Opinion: Will The PFL Grass Be Greener For Ngannou?

Whether you like it or not, Francis Ngannou is officially signed with the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL). After vacating his place as the UFC Heavyweight champion of the world, Ngannou has finally found himself a new home. The grass isn’t always greener, so has Francis made the right call?

It’s been no secret that the main reason for Ngannou’s absence from the Octagon has been heavily down to financial reasons. Despite Dana White beings notoriously tight with his money, the feeling has been that if the UFC couldn’t match the demands of their Heavyweight champion, no other MMA promotion would be able to. Up stepped the PFL however, who have somehow found the funds to give Francis what he wants. Of course, there is much more to his demands than money, but the 50% split of each event’s profits, in addition to a “high seven-figure purse” for each of his fights with the promotion.

Francis has also been consistent in sharing his frustration that the UFC prevents fighters from displaying their own sponsors in the Octagon, something that he will be allowed to do under the terms of his new deal. Any opponent that steps into the cage with Ngannou will receive a minimum salary that could reach up to $2 million. Still not enough to tempt me though, because I would literally die. So, financially at least, this is a win for Ngannou, and you’ve got to respect him for standing his ground and recognising his own worth.

Another significant feature of the deal struck between Ngannou and the PFL is that Francis will take on the role of chairman for PFL Africa. This will likely result in a PFL event taking place in the continent, in addition to the increase in support given to the young African athletes with aspirations to become the next Francis Ngannou. This news is hugely significant for Africa and at long last, the continent will get the chance to see their own stars on their own stage.

So Ngannou benefits, Africa benefits, and so does the PFL. This news is huge for the growth of the PFL brand. The UFC has always been far ahead of the pack when it comes to MMA promotions, but by signing the most dangerous athlete in the sport, the PFL has cemented its place at number 2, and closed the gap between themselves and the UFC. The crucial thing now is that they continue to build their roster to attract more fans. Here’s hoping that they haven’t blown the whole budget on signing Francis.

Granted, there is a lot of good news when it comes to this announcement. But it’s not all beer and skittles. Across the entire spectrum of MMA fans lives a collective desire to see Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones face each other for the UFC Heavyweight championship of the world. I know we’ve already had Dana White ruling out Ngannou’s return to the UFC, but when have we ever taken Dana’s press conferences as fact? By signing with the PFL, Francis has killed any hope of that fight ever materialising, and not only will the outcome forever be a mystery, but the future champions in the UFC, whether it’s Sergei Pavlovich or Tom Aspinall, they’ll always have a question mark looming over their head asking whether they would’ve beaten Francis Ngannou.

Ngannou’s deal with the PFL is not only a huge development in the MMA world, boxing fans should also be taking notice. The Octagon return of Francis Ngannou is on ice, as the Heavyweight will first try his hands at boxing, with a big money fight with one of boxing’s big money stars expected to take place in 2023, before a PFL debut in 2024. Of course, it’s frustrating for MMA fans that we have to wait to see Francis in a cage again, but nobody can begrudge him the opportunity.

It remains to be seen if one of either Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder step up to face Ngannou, who would of course bring the one-punch power that could cause them problems. The majority would predict that any boxer with a high enough level of fight IQ will be able to dance around Ngannou for the duration of 12 rounds, but his power will always bring a risk that they might not want to tango with. Unfortunately for Francis, the previously mentioned quartet are all likely to be facing one another at the end of the year, leaving him with potential opponents like Andy Ruiz Jr or Dillian Whyte, the likes of whom don’t really bring the money the Ngannou has his sights on.

A shortage of opponents isn’t only an issue in the boxing ring. Finding an opponent for Ngannou’s PFL debut is no easy task. The list of contenders runs thin, with most of the best match-ups being in the UFC. Looking around the current selection of PFL Heavyweights brings a possible match-up with MMA legend Fabricio Werdum, or the PFL’s current champion Ante Delija. Finding an opponent that could be signed from elsewhere is just as difficult. Bellator’s Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell are options, as are Arjan Bhullar from ONE Championship and VMTV’s 2022 fighter of the year, Phil De Fries from KSW. At least with the return being on hold until 2024, another contender has time to emerge. Plus, there’s a big old guaranteed pot of cash waiting for whoever decides to sign on the dotted line.