Francis Ngannou will return to the octagon for the first time since 2022 to take on Renan Ferreira for the PFL heavyweight championship this Saturday.
The 38-year-old comes off a devastating second-round stoppage defeat to Anthony Joshua earlier this year in only his second professional boxing match.
Prior to facing the two-time heavyweight world champion, though, Francis Ngannou shocked the world when he floored Tyson Fury in the third round of their thrilling contest last year.
But despite his strong performance, it was ‘The Gypsy King’ who ultimately claimed a controversial split decision, with Ngannou now wishing to reignite his MMA career.
Eric Nicksick criticizes the promotion for Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira
The former UFC champion’s last MMA outing came over two years ago, when he defended his title with a comprehensive points victory over Ciryl Gane.
Prior to that, Ngannou claimed another notable scalp by dethroning Stipe Miocic, who is still widely regarded as the greatest UFC heavyweight champion in history.
But now, he is gearing up for his eagerly anticipated PFL debut against Ferreira, the promotion’s current title holder in the land of the giants.
However, Ngannou’s long-term coach, Eric Nicksick, has been less than impressed with the promotion for this particular showdown, questioning why there has been no mention of his fighter’s lineal status in MMA.
“I literally forgot we’re fighting for a title,” Nicksick told MMAFightingonSBN. “But it’s like, ‘oh we get another title fight,’ you know?
“You think of a five-rounder or whatever else, it’s like that’s how much it hasn’t been promoted.
“Like, we know it’s a title fight in the back of my mind. I want to hear that more rather than like, ‘these two giants fighting.’
“This is for the PFL title, you know. I don’t know, man, I just wish it was promoted a little bit better.”
Could Francis Ngannou return to boxing?
Despite suffering two losses at the elite level of heavyweight boxing, Ngannou is expected to, one day, make his pugilistic return.
In fact, Nicksick insists that his charge will make a comeback, teasing a potential bout with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
The mouthwatering matchup would certainly make for an exciting clash of styles, with both Ngannou and Wilder regarded as two of the hardest punchers in combat sports history.
But still, Ngannou must get past Ferreira before he can start calling out any of the big names.