MMA fans are well aware of Francis Ngannou’s infamous split with the UFC in January 2023. After defending his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, ‘The Predator’ engaged in a year-long standoff with the promotion, demanding a better contract and the freedom to compete in boxing. Dana White even claimed Ngannou had been offered the most lucrative heavyweight deal in UFC history, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement. Ngannou walked away, pursuing opportunities elsewhere, a move that drew repeated criticism from White, who labeled the former champion a two-faced hypocrite and unfit for business.
Ngannou’s post-UFC journey initially looked golden. He signed with the PFL in May 2023 and secured freedom to box, and went on to share the ring with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Inside the cage, he made a dominant PFL debut in October, scoring a first-round TKO win over Renan Ferreira. Beyond fighting, Francis Ngannou also took on an executive role as PFL Africa chairman, an opportunity he said he was “honored” to accept, with hopes of growing MMA across the continent and ensuring that upcoming fighters wouldn’t have to endure the same hardships he faced to find success. But this partnership hasn’t gone smoothly, to say the least. But why?
Francis Ngannou Was Not Satisfied With the Quality of PFL Africa Cards
The PFL made history by launching PFL Africa with its debut event in Cape Town on 18 July. The card featured a mix of local fighters and global names like Johnny Eblen and Dakota Ditcheva, while Khabib Nurmagomedov attended in support of Dagestani fighters from his camp. However, the man meant to be the face of PFL Africa, in the form of Francis Ngannou, was missing.
Speaking to the media, PFL founder Donn Davis didn’t hold back his frustration over the absence. “You have to ask Francis (why he was not present),” Davis said. “I’m not going to hide it — I expected him (at GrandWest Arena). This is part of his vision, so that all those fighters out there don’t have to leave the continent like he did. We worked for two years. I’m direct and say what I think — I’m disappointed.”
Francis Ngannou’s absence has raised questions about his commitment to his behind-the-scenes role and the future of what was once seen as a groundbreaking partnership between him and the PFL. And now, the former UFC 265lbs kingpin has shared his side of things with Ariel Helwani on his show. He made it clear that he wasn’t pleased with Davis airing the issue publicly.
“I don’t think it was something [Davis] should have brought out there [to tell people], right?” Ngannou said. “At least if it was me, I wouldn’t put it out there now, because he gets in the position where we have to bring up context [of] why didn’t I come there. He did know why I didn’t come. I’ve been waiting on this for two years — this was a big part of it. … I wasn’t OK with something, but I wasn’t the one that was going to [put it] out [into the public conversation].”
Francis Ngannou went on to explain that his absence stemmed from disappointment with how the first PFL Africa card was presented. He felt the event didn’t live up to the significance of the moment and instead came across as a secondary card.
“If you want to know what exactly is the reason why I wasn’t there, I wasn’t very OK with the first PFL Africa event seeming to be like an undercard,” Ngannou said. “I hoped the PFL Africa debut would have at least had its glory, its moment. That wasn’t my decision. I wasn’t down for it, but I expressed my feelings to them.”
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As already stated, when Ngannou signed with the PFL in 2023, the promotion gave him not only a lucrative deal but also a major role as PFL Africa chairman. The former UFC champion envisioned the sub-promotion as a platform showcasing exclusively African talent. However, he revealed that conversations with CEO Peter Murray and other executives led to a different approach, one that he didn’t agree with.
Moreover, he also clarified that he rarely communicates directly with Davis. Apart from this, Ngannou also did not attend the second PFL Africa event on August 9, though he admitted it came closer to the vision he had in mind. Still, he felt it fell short of the “glorious moment” he’d been envisioning.
“You talk about something for two years, you expect this glorious moment, and I couldn’t explain [to people why the card turned out how it did] if I had been there,” Ngannou explained.
He concluded with, “It looks like I had been in a very bad position to explain how the PFL Africa I’ve been talking about has become an undercard. So, on that perspective, I’m not facing this. That was the main reason. What was worse for me was I have seen some people talking about it, but they didn’t even realize Aug. 9 was the second [PFL Africa] event.”
As for his fighting future, Ngannou said there have been no formal talks with PFL about a 2025 return to the cage. He’s reached out via email but believes the promotion doesn’t currently have a suitable opponent for him. He also confirmed he hasn’t spoken to Davis since their recent disagreements. However, there have been rumblings about Ngannou fighting Deontay Wilder in a boxing bout later this year.
Main image credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
