Francis Ngannou to PFL MMA debut against winner of PFL vs Bellator Champions heavyweight superfight
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) today announced combat sports superstar Francis Ngannou will make his PFL debut against the winner of the Heavyweight Superfight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader.
Francis Ngannou shook up the combat sports world by signing with PFL in May, becoming the first active fighter to serve on PFL’s Global Advisory Board and an equity owner and Chairman of the coming PFL Africa regional league. Ngannou recently stepped into the boxing ring for the first time ever, losing a razor-thin split decision to Tyson Fury, the lineal heavyweight champion. Ngannou is currently in Riyadh, training to fight top heavyweight boxing contender Anthony Joshua.
Ngannou will turn his attention back to MMA, where he will make his PFL SmartCage debut against the winner of the Heavyweight Superfight between 2023 PFL Heavyweight Champion Renan “Problema” Ferreira and Bellator Heavyweight Champion Ryan “Darth” Bader. Ferreira and Bader will main event the PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions pay-per-view, taking place this Saturday, February 24th, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“The PFL is excited to announce Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA in the PFL PPV Division will be against the winner of the PFL Champion vs Bellator Champion Heavyweight Superfight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader,” said Peter Murray, PFL CEO.” Francis is a true combat sports icon with a global fan base and appeal. We, along with the rest of the MMA world, will be watching to see who his first opponent will be, Ferreira or Bader.”
Ngannou will also be in attendance at the historic event in Riyadh.
Currently, Ngannou is preparing for his second professional boxing bout, wherein he will take on former two-time unified world heavyweight champion and world number two-ranked heavyweight Anthony Joshua on March 8th live on DAZN.
PFL is the only organization in MMA with a sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.
