Ex-UFC, PFL champ Ngannou to return on MVP’s inaugural MMA card
Former UFC and PFL Super Fights heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will make his return to MMA on May 16 as a part of Most Valuable Promotions’ inaugural MMA struggle card headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina CaranoESPN confirmed on Monday.
Ngannou will face Brazil’s Philippe Lins in a five-round heavyweight bout that can function the co-main occasion to Rousey-Carano, which is able to stream stay on Netflix. It might be Ngannou’s first MMA struggle since stopping Renan Ferreira within the first spherical for the PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Championship in October 2024.
“While the world was busy talking, I was busy evolving,” Ngannou stated in an announcement. “Silence shouldn’t be mistaken for absence-it’s the sound of a predator closing the distance. Stepping back into the cage isn’t just a return; it’s a reclamation. My return to MMA demanded a stage that matched the scale of my ambition, and partnering with MVP to bring this event to Netflix ensures the entire world is watching. I am ready for this new chapter, and I cannot wait to entertain my fans again and remind the world exactly who I am and what I am capable of delivering on a highest stage. #TheComeBack”
The announcement of Ngannou’s MMA return comes simply days after he parted methods with the PFL after signing with the MMA promotion in 2023 with a novel deal that allowed him to field and likewise function chairman of its PFL Africa division. He fought eleven for the promotion in opposition to Ferreira and competed twice in boxing, almost pulling off a shocking upset of Tyson Fury in 2023 and struggling a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in 2024.
Ngannou, who was born in Cameroon, joined the PFL after failed negotiations with the UFC as its heavyweight champion. He received the UFC heavyweight championship again in 2021 when he knocked out Stipe Miocic and made a profitable protection in opposition to Ciryl Gane in 2022. But he was stripped of the title after he and the UFC couldn’t come to phrases of a brand new contract.
“Francis Ngannou is unequivocally the best heavyweight MMA fighter in the world, and his addition creates star power on one card like never before seen in the sport,” Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions, stated in an announcement. “Francis is one of the most feared knockout artists the sport has ever seen, and his return to MMA instantly makes this a historic night. Philipe Lins is a proven champion who built his reputation the hard way against elite competition and knows this is his chance to cement his legacy on the sport and take Brazil back to the top of the sport. Two heavyweight knockout artists. Ngannou vs Lins. Rousey vs Carano. Five rounds each. The global spotlight of Netflix. Saturday, May 16, will be one of the most significant nights in modern MMA.”
Lins has competed within the UFC, Bellator and PFL. He final fought as a light-weight heavyweight within the UFC, successful 4 straight fights from 2022 to 2024 earlier than being launched by the promotion in March 2024. He additionally received the 2018 PFL heavyweight event however hasn’t competed as a heavyweight in almost six years.
Ngannou vs. Lins might be contested below the Unified Rules of MMA over 5, five-minute rounds utilizing 4-ounce gloves and inside a hexagon cage.
