Francis Ngannou appears to have an opponent for his next MMA fight.
The former UFC heavyweight champion hasn’t fought since quickly knocking out Renan Ferreira in October 2024.
Since then, the 39-year-old has been flirting with the idea of taking another boxing bout after previously taking on Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the squared circle.
It now seems likely that Francis Ngannou will fight the new PFL heavyweight champion early next year.
Rate the chances of Francis Ngannou ever fighting in the UFC again out of 10
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Vadim Nemkov wins the PFL heavyweight title
Vadim Nemkov appears to be the obvious opponent choice for Francis Ngannou’s next fight.
The former Bellator light heavyweight champion became a two-weight titleholder on Saturday night.
Nemkov claimed the PFL heavyweight world championship with a first-round submission win.
It took him just 28 seconds longer than Ngannou to beat Renan Ferreira in Lyon, France.
Post-fight, Nemkov expressed his desire to defend his new heavyweight belt against ‘The Predator’.
“I’ll fight anybody that the company wants me to,” he said.
“But I really wanna fight Francis.”
Is Vadim Nemkov the man to end Francis Ngannou’s MMA win streak?
‘The Predator’ hasn’t lost in his first sport since 2018.
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PFL planning ‘something special’ for Francis Ngannou
Earlier this week, PFL CEO John Martin claimed to be working on ‘something very special’ for Francis Ngannou.
“I’ve spoken to Francis a number of times,” he told MMA Fighting.
“He knows we’re working on something very special for him.
“I’d like to see what happens in the fight this week and see if (Vadim) Nemkov wins, if that makes sense.
“But Francis knows that we’re looking forward to him fighting in 2026, relatively soon hopefully, and we’re trying to put something together that’s very special for him.
“He’s got one more fight under his contract, and we’ll see what happens after that…
“I know he’s explored some (options) on the boxing front, too. We’ve been in reasonably frequent communication with him and his manager, and his lawyer. I look forward to seeing Francis in the cage again.”
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