If you failed at boxing, it’s time to return to MMA. Prodigal Ngannou will be forced to spend his money on the PFL
Sergey Sorokin July 6, 2024, 20:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The beast has fallen on hard times and mixed martial arts can save the day.
Francis Ngannou is one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of mixed martial arts. But lately he has been going through a difficult time. Attempts to shine in boxing brought huge profits, but ended in failure in a fight with Anthony Joshua. As a result, the Predator began to be ridiculed, reminding of the dangers of switching from one discipline to another. And then the fighter experienced a terrible tragedy. Ngannou’s one-and-a-half-year-old son died on April 29. But little by little Francis is beginning to return to sports life.
Mixed martial arts guys find it very difficult in the ring:
The path from MMA to boxing is one-way. Even Ngannou failed in his attempts to change the discipline.
It is worth noting that Francisco’s boxing journey should probably end. Of course, he burst into the gentleman’s sport in a big way. There was a very good fight with Tyson Fury, in which Ngannou almost won. But then everything fell into place too quickly. The fight with Anthony Joshua turned out to be a complete failure. Already in the second round, the Predator suffered a severe knockout. And it eventually became clear that the Gypsy King was simply not well prepared for the confrontation with Francisco. But AJ left Ngannou no chance.
Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
In addition, the PFL is already frankly tired of waiting for Francisco. The Predator signed a contract with this league in May 2023. And since then he has not even come close to his first fight in the promotion. But Ngannou immediately received a whole series of nice bonuses. He admitted that he had won a very generous cash offer that surpassed all the others. But the UFC offered Ngannou between 6 and 8 million dollars per performance. This means that for each PFL match, the Predator will receive even more. But in the end, the fighter never appeared in the octagon.
But in the near future, it seems that Francis will return to mixed martial arts. Firstly, in boxing: two losses in a row. And after that I really want to finally win. Secondly, the PFL could finally start demanding that Ngannou enter the cage. The organization has a contract with the fighter, so sooner or later he will insist on the fight. But there are more and more options and potential rivals in the promotion. And there is a feeling that the Predator could be given a title fight very quickly. Francis’ team reported that it is already starting to prepare for his return.
Eric Niksik
Francis Ngannou’s coach
“He is getting better. The smile is back on his face and he is joking around more and more often. He came back to the room and chatted a bit with Strickland and the other guys. We fully understand that not all the wounds have healed. He will still have moments of weakness and vulnerability. Although he has already started talking about the next fight. One day during dinner he said that he would like to dedicate the next fight to his son.”
One of the real options for Francisco is a fight with Vadim Nemkov. The Russian recently moved up to heavyweight. And he even managed to debut in the PFL with a victory. He performed on February 24 at a tournament in Saudi Arabia. And the Brazilian Bruno Cappelozza calmly finished off. Already in the second round, Vadim caught his opponent with a hand triangle. The Brazilian did not give up and at some point simply fainted. The referee stopped the fight and recorded Nemkov’s victory by submission.
This season, PFL broadcasts are available on Okko.
To be honest, MMA fans miss Francis. Ngannou has the potential to become a big PFL superstar. Therefore, after a failed performance in boxing, he will have to return to the cage. And then the Predator will have a chance to save his crumbling legacy.
