If Francis Ngannou returns to MMA next, who should he fight first?،
After last weekend, Francis Ngannou might be the most interesting athlete in the world.
There is nothing like Ngannou in sports right now. He left the UFC as the undisputed heavyweight champion and signed a new deal with the Professional Fighters League, which allowed him to box. This contract also allowed him to face Tyson Fury, the WBC heavyweight champion.
And then, in the eyes of many, Ngannou beat the greatest heavyweight boxer of his era in a 10 round fight. Even though Fury won the fight on the scorecards by split decision.
Yes, there are similarities between boxing and mixed martial arts, but it cannot be understated how difficult this is to achieve. This is Bo Jackson (football and baseball All-Star) territory. This is Deion Sanders (played in a Super Bowl and a World Series). This is Shohei Ohtani, who takes care of the mound and hits 40 home runs in a season. This is such a rare and unique level of excellence. And obviously that opens up a world of options.
Ngannou has an exclusive agreement with the PFL to compete in MMA. That deal allowed him to fight Fury on Saturday, but it’s unclear what it will look like beyond that. Ngannou told ESPN he intends to fight in February or March, but he did not specify in which sport. Before last weekend, it was probably going to be in MMA. It’s less clear now. The public demand to see him box again will be massive, certainly higher than seeing him return to MMA.
However, if Ngannou commits (or even obliges) to fight in the PFL next, he will do so. He is pleased with his negotiations with the PFL and considers the organization a partner. So if it’s MMA next, who will he fight? Here are his options.
He’s far from a household name, but Goltsov is a dangerous opponent for any mixed martial arts heavyweight, including Ngannou.
Goltsov reached the PFL heavyweight finals three years in a row, although he was unable to compete in 2022 due to visa issues. He entered the 2022 playoffs as the No. 1 seed at heavyweight and repeated that feat in 2023. In other words, this 33-year-old Russian has had a lot of wins in the PFL. He also has a high finishing rate.
He has split his time throughout his career competing in MMA and Sambo tournaments in Russia. Moreover, he is complete and in the prime of his life. Outside of anyone in the UFC, he’s arguably the most dangerous opponent Ngannou could face in MMA. He is scheduled to face Renan Ferreira at the 2023 PFL World Championships on November 24. I wonder to what extent the PFL will promote the winner of this fight as a possible challenger to Ngannou.
2. Renan Ferreira
Ferreira is the other half of this year’s PFL heavyweight title fight – and with no disrespect to Goltsov, Ferreira would be a more marketable option.
Like Ngannou, Ferreira is a complete physical specimen. He is 6-foot-8 with an 85-inch reach (Ngannou is 6-4 with an 83-inch reach). He moves like an NFL linebacker and is known for celebrating his first-round knockouts with backflips. He has PFL knockouts of 50 seconds, 31 seconds and 25 seconds.
There are many comparisons that can be made between Ngannou and Ferreira. Even though Ferreira, like Goltsov, is not a household name, if he were to do something spectacular on November 24 against an established product in Goltsov, and the PFL and Ngannou were there to really promote him, he could get buzz in a fight between them. The hype would have nothing to do with Ngannou in another boxing match against a top 10 heavyweight, but Ngannou vs. Ferreira would spark intrigue.
Bader, 40, is the Bellator MMA heavyweight champion, which would exclude him from this list if it weren’t for ongoing talks regarding PFL acquiring Bellator from Viacom before the end of this year. If the PFL purchases Bellator and merges the two rosters, there will be a plethora of new matchups for the promotion to make, and this would be one of the most obvious.
Bader is a former collegiate wrestler, UFC veteran and three-time reigning heavyweight champion. He also won the Bellator light heavyweight championship in 2017. He has fought just once in 2023 – a first-round knockout against Fedor Emelianenko, well past his prime, in February. Bellator hasn’t promoted him much as a heavyweight champion yet, but he is a proven name in the MMA community. He would be considered a legitimate opponent of Ngannou. And the fact that he arrives as another organization’s champion would be a nice little marketing bonus for the PFL.
4. Okay, Maybe MMA Isn’t Next
As previously reported, Ngannou plans to fight in February – but in which martial art? Yes, the PFL will compensate Ngannou handsomely for fighting for promotion via their partnership, but the money on the table has changed seismically since Saturday’s big fight. Ngannou reportedly earned over $10 million to fight Fury in Saudi Arabia, but what would his payday look like in a rematch? Double? Triple?
With the buzz around his name skyrocketing, Ngannou could sign up for another boxing match against a winnable opponent and still receive a more substantial payday compared to his highest UFC earnings. The PFL would undoubtedly like more of the spotlight placed on its most accomplished star, so any thoughts of preventing him from boxing again seem unlikely. However, at what point does the PFL look up and wonder when he will get into his SmartCage?
