Can Francis Ngannou Still Secure a Showdown With Rico Verhoeven? The Dutchman Clears the Air on Potential Clash

by Kshitiz Kumar Singh

The MMA world was rocked in January when Francis Ngannou and the PFL officially parted ways after a three-year partnership. The Cameroonian had already made waves with his controversial exit from the UFC in January 2023, and his subsequent deal with the PFL was widely seen as a landmark move for both sides. The agreement gave Ngannou the flexibility to pursue major boxing opportunities while remaining active in MMA, leading to blockbuster clashes with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

With Ngannou having exited two of the sport’s biggest promotions, questions quickly surfaced about whether fans would ever see him compete in MMA again. Those doubts were thoroughly answered in March, with Ngannou officially set to return as the co-main event on Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions debut MMA card. 

Most Valuable Promotions confirmed that Ngannou will compete on the highly anticipated Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card on May 16 at the Intuit Dome. The former UFC heavyweight champion is scheduled to face Brazilian veteran Philipe Lins in a five-round heavyweight bout serving as the co-main event. 

The matchup marks Ngannou’s first MMA appearance since October 2024, when he stopped Renan Ferreira in the opening round to capture the PFL Heavyweight Championship. However, Ngannou revealed during the event’s press conference that he was initially lined up to face kickboxing superstar Rico Verhoeven instead of Lins. 

However, the Dutchman ultimately declined the offer in favor of a historic opportunity against boxing legend Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC title on May 23 in Egypt. The financial upside and legacy implications of that matchup proved too significant to pass up. Still, the former GLORY heavyweight kingpin has not ruled out a future showdown with Ngannou. 

Speaking to talkSPORT, Verhoeven explained his decision, “The reason I rejected this offer (to fight Ngannou) is because of the Usyk fight. 100 percent, I would like to revisit that (fight with Ngannou) in the future. That would be a great event. But for me, the Usyk fight just made more sense (right now).”

Ngannou has also expressed greater interest in facing Verhoeven than Lins, according to a statement to Uncrowned, further fueling speculation about a potential mega-fight down the line. If Ngannou handles business on May 16, attention could quickly shift back to negotiations for that blockbuster clash. 

 

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Interestingly, Verhoeven’s career path mirrors Ngannou’s in several ways. Having parted ways with GLORY Kickboxing in 2025 while reigning as an unbeaten heavyweight champion, much like Ngannou did when leaving the UFC in 2023. He now prepares to step into the boxing ring against Usyk in just his second professional bout, following a knockout win in his 2014 debut.

Meanwhile, Ngannou’s return against Lins represents a pivotal moment in his career as he re-establishes his presence in MMA following his PFL title victory. As for Verhoeven, his lone MMA appearance dates back to 2015, when he scored a first-round knockout victory over Viktor Bogutzki, making a potential clash with Ngannou all the more intriguing should it materialize.