Life After PFL: What’s Next for ‘The Predator’?
Francis Ngannou appears to be a man built to fight. The former UFC heavyweight champion is seemingly genetically predisposed to achieve victory in this regard, and it’s because of more than just his hulking musculature. His arms are long, his forearms are massive, and the blades of his shoulders almost seem to protrude from his back. In his last fight against PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira, Ngannou knocked him completely unconscious from the referee's position, a tight spot where it’s difficult to generate force. When he won the belt in the UFC, he dropped Stipe Miocic, arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time, with a jab. He seemed destined for superstardom. He was an unstoppable fighting machine capable of flooring the best fighters on earth with little room to throw. So why has his career seemed so underwhelming?
Following his brutal knockout of Miocic, Ngannou defended against Ciryl Gane and won. However, it was as underwhelming as it could’ve been, especially for a fighter as prone to violent finishes as Ngannou. He lost the first two rounds, unable to touch the elusive contender, before winning the final three with an impressive but ultimately uninteresting display of grappling. Ngannou’s stock went down a bit, but it was still high; he had just taken out the surging Gane, and even if he missed the mark on a highlight reel finish, he was still the king, and then he left.
Tensions over fighter pay pushed the powerhouse heavyweight to part ways with the UFC instead of renewing his contract. He felt he could make more money elsewhere, and as it turns out, he couldn’t have been more right. He signed a deal with PFL that allowed him to compete in professional boxing while signed with them, and soon, a fight with Tyson Fury was announced. His stock soared even higher. Ngannou had secured himself one of the infamously substantial boxing checks and a chance to beat the heavyweight king. The title wasn’t on the line, but all the bragging rights in the world were. When 'The Predator' stepped into the ring against Fury, the fight quickly turned into a moment that stunned the combat sports world.
It was electric. Ngannou fought far better than anyone thought he could, even dropping Fury to the canvas in the third round. The result was a victory for Fury, but not on every card. Ngannou lost in a split decision, and the internet was abuzz with talk that he was the rightful victor. If people had been high on Ngannou before, it would be nothing compared to now. He had a real claim to being the best heavyweight boxer in the world.
The high didn’t last long. In his next bout with Anthony Joshua, Ngannou was quickly brought back to reality. Joshua made quick and easy work of him, knocking him down repeatedly and putting his lights out in the second round. The mystique was gone. His victory over Fury seemed like a fluke, and it seemed unlikely that Ngannou would continue to be able to perform well against top Heavyweights. Then, about a month later, tragedy struck. His son Kobe passed away at 15-months-old, and the MMA world grieved alongside the former heavyweight king. He wasn’t done fighting, though. He returned to MMA by flattening Ferreira for the PFL Superfight belt. For a moment, it seemed like he was ready to dominate the PFL the same way he had the UFC. However, that chapter never unfolded.
Ngannou was recently released into free agency, and much buzz has surrounded it. The moment loses its shine when you consider that Ngannou is unlikely to ever step into the ring again. He’s 39 years old, not a prohibitive age for a heavyweight, but certainly an advanced one, and it’s expected he earned about $35 million dollars for his last three fights. When you combine that with his poor relationship with the UFC, the recent death of his son, and the motorcycle crash he was involved in, which took a woman’s life, there are simply too many limiting factors. He’s rich, close to retirement age, embroiled in tragedy, and has a poor relationship with the only MMA organization that could even possibly pay him enough for it to be worth his while. So, what’s next for Ngannou? Retirement, and hopefully it will be one that eases some of the pain of his recent losses.
