Francis Ngannou eyes Ferreira-Bader winner after boxing match،
Francis Ngannou is two weeks away from his second appearance in a professional boxing ring, but he is already thinking about his possible return to mixed martial arts.
Ngannou (17-3) hinted Thursday on ESPN's “SportsCenter” that he will likely face the winner of Saturday's heavyweight contest between 2023 PFL champion Renan Ferreira and Bellator MMA champion Ryan Bader.
“I think the winner is the guy I'm going to fight when I come back to MMA,” Ngannou told ESPN. “I intend to return to the sport. When exactly, I think it depends on March 8. [Ferreira and Bader] are both champions and one of them will be a “Champ Champ”. So I think there is no better way to find an opponent [for me]since I am a champion myself.
Ngannou is scheduled to face former WBO, IBF and WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) in a non-title boxing match on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Cameroon's Ngannou has become one of the most compelling stories in combat sports. The former UFC heavyweight champion parted ways with the UFC in 2023 despite never losing his belt, and he signed an exclusive contract with the PFL. That deal gave him the opportunity to box, which he exercised last October in a fight against lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Ngannou, 37, lost to Fury by split decision in Saudi Arabia, but he shocked the boxing and MMA world by knocking down Fury in the third round and winning the fight on a judge's scorecard.
Despite his highly successful stint in boxing, Ngannou has always maintained that he would eventually return to MMA in the PFL's SmartCage. For now, it appears the comeback will take place against either Ferreira or Bader, on a PFL pay-per-view.
“I never thought I would be done with my MMA career,” Ngannou said. “I just wanted to pursue my dream in boxing. Obviously I can do both and combine them whenever the opportunity presents itself. I'm not done with MMA. How complicated is it for me, “It's going to be new territory, but I definitely feel like I want to get back into my comfort zone and dominate a little bit and then get back to boxing.”
Ngannou's announcement comes two days before Saturday's match between Brazilian Ferreira (12-3) and Bader (31-7), a former NCAA Division I wrestler. Ferreira, 6-foot-8, 34, has finished four of his last six official fights by first-round knockout. Bader, 40, is a two-weight Bellator champion from Tempe, Arizona, who formerly fought in the UFC at light heavyweight.
