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Worst kept secret in MMA but...
No MMA fights till the middle of next year to allow for a boxing fight first.
Ngannou signed what’s being called a “strategic partnership” that gives him equity and leadership roles in the PFL. He plans to debut for the promotion in mid 2024 after an expected boxing match to take place in 2023.
Ngannou will compete in the PFL as part of the “superfight” division that has been launched to feature athletes in high-profile fights most likely on pay-per-view with the fighters receiving a bigger share of the profits from the cards.
As part of his deal, Ngannou will also become the new chairman of PFL Africa, as the promotion plans to expand there in the near future. Ngannou will also have a role on the PFL advisory board to represent the athlete’s interests.
Ngannou’s signing represents a major coup for the PFL, one of several MMA promotions to bid for his services. ONE Championship announced earlier this month it had withdrawn from the bidding process over the heavyweight’s contract demands.
The promotion’s deal with Ngannou gives him the right to pursue a longtime dream of professional boxing; “The Predator” has tried to book a fight with Tyson Fury this summer and has been linked to fights with ex-champs Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
In his failed negotiations with the UFC, Ngannou sought not only to box but gain other concessions that included health insurance for fighters and a fighter’s rep in contract negotiations. He said his demands were a non-starter for the industry-leader, though he didn’t expect all of them to be met. After announcing Ngannou’s departure, UFC President Dana White said Ngannou would never again fight in the promotion.
Ngannou’s UFC exit as an active champion was virtually unprecedented.
The 36-year-old Cameroon native last appeared in the octagon at UFC 270, where he unified the heavyweight title with a win over former training partner Ciryl Gane, overcoming a severe knee injury that later required surgery. He was bound to the UFC for one year or three fights under a champion’s clause, but he officially became a free agent under a five-year sunset clause that was put in UFC contracts in response to an ongoing anti-trust lawsuit against the promotion.
No MMA fights till the middle of next year to allow for a boxing fight first.
Ngannou signed what’s being called a “strategic partnership” that gives him equity and leadership roles in the PFL. He plans to debut for the promotion in mid 2024 after an expected boxing match to take place in 2023.
Ngannou will compete in the PFL as part of the “superfight” division that has been launched to feature athletes in high-profile fights most likely on pay-per-view with the fighters receiving a bigger share of the profits from the cards.
As part of his deal, Ngannou will also become the new chairman of PFL Africa, as the promotion plans to expand there in the near future. Ngannou will also have a role on the PFL advisory board to represent the athlete’s interests.
Ngannou’s signing represents a major coup for the PFL, one of several MMA promotions to bid for his services. ONE Championship announced earlier this month it had withdrawn from the bidding process over the heavyweight’s contract demands.
The promotion’s deal with Ngannou gives him the right to pursue a longtime dream of professional boxing; “The Predator” has tried to book a fight with Tyson Fury this summer and has been linked to fights with ex-champs Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
In his failed negotiations with the UFC, Ngannou sought not only to box but gain other concessions that included health insurance for fighters and a fighter’s rep in contract negotiations. He said his demands were a non-starter for the industry-leader, though he didn’t expect all of them to be met. After announcing Ngannou’s departure, UFC President Dana White said Ngannou would never again fight in the promotion.
Ngannou’s UFC exit as an active champion was virtually unprecedented.
The 36-year-old Cameroon native last appeared in the octagon at UFC 270, where he unified the heavyweight title with a win over former training partner Ciryl Gane, overcoming a severe knee injury that later required surgery. He was bound to the UFC for one year or three fights under a champion’s clause, but he officially became a free agent under a five-year sunset clause that was put in UFC contracts in response to an ongoing anti-trust lawsuit against the promotion.
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