Francis Ngnnou, the former UFC heavyweight champion is returning to MMA after a long hiatus from the cage, debuting in PFL’s Battle of Giants card in Riyadh against Brazil’s Renan Ferreira. While the fans are stoked to see him back in action, in reality, ‘The Predator’s’ MMA return isn’t a big financial gain, especially compared to the $20 million he earned against Anthony Joshua.
According to certain reports, the Cameroonian power puncher’s boxing fortune has been halved for his upcoming MMA bout with Ferreira!
Now, according to Sportysalaries.com, he is expected to earn around $10 million for his PFL debut with $3 mil being his purse money and the rest coming off of bonuses and PPV shares.
It’s still a million miles away from what he probably would have made at the UFC but the million-dollar question remains:
Can he kickstart his PFL journey with a win, especially considering his heavy-handed L to Joshua?
Ngannou brand remains untouched, claims Dan Hardy
Ngannou crossing over to boxing was the biggest highlight of 2024. In fact, the MMA superstar made a stellar debut against former boxing champion, the ‘Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury in a closely knitted bout. However, despite knocking down the Englishman with a thudding shot, Ngannou lost the fight as the judges gave the win to Fury.
While this performance gave him a huge bump in confidence, his next bout with Joshua showed the brutal reality of things. He got brutally knocked out in the second round with AJ ending the fight early and violently.
But according to former UFC contender, Dan Hardy this will have no effect on ‘The Predator’. The Brit in an exclusive to MMA Junkie, said,
“I don’t really think it affected Ngannou as a brand in any way. So, I don’t necessarily think it will affect him as a fighter in any way, if that makes sense. I think that the time he’s spent in boxing, it will make him a better MMA fighter. …It allows people to manage range better.”
According to the veteran, Ngannou’s best bet is to close the distance with Ferreira instead of trying to take him down. Besides, all the boxing training ought to have improved his already dangerous striking prowess. He already had the power for a Ford truck and now, he’s got the boxing skills to compliment it.
So, as long as he stays on the ground and doesn’t do anything that’s unusual to him, this is going to be one brutal and violent fight for the fans to witness. And given that he’s the biggest star in PFL right now by a country mile, the organization would hope that he put on a show, akin to ones that put him on their radar in the first place.
