Francis Ngannou reveals what he will do if he LOSES to Anthony Joshua… with fans hopeful of the former UFC heavyweight champion’s return to MMA
- Francis Ngannou will fight Anthony Joshua this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- It will be the second professional boxing fight for the Cameroonian after his confrontation with Fury
- Ngannou has a contract with PFL, which he wrote last year after leaving UFC
Francis Ngannou has revealed his future plans in the event of defeat to Anthony Joshua ahead of their highly anticipated crossover heavyweight bout in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
It will be the Cameroonian’s second professional boxing fight after shocking the world with his split-decision defeat to Tyson Fury for the first time.
That performance convinced many of his determination to make waves in the sport and immediately made him one of the contenders in the elite division. Although, after signing with PFL, there are still those who would like to see the 37-year-old return to MMA for the first time in over two years.
Ngannou opened up about his intentions and insisted he would make an MMA comeback, but insisted he would also continue boxing.
“I will definitely do some MMA fights, but I am not leaving boxing,” he said at the event’s grand finish in Riyadh.
Francis Ngannou revealed his future plans ahead of his highly anticipated clash with Anthony Joshua
The 37-year-old’s last MMA fight was a win against Ciryl Gane in January 2022
Ngannou is set for his second professional boxing fight after impressing against Tyson Fury last time out
“Remember, in the beginning it was boxing. I didn’t know MMA. And for more than ten years it was all about boxing, dreaming about boxing.
“And even when the opportunity came (in MMA), it was a chance for me to shine, become a world champion and then potentially move into crossover and get back into boxing because I feel like it. was something that I needed, that I had to fulfill in order to be at peace with myself.
‘To be able to retire peacefully, I had to take up boxing because I just enjoy it. I can’t tell you why, but I love it and I enjoy it.’
Last month, Ngannou committed to fight the winner of the Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader fight on the PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions card.
Renan Ferreira revealed he plans to wait to fight Ngannou rather than compete in the 2024 PFL season
Ferreira had the upper hand and continued tell MMA fighting which plans to wait to face Ngannou rather than compete in the 2024 PFL season. The fight would be his first for the PFL after signing a landmark deal with the organization in May 2023.
Ngannou will compete in PFL’s Super-fight division, which allows fighters to earn at least 50 percent of pay-per-view revenue. It’s a far cry from the UFC’s 20 percent cut for fighters, and Ngannou also gets shares in the PFL.