The mixed martial arts community still has plenty of time to speculate about who Francis Ngannou will face when he makes his WWE debut.
The former UFC heavyweight champion signed with the PFL earlier this month with plans to return to MMA sometime in 2024 after a career in professional boxing. While this has led fans to consider the league’s roster heavyweights and free agents outside of the UFC’s control, PFL founder Donn Davis is confident Ngannou’s first booking will exceed expectations.
“For me, the fun thing here is the mystery box of candy and everything’s going to be good,” Davis said. MMA Spinning Backfist Show. There has been every kind of speculation, from the PFL season to [Fabricio] Werdum. I think it will be something else, bigger, and more interesting than what I’ve read so far. We have nine months — nine months ago, people would have laughed if we said Francis was coming to the NFL. So, if you predict what we’re going to do now, people are just as going to go, “Bubba, that’s never going to happen” (laughs). But believe me, do not discount our resourcefulness and ingenuity … Whoever fights Francis will be much more interesting than what can be expected on the Internet today.
Ngannou has won his last six matches in MMA, including a five-round referee over Cyryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022 – what turned out to be his last appearance in the Octagon. The 36-year-old Cameroonian-born Frenchman has signed a deal with the PFL that includes fights in the organisation’s pay-per-view division, a chair position with PFL Africa and a spot on an advisory board representing fighters’ interests. He also earned a $2 million payout to his PFL opponents.
There has been a lot of debate about whether Ngannou made the right decision for his career, and also whether the PFL was getting good value with the contract. According to Davis, there are no losers in this situation.
“Look, a lot of the internet is for winners and losers — whether it’s the football trade or the Francis Nganu deal. I see this as a win, win, win,” he said. “This is great for Francis for all the reasons that have been discussed online and on social media. This is a big win for the PFL, opening up our pay-per-view division, we got Francis and Jake [Paul] Headlines in 2024. Possibly the two most exciting fights other than Connor [McGregor], which is still a sensation. It brings a huge audience to our media product, and will bring other fighters that I’ve seen see the way to another great platform in the PFL.”