The PFL’s acquisition of Francis Ngannou has brought instant excitement and anticipation, with a major question now surrounding who will be his first opponent.
Ngannou is likely to box first, which is smart. Considering he is not expected to make his Professional Fighters League debut until mid-2024, that allows him plenty of time to train and prepare for a bout against a major name like Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder. That leaves plenty of possibilities for his first PFL. He has been sending jabs back and forth with Jon Jones, but there is no chance that Jones will ever compete against Ngannou unless it is in the Octagon. While that fight would likely favor Jones, all signs point to it being one of those fights—like the heralded Khabib Nurmagomedov–Tony Ferguson bout that never materialized—that will never take place.
By the time he competes for the PFL, Ngannou will be 37. He’ll also have fought his last fight in January 2022, more than a two-year gap between bouts. So it would be wise for the PFL to be pragmatic with his opponent.
Ngannou’s contract is written so that his opponents make at least $2 million in a fight against him, so there will be no shortage of options. A lot can change in a year, but an opponent that would make sense for Ngannou is Ante Delija. He is the reigning PFL heavyweight champion, and defeating him would be a strong start for Ngannou. There is obviously a risk involved, as Delija possesses real power, but it is still a matchup that favors Ngannou.
The winner of the 2023 heavyweight tournament would also be a good fit, or even PFL heavyweights like Maurice Greene or Yorgan De Castro. While neither of those opponents is a major name, the draw will be seeing Ngannou. The hope within the PFL is that Ngannou steamrolls his opponent in his first PFL bout, building more intrigue every time he enters the cage.
A free-agent signing isn’t out of the question. But that first bout for Ngannou would make sense against one of the fighters already part of the heavyweight roster.
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https://www.mmanews.com/news/chatri-sityodtong-has-classy-response-to-francis-ngannous-allega Chatri Sityodtong Has Classy Response To Francis Ngannou’s Allegations, Admits ‘Mistake’ He Made During Negotiations
Chatri Sityodtong discusses recent issues with Francis Ngannou.tions-admits-mistake-he-made-during-negotiations
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently shed some light on Francis Ngannou’s comments on him.
‘The Predator’ was in talks with ONE earlier this year. He has since made his signing with the PFL official. During a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Ngannou called out both Sityodtong and the BKFC’s David Feldman for their comments regarding his free agency prior to joining the PFL.
In the case of Sityodtong, the Cameroonian heavyweight took exception to his frequent discussions with the media regarding negotiations between both parties. Sityodtong, meanwhile, reportedly took exception to some of the perks ‘The Predator’ was receiving in his offer from the PFL. The ONE CEO raised some eyebrows when he went public on the matter, drawing the ire of stars such as Jake Paul in the process.
“I Probably Shouldn’t Have Gone And Said That To The Media” - Chatri Sityodtong
During a recent appearance on the Weighing In podcast, Chatri Sityodtong discussed the recent issues between him and Francis Ngannou. The ONE CEO opined that there had perhaps been some miscommunications between the pair - specifically regarding the absence of a concrete offer from him.
“I’m an entrepeneur, I’m a CEO,” Sityodtong said. “For anyone to say that I would not talk about an offer, I’m coming to meet you for two or three hours and not talk numbers, it just doesn’t make any logical sense. I’m not saying that Francis is being untruthful, I think everyone has, you know, you’re sitting there at lunch, everyone has their own perspective of what would happen, but I tell you, I think there might be a disconnect.”
Sityodtong went on to graciously highlight that speaking to the media on the matter as an error on his part.
“I think the big mistake is I probably shouldn’t have gone and said that to the media,” Sityodtong admitted. “The media put a lot of different spin on things and you kind of lose control.”
Chatri also went on to state that he has no ill-will towards Francis or the PFL and that he wishes them the best going forward.
I have it on good authority that he is going to face standout fighter Johnathan Ivey.
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Exactly. He’s not fighting for at least another year, and it’s in an organization that most of us even on here don’t watch.
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