"I think that this was an ongoing process for a couple months. I think we've been in this position since probably January, that I found out I would not be having another fight in the PFL. So then I started to look for other options. Then right away, I mean two weeks ago, I was reached out to by Nikisa [Bidarian] to give me an offer."
"Originally it was a big name. I mean no disrespect to Philipe, Philipe Lins, which is even a more dangerous opponent, but originally it was Rico [Verhoeven, former GLORY kickboxing champ]. So he [Bidarian] called me, and was like 'okay, what do you think about fighting Rico in MMA?' I'm like 'damn, that sounds good. I never thought about it, but I think it's a good opportunity.'"
Francis Ngannou's departure from the Professional Fighters League was finalized on Friday, though the process began in January when he learned he would not compete again for the organization. After signing with PFL in 2023, Ngannou fought only once, defeating Renan Ferreira via knockout in October 2024. Following his exit, Ngannou was approached by Nikisa Bidarian of Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions with a fight offer. Originally, the opponent was to be Rico Verhoeven, the former GLORY kickboxing champion, but Verhoeven signed to fight Oleksandr Usyk in boxing instead. Consequently, Philipe Lins, a veteran of both PFL and UFC, became Ngannou's replacement opponent for the May 16 co-main event.
#francis-ngannou #pfl-departure #mvp-promotion #mma-fighter-transitions #heavyweight-boxing-crossover
Read at Cageside Press
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]