PFL has “something special” planned for Francis Ngannou in 2026.
Despite all the hoopla surrounding his PFL contract back in early 2023, the former UFC heavyweight champion has competed just once inside the SmartCage, laying waste to Brazilian bruiser Renan Ferreira as part of the “Battle of the Giants” fight card in late 2024.
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You know what they say about road work and silk pajamas.
“We talk all the time and he was out in Dubai, he’s back in Cameroon, he’s coming back to Vegas here soon,” coach Eric Nicksick told MMA Fighting. “Francis always holds his cards close to the chest and I just know Francis. He’s a guy that he’s going to call me up on a Sunday and say, ‘Hey, we’re fighting Friday.’ It’s one of those things with him.We talked recently and that’s basically what he said. He goes, ‘Hey, Bubba, I want to come back and get back into MMA.’ I told him, ‘We need to get back before a fight is booked and start getting your body to where we’re comfortable,’ and he’s actually in really, really good shape.”
During his time away from the cage, Ngannou (18-3) got rich with a pair of boxing fights overseas. “The Predator” shocked the world by overachieving against Tyson Fury in late 2023, then lost most of his momentum with a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in early 2024.
Sounds like Ngannou, 39, is working hard on his MMA comeback.
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“He’s the lightest I’ve ever seen him,” Nicksick added. “He called and FaceTimed, I saw his face right away and it was like chiseled. Usually, he’s like a little bit more plump and he’s been eating and stuff like that, but his knee is feeling good, so he’s getting his roadwork. He’s training every day and his weight was down. I was like, ‘Yo, we got something coming up?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, I’m working on a few things.’ So hopefully, we see him back in the cage in 2026. And then the sky’s the limit for him, man.”
The leading candidate for Ngannou’s return is PFL champion Vadim Nemkov.
“On a personal level, I’d love to be able to see him compete in the UFC just because of the level of competition that he would go against,” Nicksick said. “But if he fights Nemkov, sh*t, he looked great in his last fight, too. So he’s a guy that we’ve got to take serious. So whatever opponent rises, we’ll be ready for.”
