Francis Ngannou’s next fight has been one of the biggest talking points to emerge after his triumphant MMA comeback. In his most recent professional combat sports contest, an MMA bout, Ngannou (18-3 MMA, 0-2 boxing, 1-0 kickboxing) defeated the formidable Renan Ferreira via first-round KO. The win earned him the inaugural PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Championship.
Their fight headlined the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants event at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 19, 2024. It marked Ngannou’s PFL promotional debut. Many believe that the only dangerous challenge for him in the entire PFL heavyweight roster was the 6’8″ athletic specimen, Ferreira.
Now that he’s dominantly defeated ‘Problema,’ speculation has abounded that Ngannou might have hit a dead end in the PFL. Yes, there’s Tom Aspinall’s training partner, Ante Delija, who dominantly bested Ferreira via first-round TKO in Aug. 2022. Nevertheless, fan interest in a possible Ngannou vs. Delija fight seems bleak.
On The Ariel Helwani Show, interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall recently highlighted Renan Ferreira’s defeat against Ante Delija. The Englishman jibed that Ferreira was big and powerful but not elite regarding skills. Akin to many others, Aspinall suggested that Ngannou won’t face world-class opposition in the PFL and should be in the UFC.
Presently, Francis Ngannou is at a crossroads. Where he goes from here could not only shape his legacy but also change the course of heavyweight combat sports history, particularly in boxing and MMA. Today, we look at the likeliest next steps for Ngannou.
#3 Francis Ngannou’s long-awaited potential fight against Deontay Wilder
Deontay Wilder was once hailed among the deadliest heavyweight boxers, albeit oft-criticized for supposedly lacking technical pugilistic prowess. His career’s trajectory drastically changed after suffering consecutive stoppage defeats in 2020 and 2021, in his rematch and trilogy fights against boxing icon Tyson Fury.
Wilder has since beaten Robert Helenius and lost to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. ‘The Bronze Bomber’s’ defeat against Zhang was a particularly devastating knockout.
On the other hand, after Francis Ngannou’s UFC departure in Jan. 2023, he made his professional boxing debut in Oct. 2023, losing a razor-thin split decision to Fury. Ngannou then suffered his first-ever knockout defeat, being KO’d by Anthony Joshua in March 2024. Ironically, Joshua himself was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in his very next fight.
Considering the variables at play, the long-awaited Wilder boxing match would be a smart, strategic move for Ngannou. Wilder is around the same age as him and has the fanbase and accolades to generate enough hype. Also, though both suffered a KO loss the last time they boxed, Ngannou’s spectacular MMA comeback would surely have boosted his confidence while Wilder’s still reeling.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Ngannou recently reiterated that he’d love to continue his boxing career. When asked about whom he’d like to box next, he seemed more interested in Wilder and Fury rather than Joshua. The Cameroonian-French combatant stated:
“I don’t know. Maybe, I don’t have a name now that I can — I think it depend on the landscape. But why not the name like [Deontay] Wilder or a rematch with [Tyson] Fury? I don’t know. I’m down for everything that makes sense.”
#2 Francis Ngannou’s rematches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua
This is where things get trickier. Deontay Wilder was stopped by Zhilei Zhang in June 2024. If Wilder takes a hiatus to heal, Francis Ngannou would be bereft of a high-profile feasible matchup in heavyweight boxing. Anthony Joshua just got knocked out by IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois in Sept. 2024.
Dubois is eyeing a potential undisputed heavyweight title clash against the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury rematch that goes down on Dec. 21, 2024.
Meanwhile, Joseph Parker, Zhilei Zhang, Martin Bakole, and other top heavyweights are eyeing championship glory and are unlikely to risk facing Ngannou. A win over the comparatively inexperienced boxer wouldn’t help but a loss would be catastrophic for their brand.
Ergo, the best option for Francis Ngannou’s next boxing match — if the Wilder matchup doesn’t materialize — would be pursuing a rematch against Joshua or Fury.
The caveat in that is he’d possibly have to wait till mid-2025 (or late 2025 if Fury beats Usyk and they do a trilogy!) for the Usyk-Fury feud to be done with. He’d similarly have to wait till mid-to-late-2025 for Joshua to return.
Despite the apparent hurdles, Francis Ngannou has been adamant about wanting to box. With him being the PFL’s current biggest star, they’d be wise not to oppose him if he chooses to venture into boxing again.
#1 Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones — Let’s be honest, please…
Francis Ngannou has earned the right to choose which sport he competes in next, even if it means taking another hiatus from MMA (like the one he did from Jan. 2022 to Oct. 2024) and box.
However, truth be told — Ngannou would be better off in MMA. He’s 38, has gone through serious knee injuries, undergone surgeries, and sustained considerable damage over his long and storied career. An elite boxer would be favored to dominantly defeat Ngannou in boxing, and he would similarly dominate them in MMA. It’s as simple as that.
A boxing world title is off the table for the foreseeable future for Ngannou, unless Fury somehow beats Usyk and decides to give ‘The Predator’ a title shot.
The PFL is a dead end for Francis Ngannou, as the majority of top-tier heavyweights have long been in the UFC. Remember the old days when Pride FC had heavyweight legends like Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop (Mirko Filipovic), Antonio Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, and others?
The UFC acquired Pride FC in March 2007, later purchasing Strikeforce as well, and has long boasted the best heavyweight division in MMA. Speaking of its current landscape, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones won the UFC heavyweight title that Ngannou vacated in 2023.
The MMA community has long been waiting for the dream matchup between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, something that’s been discussed ever since Jones announced his move to heavyweight in 2020. Jones is booked to defend his UFC heavyweight title against former divisional kingpin Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on Nov. 16, 2024.
Interim champion Tom Aspinall is expected to fight the Jones-Miocic winner, provided the winner doesn’t retire immediately. Combat sports megastar Jon Jones himself signaled that he’ll likely retire after fighting Miocic and would probably come back only for a high-profile fight, ideally against Ngannou.
Furthermore, Ngannou has consistently maintained that Saudi Arabia’s ‘Riyadh Season,’ who’ve partnered with the UFC and PFL in different projects, could make the impossible possible. They might end up investing enough money to facilitate a Jones-Ngannou UFC-PFL cross-promotional fight.
Alternatively, since the UFC generally adheres to its strict ‘no co-promotion’ policy, the PFL could permit Francis Ngannou for a one-off fight against Jones in the UFC.
An even better option would be Ngannou departing the PFL altogether and returning to the UFC to close out his MMA career with fights against ‘Bones’ and Aspinall. Wins over them would tremendously benefit his legacy much more than beating relatively unheralded heavyweights in the PFL.
