Francis Ngannou, the ex-UFC heavyweight champion, made headlines after signing with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Fans have been reacting over what this means for his future in combat sports. After defeating Ciryl Gane, Ngannou’s UFC contract expired, making him a free agent. After much speculation, he announced his signing with the PFL.
The terms of the deal include the option for him to box, a position on a board advocating for fighters, and the potential to make over $75,000 per fight.
However, Ngannou has confirmed that he won’t be making his promotional debut until 2024. In the meantime, he plans to focus on making his boxing debut and giving the PFL time to attract another top heavyweight.
It is worth noting that his contract stipulates that his opponent must earn at least $1,000,000 when fighting against him.
With his move to the PFL and the potential to box, its clear that Ngannou’s star power will only continue to rise.
“First of all, it’s my life. I will live it on my way if you’re happy, good. If you’re not, oh no, I’m sorry… Also, PFL will also need time to find an opponent for me.
“To build up the opponent, right? Because I’m not going in next month to fight, and also, there’s the boxing component. That is still in consideration.
“We don’t have an announcement, but as I’ve said, I’ve spent a lot of time on this. We can have a big fight or not, or just a tune-up fight sometime soon.
“That’s what I’m hoping to have, the boxing fight before I fight in the PFL. That’s also one of the reasons why 2024 is the best fit,” Ngannou