PFL Founder Suggests Ngannou’s Next Fight Won’t Be In MMA – So What’s Next?

PFL founder Donn Davis has suggested that Francis Ngannou’s next fight will not be in MMA.

The news would run counter to the narrative that Ngannou would only box once initially under his PFL deal, which he had done after facing Tyson Fury. Therefore, there was an expectation that the ex-UFC fighter would make his PFL debut in 2024. While that is still on the cards, it appears that Ngannou could box once more before his PFL debut. The success of his performance against Fury has now increased the appetite to see the fighter in the ring again.

Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and a Fury rematch are some of the fights which have been mentioned. After all, Ngannou’s stock has risen in a fight where some believed he had done enough to get the win despite his split-decision loss. In response, Davis had this to say.

“Francis is making plans. I heard him on your show. He said he’s making decisions in the next two weeks. We know what he’s working on. I think there is a path of one of two ways: I think there’s a boxing path for him next, and I think there’s a mixed fight for him next,” Davis stated

Much in the same way, Ngannou’s representative, Marquel Martin, has talked up those claims by wanting to see his fighter face the biggest names. Martin confirmed that Fury, Joshua and Wilder were in the conversation following Ngannou’s impressive showing against Fury. And by the looks of it, his next move could be announced soon.

“I think we see him again Q1 of [next] year, whether that’s with his partners in PFL or a hybrid [fight] of some sort. I think all options are on the table, and it’s really going to be exciting of, who wants to really fight him now? It’s not so much Francis chasing anymore, which is a good situation to be in…[The decison] is probably 90 percent made [as it could be Wilder, Joshua or Fury],” Martin stated 

But once Ngannou has boxed again, Davis called for the biggest fight in MMA to be made: a bout against Jon Jones. As of now, there are some hurdles that need overcoming. This would require the PFL and the UFC to work together in a cross-promotion. But since Dana White had stated that the UFC would never work with Ngannou again, something would have to change. Meanwhile, Jones is currently out injured after damaging his pectoral muscle in sparring, which resulted in his fight with Stipe Miocic being pulled. But looking ahead, Davis called for that fight.

“I think the opponents in pure MMA are not that interesting right now. We’re just like the fans. We’re just like the fighters. We’re not like the other companies, ‘Oh, let’s just do it because there are guys.’ There’s only one name in MMA right now that’s interesting for Francis Ngannou – Jon Jones. One guy,” Davis

And those comments were backed up by Ngannou’s trainer, Eric Nicksick, who called for egos to be put to one side to give the MMA fans the fight they had long been calling for.

“In a perfect world, for me, I still want that Jon Jones fight. Hell yeah, I do. Just because I want to compete against the best and I think Jon is the best. I don’t want any more guesses about who is the baddest man on the planet. Let’s run it. Let’s do it. You can make that happen. Both sides can make that happen if they really wanted to. Set your egos aside,” Eric Nicksick