In the beginning of 2023, the UFC announced it had parted ways with reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and quickly shifted gears to find his replacement. Meanwhile, Ngannou took his time, went back home to Cameroon to be with family and carefully took his time while making a calculated decision on his next home in combat sports.
That home would come with the Professional Fighters League which not only announced a ground-breaking deal with Ngannou in terms of incentives, but also, allowed him the opportunity to crossover into boxing, and it was that clause that may change the term crossover for good.
Crossover fights between boxing and MMA aren’t completely out of the norm, the most notable one recently coming when Conor McGregor took on Floyd Mayweather, and lost by TKO in the 10th round. However in late 2023 when Francis Ngannou stepped into the boxing ring for his first professional fight against reigning heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, no one expected the MMA heavyweight champion to turn the combat sports world on its head.
That’s exactly what Ngannou did. Not only was Ngannou competitive, he was successful. At the end of the fight, the judges declared Tyson Fury the winner on the scorecards, but many have argued that the former UFC champion should’ve won the fight.
Not only did Francis Ngannou prove to the boxing world that he can stand toe-to-toe with the heavyweight champion, but he proved that he wasn’t there for a one-off, and, most importantly, he was going to be back sooner than later.
That time has come, as this weekend, Ngannou will make his second appearance in a boxing ring, taking on former champion Anthony Joshua which he hopes leads him back to a rematch against Fury in the future. With his second straight appearance in boxing, Ngannou is still showing his face at PFL events and recently it was announced that his next MMA opponent would be Renan Ferreira, who defeated Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader for the opportunity to face Ngannou later this year.
When speaking about crossover events and the impact Francis Ngannou is making, it’s not just about wins and losses. Rather, the MMA community now has a representative who not only gets inside the boxing ring, but is highly competitive with boxing’s best, and doing so while working and speaking out for fighters’ rights in MMA.
As the ink dried on Ngannou’s contract with the PFL, he was given a fight contract, equity in the company, a role on the board of directors, he will be the chairman of PFL Africa, freedom to sign his own sponsors, and all future opponents of his will make a minimum of $2 million. Freedom, it is what Francis Ngannou pursued on his way to the United States, and then later on in his combat sports career.
Throw out all the press conferences, all the still images that can be hung up on the walls, and all the highlights that can come from MMA-boxing crossover events, and insert Francis Ngannou. A former MMA heavyweight champion at the highest level, who knew his worth, believed in his skill, and has only wanted freedom for himself and those he may fight against.
The boxing world has done it for years, that’s why MMA fighters were intrigued in boxing, the financial freedom it provided was unmatched. This time it’s all different however. Francis Ngannou isn’t here for a one-time fight and then jumping back into MMA or riding off into the sunset after his first boxing paycheck.
He has come to disrupt the boxing world, just like he disrupted the system with his old employer, and just as he did with his historic contract. Anthony Joshua may be the favorite, may be the former champion, but Ngannou only has everything to gain heading into this weekend, and so does the combat sports world.
