Francis Ngannou could box Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte or Derek Chisora after UFC exit but former heavyweight champion also being pursued by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, PFL, Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane
Francis Ngannou is set to be inundated with lucrative offers now he is the hottest free agent in sport.
UFC president Dana White announced on Saturday that ‘The Predator’ has been stripped of his undisputed heavyweight title, released by MMA’s premier promotion and is now free to pursue any opportunity that appeals to him - and there are plenty of them.
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Tyson Fury
After beating Ciryl Gane to become the king of UFC heavyweights in January 2022, Ngannou began talking up a potential crossover fight with boxing's WBC champion Tyson Fury.
The Cameroonian knockout artist was unable to box Fury immediately due to a knee injury and the fact he was still tied to the UFC for the rest of the year due to a clause in his now-expired contract.
Now, he’s a free agent approaching full fitness, and nothing is standing in the way of what promises to be a money-spinning fight with ‘The Gypsy King’ who called him out last April.
Fury dropped and stopped Dillian Whyte in six rounds before inviting Ngannou to join him in the ring to talk up a potential 2023 hybrid rules crossover bout.
Since then, talk about a potential fight between two of the baddest men on the planet has died down as Fury appears intent on making history by beating Oleksandr Usyk to become the first four-belt heavyweight champion ever.
They are expected to clash in March but if, for whatever reason, that fight doesn't come off the Englishman could look to resurrect talks with Ngannou.
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Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora
A big part of Ngannou’s issue with the UFC was his desire to be free to take lucrative boxing fights against Fury and other big stars of the sport.
Now that he’s a free man, the 36-year-old can box whoever he likes and is certainly not short of options with Deontay Wilder, Dillan Whyte and Derek Chisora all open to facing him.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ is currently working his way back into title contention after suffering back-to-back defeats against Fury.
Wilder quickly dispatched Robert Helenius in his comeback fight last October and has since been ordered to face Andy Ruiz in a WBC final eliminator.
However, he has been angling for a fight with Anthony Joshua which won’t guarantee him a title shot but will almost certainly make him more money than a fight with Ruiz.
If the price is right the American could be tempted to welcome Ngannou to boxing
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If Ngannou is unable to secure a fight against the biggest names in boxing, other options are available as he’s already received a call out from two British fighters.
Chisora, who is coming off a dominant defeat against Fury, says he’s open to fighting Ngannou in both boxing and MMA after previously claiming he could join UFC rival, Bellator.
Whyte reacted to Chisora’s dual-sport call out of Ngannou by suggesting they fight in MMA, a sport he picked up a devastating KO win in before pursuing boxing full-time.
‘The Body Snatcher’ and Ngannou famously shared a fiery mock press conference that never aired – so there’s plenty to work with if that match-up is booked.
Former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, who is a big UFC fan, has advised Ngannou to steer clear of boxing and he might just do that with plenty of other options on the table.
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Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
Ngannou has plenty of easier fights he could take outside of boxing where he would almost certainly be the underdog against any known heavyweight contender.
However, if he was to join Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, he would be able to showcase his ruthless power with no gloves against lesser opposition.
BKFC president Dave Feldman has already expressed his interest in bringing Ngannou to his promotion which is home to Paige VanZant, Mike Perry and more stars from the world of MMA.
“We’re very interested in signing Francis Ngannou and would very much like to have him compete in the stacked BKFC heavyweight division,” Feldman said Sunday in a statement to .
“We’re tabling an offer for his services, and hopefully fans will see him in the BKFC squared circle in 2023.”
Feldman has also expressed an interest in signing Nate Diaz, so it could be a big year for BKFC if they are able to get one or both of the UFC veterans on board.
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Professional Fighters League
During his lengthy contract negotiations with the UFC, Ngannou stayed quiet on what life could look like for him outside of MMA’s best league.
However, a recent post on social media sparked speculation that he could be eyeing a move to the Professional Fighters League after they recently signed Jake Paul.
In two photos uploaded to his Instagram account, a female member of Ngannou’s family was spotted wearing a PFL t-shirt which contrasted with the rest of the women in the photo who dressed in traditional African attire.
PFL’s recently launched ‘Super Fight Division’ could be a lucrative home for the 17-3 fighter and other big stars as it promises athletes a 50 per cent pay-per-view revenue split.
After a bumper year, PFL is quickly becoming the second-best MMA promotion and could rival the UFC by adding a star like Ngannou to their already impressive roster.
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Hollywood or UFC Return
Away from the obvious options, Ngannou has two other potential routes that cannot be ruled out - a film career or a shock UFC return.
The 6ft 4in, 300lbs behemoth could follow the likes of Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano, Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping into the movie business.
In fact, he already has with a small role in Fast and Furious 9 and a cameo in Jackass Forever that saw him punch one of the stars of the flick in the crotch as hard as he could.
Surely, he’s knocked back even more movie offers from Hollywood who always comes calling for the biggest MMA stars and will almost certainly try to convince him to give up fighting for a life in front of the camera.
Finally, while Ngannou’s relationship with the UFC may seem broken beyond repair, don’t be surprised to see him back in the octagon down the line.
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Jon Jones, whom he was apparently offered $8m to fight, and Ciryl Gane are set to fight for his recently vacated title at UFC 285 on March 4.
The winner is likely to call out Ngannou who may decide to re-sign with the UFC after assessing his options as a free agent and realising the grass is not always greener on the other side.
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