Francis Ngannou has claimed his first PFL opponent has been guaranteed a minimum purse of $2million.
Ngannou, 36, split with the UFC in January after failing to come to terms with the promotion over a new contract. The knockout artist was expected to defend his heavyweight title against UFC legend Jon Jones but he turned down an $8million deal and instead vacated his belt to pursue other promotions.
PFL announced the signing of Ngannou on Tuesday in a lucrative deal that will see the former UFC champion make his debut in their pay-per-view super-fight division next year. No opponent has yet been lined up Ngannou but he claims the PFL is putting up a minimum of $2million for anyone that is keen on fighting 'The Predator'.
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"I'm not a matchmaker but I am looking for competition," Ngannou told The DAZN MMA Show. "Maybe the champion of this year's tournament, so I will be keeping my eye on that to see who wins it. It's not going to be an easy night, I will fight whoever is up to my level. What is also interesting about this is that PFL have openly agreed to offer a minimum purse to my opponent of $2million.
Ngannou cited PFL's 'fighter first' culture as one of the main reasons he signed with the promotion over the likes of ONE Championship and BKFC. The Cameroonian has also taken a leadership role on the PFL Global Advisory Board, making him the first active fighter on the PFL roster to do so.
"I didn't want to be in the position that a promotion comes and takes all of the money to put it on me and I'm fighting people that are getting what they deserve," Ngannou added. "That will push and get everyone really hungry, everyone will want to get in there against me. when you step into the octagon you know what you are getting into and you should be rewarded for that.
"I think it's a good thing everyone gets rewarded, as a fighter I will always stand on the fighter's side. Even if it's my opponent, we are still on the same side. We are just two fighters giving each other an opportunity, we are not enemies. When there is food on the table everyone should eat and get what they deserve."
