UFC ex-heavyweight and current pro boxing venturer Francis Ngannou has been the go-to topic for a hot minute now. His scuffle and separation with bossman Dana White and Co. is a famed affair. So is his electric athleticism and knockdown prowess at last year’s Riyadh Extended Season opening ceremony. However, with his recent loss to heavyweight KO artist Anthony Joshua , Ngannou stands at 17-3-0 UFC but 0-2 in boxing.
PFL co-founder Donn Davis believes that could all change once the French-Cameroonian transitions back to MMA yet again. Francis Ngannou will make his PFL (Professional Fighters League) debut in 2024; Davis hinted that it could be as early as summer.
Speaking recently to Ariel Helwani , the fighter said he would be back with a vengeance for his glory in boxing. Contrarily, Davis said:
People asked me before the fight [with Joshua] when I was interviewed, you know, ‘Who do I think will win? Who would I want to win?’ And I obviously root for Francis all the time...He’s our partner and I truly do...but he would not have fought in MMA until the first quarter of 2025...But you’ll see Francis now in 2024, in PFL, against ‘La Problemo’...in what I believe is going to be the fight I’m looking forward to the most in the heavyweight division of all of MMA. Donn Davis to The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani (for MMAFighting on SBN)
Ngannou was surprisingly knocked out cold in Round 2 by 28-3 phenom Joshua, earlier this month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As is the natural course, he now thinks boxing owes him a chance at redemption and rectification after tasting a bitter skid in his earliest outings. Ngannou nudged as much in his official YouTube channel. Time and again he had hinted at putting MMA on hold momentarily.
His contractual management with PFL, however, binds him to face Renan Ferreira , who awaits him in the cage. Ferreira won the 2023 heavyweight season and defeated Ryan Bader at the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event. Now the 12-3 ‘La Problemo’ is Ngannou’s next dancing partner.
Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua fallout: When the Predator became prey
Ex-UFC phenom Francis Ngannou has been taking the world by storm, one stride at a time. Facing the lineal WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, he defied all odds and knocked down the 34-0-1 boxer. Even interim 205lbs champ Tom Aspinall lauds his power and gravitas. He often goes viral for his feats, even outside the cage. The likes of superhuman genetic beast Yoel Romero even honestly admits fearing his power.
While Ngannou has never faced a knockout loss in his UFC tenure, all good things must come to an end. Facing Anthony Joshua in his second outing, he met a brutal knockout loss. Similar to his own performance against Fury, Anthony Joshua knocked him down more than once in the discourse. The fumbled fighter faced the ultimate blow in under 2 rounds.
The boxing community has sounded off on Ngannou’s “appalling” decision to switch to left-handedness as the reason. From a tactical standpoint, switch-stance is very good for MMA fighters transitioning to boxing spheres. At the post-fight presser, Ngannou himself prompted that he did not see the punch coming or feel majorly wobbled; which is how he knew he had lost the chance.
While prospects like Derek Chisora , Andy Ruiz Jr. , Joe Joyce, or even Daniel Dubois have been floating around, Francis Ngannou now faces Renan Ferreira in the familiar spectrum of MMA. PFL’s Donn Davis sees this heavyweight clash as one for the ages. Only time will tell if ‘The Predator’ can bounce back to his formal glory in full-fledged fashion.
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