PFL chairman Donn Davis has confirmed the return of Francis Ngannou to the boxing ring in 2025.
Ngannou had his first PFL outing in October of 2024 when he earned a first-round TKO in his return to MMA. Prior to that, ‘The Predator’ had back-to-back boxing matches, losing to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Following his departure from the UFC, Ngannou made it known that he wanted to pursue a venture into boxing.
Then, in the aftermath of his Joshua loss, it appeared as if a permanent return to MMA was possible.
In terms of what Ngannou has planned for 2025, the PFL chairman has provided an update.
Donn Davis says Francis Ngannou will have one MMA bout and one boxing match
In an interview with Sky Sports, Davis was able to provide some insight into what the year will hold for PFL champion Ngannou.
“He’s going to fight twice this year, once in MMA, once in boxing,” said Davis. However, he was not able to confirm which sport he would compete in first.
There are also seemingly no negotiations in place for Ngannou’s return. In terms of who the Cameroonian might face, Davis said, “What opponents? We’re working on options.”
The chairman feels that supporting Ngannou is important to attracting athletes to the PFL despite the “risk” boxing poses. “We support Francis and that’s why he’s at the PFL and I think you’ll see over time other mega superstars come to the PFL because of that reason. What do they want to achieve and how do we do that together? How do you do both things and nothing things well?”
Despite the dangers of switching to and from MMA and boxing, Davis feels it has paid off for the former UFC champion. “He’s now the most beloved fighter because of the challenges and the risks he’s taken so we view the upside as greater than the downside.”
Deontay Wilder a potential opponent for Francis Ngannou
In terms of who Ngannou may face in his return to boxing, Deontay Wilder has been named as a potential opponent.
Although Wilder is understood to return to the ring in 2025, Davis is keeping him in mind as an option for Ngannou. “I think Deontay Wilder is one that we’ve talked about, that he has talked about.”
However, the chairman said that the PFL would be interested in hosting a hybrid match between the two. “Some sort of mixed rules or alternating rounds or just taking one aspect away from MMA rules,” said Davis.
However, he did demonstate some concern that the mixed-rules match may not be well percieved by fans if the cirumstances were wrong. “You have to get the fans to understand it and it be a legitmate sport.”
Ngannou named both Fury and Wilder as potential opponents for a boxing return himself, however, the ‘Gypsy Kings’s’ retirement may make that unlikely.