few other opponents appear suitable for Ngannou.
This lack of suitable opponents explains why he has only fought once under the PFL banner so far, where he easily defeated their top heavyweight.
Despite this, `The Predator` continues to hint at a possible return to boxing, with Deontay Wilder frequently mentioned as the probable opponent.
