Former UFC star Francis Ngannou, has announced his intention to fight Renan Ferreira in October 2024, marking his return to mixed martial arts following a little action in the boxing ring. Ngannou revealed those plans when featuring on the Joe Rogan Podcast, saying that he was itching to get back into the cage following his second professional boxing match against Anthony Joshua.
“We have a pretty good relationship with the PFL, so I will be fighting by the end of the year”, said Ngannou. Nothing is set, but Ngannou revealed that the PFL is working on setting up the contest for October 19 in Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou holds an MMA record of 17-3 and has not competed since January 2022, when he submitted Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision at UFC 270. From there, following his victory, Ngannou left the UFC and signed a big-money deal with the Professional Fighters League.
Ngannou then had a foray into the world of boxing against Tyson Fury and lost via split decision, which many thought was controversial. He faced Anthony Joshua—who he lost while being knocked out cold with a powerful right-hand punch by the British boxer just a few seconds after the second knockdown.
In his next fight in MMA, Ngannou will come up against Renan Ferreira, who will prove to be quite the towering task. The 6-foot-8-inch Brazilian is a worthy opponent, being the winner of the 2013 PFL heavyweight title. The height and reach of Ferreira will test how adjustable Ngannou really is inside the cage.
