Francis Ngannou has a future in boxing and in MMA without restrictions. That’s essentially PFL CEO Peter Murray’s stance on the former UFC heavyweight champion.
“Francis, he’s not going away,” Murray recently said in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio. “Francis is on a mission.”
Ngannou fought like a man on a mission last month when he shocked the combat sports world with his impressive boxing performance against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Ngannou landed a clean knockdown of Fury, went the distance with him, and won on one judge’s scorecard but ultimately dropped a 10-round split decision that many observers questioned.
Still, even without the official victory, Ngannou’s showing seemingly has opened up more opportunities than expected. Ngannou is signed to the PFL and prior to the Fury fight, it was expected that he’d make his promotional debut with the MMA promotion in the first quarter of 2024. But now there’s interest in seeing Ngannou take on more high-profile boxing challengers, including Deontay Wilder, whom Ngannou has been in talks with, and Anthony Joshua.
Murray said the PFL is taking the buzz surrounding Ngannou in stride and remains “supportive of Francis both in boxing and in MMA.” He still expects the former UFC heavyweight champion to be a big part of the promotion’s dive into pay-per-view next year.
“He put on an incredible performance. We all know that, and he really won that fight. He won everybody’s hearts, proved everybody wrong, so now it’s on to the next chapter and next year,” Murray said. “We launch our pay-per-view division. Francis will be a big part of that. He’ll return to the cage with the PFL. We’ll be announcing those details, I would say, in the coming weeks in terms of an opponent and timing. We’re working through that.
“And Francis is gonna continue to box. We’ll see if there’s a rematch. I know there’s a number of big-time boxers who now saw that Francis is the best combat sports athlete on the planet and has all the skill in the world in boxing. It’s gonna be exciting to watch.”
Beyond his own fighting career, Murray reiterated that part of Ngannou’s agreement with the PFL pertains to PFL Africa. According to Murray, announcements are coming soon about PFL Africa launching in 2025 and Ngannou serving as chairman.
Murray said the “foundation of that league” is almost set, and Ngannou is committed to ensuring it’s executed properly.
“That’ll be a big part of his legacy in terms of paving the way for the next great athletes and fighters from the continent of Africa,” Murray said. “Francis is incredibly passionate about that.”
