Mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou has signed a highly profitable partnership with the PFL and will debut after his professional boxing match with Tyson Fury, asserting the earnings from one fight will surpass his entire UFC career earnings.
Francis Ngannou is on his way to a big payday. Earlier this year, he signed a rich partnership with the PFL, planning to make an appearance in 2024 after his professional boxing debut. Last week’s announcement marked his boxing debut to take place with lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Although some details still need finalising, one thing is certain: Ngannou is poised to earn more from a single fight than his whole UFC career.
Ngannou shared his anticipation for the significant payday on “The MMA Hour,” comparing to his earnings from his UFC days: “I will tell you that, compared to what I was making for my UFC fight, it’s day and night – Life-changing. What I was making in my last [UFC] fight doesn’t come close.” He further confirmed when questioned if this single purse exceeds his cumulative UFC earnings, replying, “Definitely yes. One-hundred percent yes. I didn’t make that much in my entire UFC career.”
Ngannou parted ways with UFC at 2022’s beginning after concluding his contract. The UFC sought to keep its heavyweight champion, and Ngannou shares they offered him “around $8 million” to face Jon Jones at UFC 285, which he rejected due to the contract’s restrictive terms. As for the forthcoming face-off with Fury, Ngannou divulged that he’s guaranteed to make more. However, he also pointed out that the UFC’s offer wasn’t as it appeared, “There was a trick there. There was just one big number and then behind it the paper was blank… To pull some number up and want to impress you to get you to sign that contract.”
The precise financials behind Ngannou’s boxing super-fight were not disclosed, although the speculated figure falls into eight figures. Ngannou refused to confirm the estimated figure or the possibility of getting pay-per-view points, stating only that he wouldn’t leave Saudi Arabia “empty-handed.” Confirming another crucial detail, Ngannou revealed the existence of a rematch clause. He said, “There is a potential rematch clause. I don’t know exactly how to explain that language, but yes, there’s a rematch clause. If I win, definitely. If Fury wins, I don’t know. We’ll see. That’s why I have to win this fight. I have to put everything to get that rematch.”
Despite the yet undisclosed financial standing, the fight marks an outright victory for Ngannou. He achieved all that he set out for during his free agency negotiations, withstanding detractors and backlash. For the lineal heavyweight champion, the triumph is not solely about the earned figure but also about having accomplished what he aimed for. “It’s the story of my life,” Ngannou declared. “Everything that I have done, nobody has ever believed in me until it was done…and I felt pretty good about it. It was more about that. That was the most exciting. I feel relieved, I feel happy. This was a hell of a feeling.”