Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will face the winner of the PFL vs. Bellator card between Ryan Bader and Renan Ferreira in his return to MMA.
Francis Ngannou is all set to find his next opponent. This will happen after the PFL vs. Bellator card on Saturday.
Ngannou is a former UFC heavyweight champion. He’s scheduled to face Anthony Joshua in a boxing match on March 8. But he’s also confirmed plans to return to MMA.
He’s making his long-awaited debut in the PFL soon. And he won’t have to wait long to find out who he’s up against. Bellator champ Ryan Bader is set to clash with PFL champ Renan Ferreira. The winner is expected to face Ngannou.
PFL officials made the announcement on Thursday. This was after Ngannou hinted at the possible fight on SportsCenter.
“I think the winner of this is the guy I’m going to fight in my MMA return,” Ngannou said. He’s keen to return to the sport. The exact timing, he says, depends on the outcome of the March 8 match.
“[Bader and Ferreira] are both champions,” he added. “One of them is going to be a champ-champ. So, I think there wasn’t a better way to find an opponent for me. I am a champion myself, just in case you have forgotten.”
Bader and Ferreira had previously suggested that the winner should welcome Ngannou to the PFL. This was after he signed a lucrative deal to join the promotion. This was post his UFC career.
Ngannou then booked a boxing match against Tyson Fury. This delayed his return to MMA.
He scored a knockdown on Fury and took him to a razor-close split decision. This led to Ngannou being ranked by the WBC in boxing. He was then booked for the fight against Joshua in March.
Win, lose or draw, Ngannou is determined to return to MMA. There’s no exact timeline for this yet.
“The PFL is excited to announce Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA,” PFL CEO Pete Murray said. He’ll be against the winner of the PFL Champion vs Bellator Champion Heavyweight super fight. This is between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader.
“Francis is a true combat sports icon with a global fan base and appeal,” Murray added. “We, along with the rest of the MMA world, will be watching to see who his first opponent will be, Ferreira or Bader.”
Bader had previously told MMA Fighting that a fight against Ngannou would be worth the wait. Even if that meant he had to sit on the sidelines for an extended period of time.
“I am at that point in my career, 40-something fights now, that’s what I want to do. I want these bigger fights,” Bader said. “This fight [against Ferreira] came along and it’s a big fight. It’s something new. It’s champ vs. champ so that was awesome. [Francis Ngannou] is something you wait for.”
As part of his deal to sign with PFL, Ngannou negotiated a handsome fee for his services. He also got the promotion to agree to a minimum $2 million payday for his opponents. Either Bader or Ferreira are now vying for the opportunity to cash in when they meet on Saturday.