Who Will Francis Ngannou Fight Next?

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For the first time since January of 2022, Francis Ngannou returned to competition this past weekend in a boxing bout against Tyson Fury.

On Saturday, Ngannou lost by split decision to Fury, who is the reigning, undefeated WBC champion. It was Ngannou who delivered the only knockdown of the fight, which happened in the third round. Though Fury was never in real trouble, it was a stunning debut for Ngannou in his first-ever boxing bout.

Ngannou’s stock took flight on Saturday. Even if Fury demolishes Ngannou in the rematch, which is likely to occur, that will not change the result from this past weekend, where Ngannou delivered the only takedown of the fight. The foray into boxing, which will likely lead to a rematch against Fury, adds further excitement to his MMA debut for the PFL.

In that 2022 bout, Ngannou successfully defended the UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. Who will be Ngannou’s next opponent in MMA? With a rematch against Fury suddenly a real possibility, is there a way for the PFL to put gold around Ngannou’s waist as the Super Fight division champion?

Looking at the heavyweights and light heavyweights, there is no one on the current PFL roster that can justifiably challenge Ngannou. There is always the possibility that the promotion can go out and sign a decorated heavyweight like Junior dos Santos or Fabricio Werdum, both Werdum (46) is on the wrong side of 40 and Dos Santos (39) will hit that mark in January. Plus, Ngannou already defeated Dos Santos in the UFC during their 2019 bout–and there are not many people clamoring for a rematch. And as much of a fighting icon as Fedor Emelianenko, he is 47 years old and lost two of his last four bouts–both to Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader.

Fury could also come to the PFL’s Smartcage. Clearly, there is money to be made in a boxing rematch; would adding in an MMA bout diminish the interest in another boxing bout?

But there is another option at play. With the PFL on the cusp of acquiring Bellator, that would entirely reshape the promotion’s landscape. If the PFL is able to gain Bellator’s roster, it will have two perfect opponents for Ngannou: Bader and the soon-to-be Vadim Nemkov, who is Bellator’s reigning light heavyweight champion.

Both would make phenomenal opponents for Ngannou, and neither is an easy out. Considering Bader is Bellator’s champ, it would make the most sense to have him fight Ngannou first.

For the first time since parting ways, the UFC could use Ngannou. He could have headlined the upcoming Madison Square Garden card, where Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic were supposed to clash until an injury prevented Jones from competing. But the UFC cupboard is loaded; Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich will fight for the interim heavyweight title; Jones and Miocic will meet in 2024; and Jailton Almeida is ready to breakout as the next unstoppable force in the division.

The future is bright for Ngannou. Who could have imagined that losing a fight would have such a positive outcome?