Don’t expect Francis Ngannou’s next fight to take place in the PFL SmartCage.
The reigning PFL SuperFights heavyweight champion is likely looking at a return to boxing, says PFL owner Donn Davis.
“If I had to guess, I would think boxing would be first given the opportunities he has,” Davis said in an interview with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck. “I don’t want to say anything about that—that’s his business for him to announce—but he has unbelievable boxing opportunities. So, I think that’s more likely to come first, and MMA is likely to come second. But what I believe you’ll see from Francis this year is one MMA fight in PFL and one boxing match from Francis. So, I think fans of Francis will see him do one of each this year.”
Here is a look at the entire interview:
It’s great to see the PFL continuing to greenlight Ngannou’s desire to box professionally. It was one of the biggest reasons he decided to sign with the PFL over a return to the UFC.
Ngannou had two professional boxing matches between October 2023 and March 2024. He lost both of them, but in very different ways. In October, Ngannou nearly shocked the world when he dropped then-champion Tyson Fury and narrowly lost a split decision.
As it turns out, that was the last time Fury won a fight. In March, Ngannou was brought crashing down to earth by Anthony Joshua. AJ demolished Ngannou with one of 2024’s most resounding knockouts.
Ngannou would ultimately make his PFL debut after enduring a horrible personal tragedy with the loss of his son. Ngannou blasted Renan Ferreira to claim the SuperFights title in October 2024.
What boxing “unbelievable” opportunities are on the table for Ngannou?
At one point, there was talk of him facing Deontay Wilder, but that doesn’t appear to be what’s next for Ngannou. Wilder has reportedly signed to fight journeyman heavyweight Curtis Harper in an attempt to rebound from back-to-back losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.
You’d imagine Ngannou’s next boxing match would come against a fighter with a name everyone would recognize.
However, it’s tough to imagine who else Ngannou would fight that would be worth his time. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has seen a surge in popularity since he became one of the personalities on the Jaxxon Podcast. In fact, he is already rumored to be headed for a boxing match with former UFC opponent and light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
Rampage is an out-of-the-box concept, but that may be where the promoter for Ngannou’s next boxing match has to look. The last thing Ngannou’s people would want to do is drop him in a fight where he is a massive underdog.
At this point, to legitimize his boxing career, he needs a win. Despite how well he performed against Fury, another loss would still equal an 0-3 record as a professional boxer, and that would make it tough to take him seriously in that realm moving forward.
