After 1,001 days, ‘The Predator’ Francis Ngannou returned to mixed martial arts on Saturday. Even though Ngannou appeared to be the same vicious and destructive fighter, much has changed. Ngannou wasn’t fighting for himself anymore; he was honoring his late son Kobe, who recently passed away.
The last time we saw Ngannou was at UFC 270, and he displayed a newfound success on the ground as a wrestler. Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira was built as the ‘Battle of the Giants’ and a contest between two of the most powerful strikers in the sport. But it was anything but that. ‘The Predator’ returned to what helped him defend his UFC Heavyweight title: wrestling.
Ngannou took Ferreira down and quickly finished him in the first round with ground and pound. We thought this fight would have been a battle on the feet, but Ngannou showed he is a versatile MMA fighter.
Ngannou is a kind and respectful fighter inside and outside the cage, but he was anything but that when the fight started. His power on the ground seemed to come from a different place. He exploded on Ferreira, and after being away from the sport for over two-and-a-half years, a new level of aggression was unlocked.
Ngannou has continued to bet on himself, paying off at each stop. ‘The Predator’ has done the unthinkable. He became the UFC champion but wasn’t satisfied and was searching for more. He has headlined two massive PPVs against two of the greatest boxing heavyweight champions in the past decade, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Ngannou knocked down Fury and arguably beat him.
In the past year, Ngannou suffered the lowest lows in combat sports and his personal life. Joshua brutally knocked him out in March, and a month later, his 15-month-old son, Kobe, passed away. But Ngannou doesn’t let losses and negatives weigh him down. He perseveres and overcomes the odds each time.
Ngannou was -110 to beat Ferreira by KO/TKO in the first round while being -185 overall to win the fight by knockout on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Ngannou has fought three times in the previous 12 months. Before this year, Ngannou had not competed more than once in a single year since 2019. But now that Ngannou won his first MMA fight outside the UFC, what does the future hold for the greatest heavyweight in the sport? Should Ngannou’s next fight be in boxing or MMA?
- Deontay Wilder (boxing match)
There have been rumors of Wilder retiring, but he has not officially announced anything. Wilder has lost his last two fights and four of his previous five, but he is still a big name in the sport and one of the best power punchers of this generation. A boxing event headlined by Ngannou and Wilder would be a big deal. This potential contest would give Ngannou a great chance to win his first boxing fight.
- Winner of Denis Goltsov vs. Oleg Popov (2024 PFL World Championship, November 29)
Since there isn’t a clear-cut star for Ngannou to fight next, the heavyweight 2024 PFL World Championship winner could have more significant implications now. Besides Ferreira, Goltsov and Popov are two of the best heavyweights in the PFL. Goltsov has won all three fights in this year’s PFL season by knockout after Ferreira finished him in the 2023 championship. Popov is 19-1 and has won 17 straight fights, with 11 wins by finish.
A fight between Ngannou and the winner of this fight is intriguing, but it would be hard to sell a ton of PPVs with an unknown challenger.
- Ryan Bader (Bellator Heavyweight Champion)
Bader, 41, is the most well-known fighter of the MMA option. Ferreira knocked him out in February and hasn’t competed since. Bader is still the current Bellator heavyweight champion but hasn’t defended the belt since February 2023. Although this Ngannou vs. Bader matchup could be a compelling matchup on paper, the interest level will likely not be high after Bader’s last performance.
- Vadim Nemkov (former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion)
Nemkov debuted at heavyweight in February, submitting Bruno Cappelozza in the second round. He never lost his Bellator championship and hasn’t lost a fight since 2016, riding a 12-fight win streak. Nemkov is a natural light heavyweight, but this would be a compelling contest as he is a well-rounded MMA fighter.
Nemkov is the most talented fighter under the PFL banner that Ngannou could face. Yes, there isn’t the level of high-level talent on the PFL or Bellator roster as in the UFC, but there are still good options for Ngannou’s next fight. As long as Ngannou continues to stay active and win fights, he will be regarded as one of, if not the best, heavyweights in MMA. The path forward isn’t clear now, but one thing is for sure: whatever Ngannou does next will be a big deal.
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