MMAMMA NEWS

Ngannou Is Ready To Dominate – ‘He’s In A Good Place'

hasib

13 August 2024

Francis Ngannou is in a much better place after dealing with the impact of his son’s passing.

That is according to Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick. Ngannou will make his long-awaited PFL debut against Renan Ferreira on October 19. The Predator has not had an MMA fight since beating Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in 2022. Thereafter, he left the UFC to sign a deal with the PFL. He had two boxing bouts, losing to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

He was then expected to have his PFL debut, only to suffer the death of his son Kobe. There were question marks over whether Ngannou would ever fight again. His boxing fights set him up for his future, earning more money than his entire UFC career.

Ngannou’s Coach

He was then named Chairman of PFL Africa. That set up his life outside of MMA, making it less likely that he would fight again. But now that some time has passed, Nicksick felt his fighter was in a better mindset.

"That type of tragedy, that type of loss, you just never know how somebody’s going to rebound. But getting him back in the room, getting him back in the gym kind of reinvigorated those MMA juices again and he wanted to fight, so I’m happy for him, man. It seems like he’s in a good place right now," Nicksick said

Ngannou’s next steps depend on what happens with the Renan fight. A win solidifies his position as the best MMA fighter in the PFL heavyweight division. Renan defeated Ryan Bader, who was the Bellator Champion before PFL bought it out. They faced off on the PFL vs. Bellator Champs card. Ferreira knocked him out as the attention turned towards a Ngannou fight.

Ferreira was also the PFL Heavyweight Champion last year, meaning a Ngannou win secures him a title in the PFL alongside his prior UFC belt. A win may also increase the calls for him to face Jon Jones. While Dana White has refused to do a co-promotion with the PFL, the rise of the Saudis could make that happen. Alternatively, a defeat could see Ngannou revert to boxing. He has potential fights with Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

Ngannou’s Future

Ngannou’s loss to Fury was controversial, with many believing he should have gotten a win. He dropped Fury in the third round but lost a split decision. Ngannou has called for the rematch, with the Gypsy King also being receptive. There is also the Wilder fight.

The Bronze Bomber previously stated that he wanted to fight Ngannou in a two-fight deal: one in MMA and one in boxing. Wilder’s future in boxing is up for debate since he is a long way away from a title, meaning a Ngannou fight could make sense. Now that Ngannou is focused, the possibilities are endless.

"I think that was the main focus of all of us was getting him back in the room and just try to help him heal, that was really it. If in that time, in that process he felt comfortable that he wanted to fight again, then so be it. Really for us, it was just more about his psyche and getting our friend back and taking care of him. We’re talking about the most resilient person I’ve ever met. This is just something I think that for whatever reason, God, fate, the universe, just puts these hurdles in front of this man, and we’ve seen what he’s capable of doing," Nicksick stated