Francis Ngannou has said he expects to return to MMA to fight 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira, naming a potential date of October 19 in Saudi Arabia.
Former UFC heavyweight titlist Ngannou last fought on March 4, when he was knocked out in the second round of a boxing match against Anthony Joshua.
Ngannou signed a deal with the PFL in May 2023 but has boxed twice since, losing to Tyson Fury on points in a display on his pugilist debut which established the Cameroonian-Frenchman as a potential force to be reckoned with in his new discipline.
Francis Ngannou says “something wasn’t right” in his fight against Anthony Joshua 🤔
“I remember being there, I start having blurry vision. My team was in front of me speaking to me, and then the voice was getting distant…
I don’t know what it was but something wasn’t right.”… PIC.TWITTER.COM/S4JLHT00SP
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) JULY 24, 2024
Ngannou vs Ferreira ‘very clear’
The chairman of the planned PFL Africa is now poised to return to the sport in which he made his name through 17 wins from 20 bouts.
“I will be fighting in the MMA by the end of the year with the PFL,” Ngannou told the JRE MMA Show. “I might have to fight in Saudi Arabia again.
“That’s what the PFL is working on. It’s not finalised yet but they’re working on October 19.
🚨 Francis Ngannou says that he will be fighting Renan Ferreira in October
Nothing is finalized but he says the PFL are working on making the fight happen on October 19th in Saudi Arabia 👀
(via. @joeroganhq) #PFL #MMA PIC.TWITTER.COM/O7KB1FEFIC
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) JULY 23, 2024
“It’s been more than a year since the PFL agreement and I was supposed to fight within a year, so we’re getting a little out of the timeline, for sure.
“We were figuring out who my opponent should be. I think things are very clear now. Renan Ferreira has made himself very clear as a challenger who can make that fight happen.”
Renan Ferreira: PFL star ‘fast’
When it was put to him that Saudi Arabian backers could broker a fight with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Ngannou welcomed the prospect but said Ferreira is his next target.
“I’ve been telling people about this guy for almost two years,” Ngannou said of the 6ft 8in fighter who is considered likeliest to test him from the PFL roster.
“I said, ‘watch this guy.’ Very athletic. Fast hands, one-twos, knees – very athletic. So, I think it’s going to be him.”
Ferreira beat Denis Goltsov in November 2023 to win his title and knocked out Ryan Bader in the first round of the crossover PFL vs Bellator: Champions event in Riyadh in February 2024.
Ngannou, who left the UFC after failing to agree new terms, said PFL welterweight and former UFC fighter Cedric Doumbe could also be on the card.
The 37-year-old also predicted that he will box again more than once, adding that he could retire at 41.
