Francisco Ngannou announced that he will be able to return Mixed martial arts in October, with the Cameroonian about to debut in the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Talking about Joe RoganOn the JRE MMA Show, the former UFC heavyweight champion said he “will be fighting until the end of the year”, and thinks PFL 2023 heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira will be his opponent. He added that the fight is scheduled for October in Saudi Arabia.
“I’ve been telling people about this guy for almost two years,” Ngannou said. “I said, ‘Watch out for this guy.’
“Very athletic. Quick hands, 1-2, knees – very athletic. So I think it’s going to be him,” he added, although he made it clear that the fight is not finished yet.
Ferreira, who is 6’8, is widely accepted as Ngannou’s best PFL opponent, having won the 2023 championship by defeating Denis Goltsov. PFL is different from UFC in which wrestlers compete in a regular season, accumulating points depending on results. This season is followed by semi-final playoffs and then a five-round championship fight.
Ngannou, who left the UFC in 2023 after failing to agree a contract extension, embarked on a brief boxing career after leaving, eventually fighting Tyson Fury and knocking down the ‘Gypsy King’ before losing a split decision.
The 37-year-old last appeared in the boxing ring in March this year when he fought Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia. He was knocked out in the second round.
Ngannou has not fought since that loss in March, although he is undefeated in his last six MMA fights, dating back to a 2018 loss to Derrick Lewis. In that time, he beat Stipe Miocic to win the heavyweight title in 2021, and successfully defended against Cyril Gane less than a year later.
He signed a multi-fight contract with the PFL in May 2023, and can still compete in other disciplines, such as boxing.
