Ngannou’s Coach Talks Up His PFL Debut – ‘Get Him To Fight Jon Jones’
Eric Nicksick, Francis Ngannou’s coach, says his fighter is looking forward to making his PFL debut.
Ngannou has not had an MMA Fight since beating Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in 2022. He was chasing the Jon Jones fight, but it failed to materialize, as Ngannou left the UFC. Contract talks broke down as Ngannou joined the PFL instead. His deal allowed him the chance to box, which he took up against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
While he suffered stoppage losses in both, those fights set up his financial future. Ngannou earned more money in those fights than his entire UFC career. He is now booked to fight Renan Ferreira on October 19 for his PFL debut. Nicksick talked up Ngannou’s return.
Ngannou’s Coach
“I’m excited for him. Honestly, I think for me as a coach, just trying to get him through the loss of his son was the most important thing, and get him back in the gym, and get him back around the fellas and back to training. With that being said, that process, I think, has led him to feel comfortable in taking this fight, getting back in the cage, and then doing his PFL obligations,” Nicksick said
There were worries that Ngannou would not have another MMA fight. He was earning way more money boxing while potentially taking less punishment than MMA. There are also fewer big fights in MMA now that he has left the UFC. He wanted the Jones fight, but Dana White has ruled out doing a cross-promotion with the UFC.
Ngannou also has very little to prove. He became the UFC Heavyweight Champion, which is the leading brand of MMA. He beat big names such as Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic. Ngannou was also appointed chairman of PFL Africa.
Ngannou’s Boxing
The play-off season begins next year, which Ngannou will oversee. His son, Kobe’s death was also seen as another hurdle. But now that Ngannou is back, he will consider boxing again, or even the Jones fight if there is enough money on the table.
“Because of the freedoms that he has, he can always revisit boxing if there’s a name that pops up. That’s the best part about the situation that he’s in — he’s a contractor. He goes out to the highest bidder. He can decide what he wants to do whenever he wants to do it.
“We have our sights on Oct. 19. Whatever position or whatever situation arises by that time — hell, you never know, Turki might come in and get UFC to get him to fight Jon Jones. You never freaking know with this sport what comes about. All options are on the table, man. We’ll figure that out once we handle this business Oct. 19,” Nicksick added
But before that can happen, he must get past Renan. Ferreira beat Ryan Bader on the PFL vs. Bellator Champs card in February. He also won the PFL Heavyweight Title last year, meaning he is the biggest name Ngannou could face in the PFL. Since he is the more active fighter, he will fancy his chances of coming out on top.
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