PFL founder Donn Davis has debunked rumors that Francis Ngannou is leaving the PFL promotion.
It appears Ngannou will remain with PFL for the foreseeable future, as founder Donn Davis is unwilling to let the fighter go. Ngannou has not competed since defeating Renan Ferreira last October. Before his return to MMA, Ngannou ventured into boxing but lost both of his matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Following these defeats, he returned to the cage to face Ferreira. Despite his victory over Fereira , a date for Ngannou’s next fight has yet to be set, though many believe it will take place under the PFL banner.
However, journalist John S. Nash recently suggested otherwise. On his Hey Not the Face podcast, Nash claimed that Ngannou’s contract with PFL might have already reached its expiration date.
“If it’s true that his contract has a termination date and that termination date is the end of this month, they better get on that!” Nash said. “Because this is one of their major selling points, and if they’re looking for a big TV deal after UFC maybe leaves (ESPN), you’re gonna need Francis Ngannou to get that sale. That just shows you, in some ways, the message they’re communicating to the CEOs and in the corporate world. Those are things that we, as fans who know the sport, would see through—but they don’t.”
Davis was quick to dismiss these rumors, stating that Ngannou still has one or two fights left on his contract and will appear in the boxing ring before his time with PFL is up. The PFL founder addressed the speculation in a social media post, also emphasizing that Ngannou remains a key partner in PFL Africa.
“No truth. Fake news. Francis has at least one more fight with @PFLMMA.
Further, Francis is a long-term business partner as Chairman @PFLAfrica.”
Ngannou has yet to release an official statement regarding his status with PFL, but he has made it clear that he intends to return to boxing.
“I will do boxing next,” Ngannou stated in an interview. “I want to. I’m not done with boxing. It’s not that MMA is easy—it’s the sport I understand better and have more experience in—but I say go for boxing. [I’m passionate about fighting Deontay Wilder] because there’s an 80% chance that somebody will go to sleep. It will be one or the other.”
“Maybe not in his past two fights, but Deontay Wilder is known as a guy who knocks everybody out or tries to knock you out. I’m going against that guy, and I myself can knock someone out. Deep inside me, there’s a little bit of ego. I know I hit harder. From my experience, we all have that ego where we want to prove, ‘No, it’s me [who hits harder].’ Who is the biggest hitter between me and Deontay? Those sorts of conversations are popping up, and even if you think you don’t care about it, it sticks somewhere in your mind.”
The former UFC heavyweight champion also revealed that he has upcoming plans with Turki Alalshikh to face former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
