Francis Ngannou vs. Deontay Wilder: PFL's must make fight

Zane Simon

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Publish Date: 11/13/2024

Francis Ngannou is on the hunt for his next opponent and one name is at the front of the pack.

Outside of Jake Paul's still-unrealized MMA career, Francis Ngannou is the PFL's biggest star. The former UFC heavyweight champion left the world's largest MMA promotion with his belt back in 2023. Shortly after the split, he took his talents to boxing, but not before signing a contract to fight in the cage for the UFC's North American rival.

In the nearly two years since that move, Ngannou is 0-2 in the ring, losing a controversial fight to Tyson Fury and a second round KO loss to Anthony Joshua. He also made his return to MMA, dominating Renan Fereira on PPV for the PFL back in October.

Francis Ngannou's next fight

Francis Ngannou's next fight has yet to be booked. But in the wake of his dominant MMA return, only one question remains: Who's next? Will the 'Predator' make another run at his boxing career? Would a second loss for Tyson Fury against Oleksandr Usyk this coming December push the 'Gypsy King' back into a rematch with the Cameroonian born Frenchman? More importantly, does the PFL have anyone Ngannou could face in an MMA bout?

The PFL currently has more than 20 fighters under contract in their heavyweight division. A list that includes UFC vets like Blagoy Ivanov, Marcelo Golm, and Timothy Johnson. But there's no obvious name that would justify another 'Super Fight' PPV offering. If the PFL wants to see Ngannou back in the Smart Cage anytime soon, they'll likely need to look for outside help.

Deontay Wilder's Francis Ngannou callout

Longtime boxing fans will already be familiar with Deontay Wilder's interest in a fight with Francis Ngannou. While Ngannou was in the UFC, however, his plans have felt like little more than talk. The idea that Wilder might just jump into the UFC Octagon and take a massive pay cut for the privilege was hard to imagine. And as Ngannou found out, the UFC wasn't about to let him box. But with Saudi Arabia happy to back the PFL's PPV efforts—and with Ngannou's open contract for boxing—suddenly the climate looks a lot better.

"Listen, man, everyone is gonna have an opinion about me," Wilder said in a video uploaded to his social media, responding to calls for his retirement, "but those opinions don't matter. You're gonna go through losses, you're gonna go through challenges. You're gonna have life hit you and knock you down. But, it's the mindset to get back up and keep pushing forward.

"I've been through losses way before boxing. I've been through challenges way before I stepped foot in the ring. I've been hit and knocked down way before I ever put a pair of boxing gloves on, and I'm still here, baby. Because it's the mindset to get back up and keep pushing forward..."

So if Wilder isn't walking away from fighting what is he doing?

“The best is yet to come. Yeah we're still going. We're still here, just getting things together… Francis, I'm sorry for your loss. I can only imagine what it's like to lose a child, I never hope to feel that feeling. I hope life is going beautifully for you brother. That [fight] is a conversation I'm still looking to get in the mix and talk about," Wilder told TMZ sports in a recent interview (h/t Michael Benson).

Deontay Wilder's MMA plans

Of course it doesn't have to just be boxing. In June of last year, Deontay Wilder told PFL he would love to do a two fight deal against Ngannou. One fight in the boxing ring, one in the MMA cage.

"I've thought about this many times," Wilder said when asked about fighting MMA. "Even with Ngannou, us talking about getting together... You always see the MMA guys crossing over, but you never see the boxers crossing over. So I said, I wanted to make it more interesting for the fans... I said, 'How about you come to my back yard, and after we handle business, I can come to yours and cross over.' And I really meant it..."

Follow PromoGuy.us for more news on Francis Ngannou's fighting future.