Francis Ngannou Signs With The PFL

At long last, the rumour mill has come to an end with the PFL announcing the signing of the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Made official earlier this morning via the PFL and DAZN social media accounts, the huge breaking news also comes with some additional details. Here is the full statement posted by DAZN MMA:

“

The @PFLMMA has signed an exclusive global MMA strategic partnership with heavyweight

@francis_ngannou with his PFL PPV Super Fight debut to come in mid-2024.”

The announcement was followed by an article from The New York Times that goes into further detail about the deal. It adds that Ngannou will debut in the PFL next year to allow him to compete in a boxing contest later on in 2023. Ngannou will also become the chairman of PFL Africa which is explained in the article as:

“An expansion initiative to produce events on the continent, and will serve on the company’s advisory board to represent fighter interests.”

Francis himself says:

“The past few months have been a very interesting time to understand and see the landscape but I’m very excited about this deal with the P.F.L. because they basically showed what I was expecting,” Ngannou said in an interview. “They didn’t just show up as a promotion that was looking for a fighter, but really came as a partner that sees more value in you as a person.”

Elaborating on why he chose the PFL over all the options that he had on the table, he stated that the PFL offered him more than anyone else in total and further explained:

“They didn’t have much to offer more than a fighter and promotion contract, which was something that I wasn’t interested in,” Ngannou said of ONE’s (Championship) contract offer. “I was looking into value and an impact and what I can bring it and attach also to my legacy.”

He added: “I think there was a lot of media play, and a lot of people just know that this game wasn’t big enough for this type of a deal, so they just stepped out.”

Read the full article outlining his decision to sign with the PFL and all of the details via The New York Times (Written by Emmanuel Morgan) by clicking right here.