Whether his March 8 boxing match against Anthony Joshua ends in victory, defeat, or the frustration of a draw, Francis Ngannou is expected to next be seen throwing punches the way of a mixed martial artist rather than another boxer.
That’s the noise coming out of PFL (Professional Fighters League), the mixed martial arts organisation to whom Ngannou is currently signed. They today announced that Ngannou will make his PFL debut against the winner of the heavyweight fight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader, which takes place on Saturday (February 24) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou signed with PFL last May, becoming the first active fighter to serve on their Global Advisory Board, as well as an equity owner and Chairman of the PFL Africa regional league, but has so far yet to fight in the organisation. He has instead embarked on a sideline career as a professional boxer and made his debut in October, flooring Tyson Fury en route to a 10-round decision loss.
“The PFL is excited to announce Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA in the PFL PPV Division will be against the winner of the PFL champion vs Bellator champion heavyweight superfight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader,” said Peter Murray, PFL CEO. “Francis is a true combat sports icon with a global fan base and appeal. We, along with the rest of the MMA world, will be watching to see who his first opponent will be: Ferreira or Bader.”
Ngannou, 0-1 (0) as a boxer, is expected to be in attendance on Saturday when Ferreira and Bader meet to essentially decide his next MMA opponent. He will then be back in Saudi Arabia a couple of weeks later for pro boxing bout number two. Talk about multi-tasking.