Donn Davis dismisses rumors of Francis Ngannou leaving the PFL: “Fake News!”
According to PFL founder Donn Davis, Francis Ngannou isn’t going anywhere.
‘The Predator’ hasn’t been seen in action since a pivotal clash against Renan Ferreira in October. Back in the cage for the first time since defeating Ciryl Gane in January 2022, Francis Ngannou handed the former PFL tournament winner a first-round knockout loss. After so much turmoil and tragedy since leaving the UFC, the victory was an emotional one for the heavyweight star. However, Ngannou is already working on a return.
Following the win over ‘Problema’, the former UFC champion stated plans to return to action in the spring. In January, PFL founder Donn Davis revealed that Francis Ngannou’s next bout will take place in the boxing ring. Well, according to a recent report from John S. Nash, ‘The Predator’ may not need to return to the cage. Speaking on his ‘Hey Not The Face’ Podcast, Ngannou’s contract has a termination date of next month.
However, Donn Davis has now fired back. Taking to X earlier this week, the PFL founder wrote that Nash’s report was “Fake news”. According to Davis, Francis Ngannou has at least one more fight with the promotion and also added that the ‘The Predator’ is a long-term business partner as the chairman of PFL Africa. The opportunity to get involved with the business of MMA was famously one of the main motivations behind his exit from the UFC.
No truth, fake news. Francis has at least one more fight with @PFLMMA
Further Francis is long-term business partner as Chairman @PFLAfrica https://t.co/sOskCrGv3h
— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) March 15, 2025
PFL founder Donn Davis dismisses rumors about Francis Ngannou leaving the company
As of now, Francis Ngannou himself hasn’t spoken about his status with the PFL. However, the former UFC heavyweight champion is currently preparing for his return to the boxing ring. Last month, ‘The Predator’ revealed talks with Turki Alalshikh for a bout against former titleholder, Deontay Wilder. For his part, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ hasn’t been seen since a knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang last summer in Saudi Arabia.
“I will do boxing next,” Francis Ngannou stated in the interview. “I want to. I’m not done with boxing. It’s not that MMA is easy – it’s the sport that I understand better and I have more experience in – but I say go for boxing. [I’m passionate about fighting Deontay Wilder] because there’s an 80% chance that somebody will go to sleep. It will be one or the other.” (h/t Sportsbook Review)
He continued “Maybe not in his past two fights, but Deontay Wilder is known as a guy that knocks everybody out or tries to knock you out. I’m going against that guy, and I myself can knock someone out. Deep inside me there is a little bit of ego, like I know I hit harder. I’m saying from my experience that we will have that ego that we both want to prove ‘no, it’s me [who hits harder]. Who is the biggest hitter between you and Deontay? Those sorts of conversations are popping around a little bit and even though you think you don’t care about it, it sticks somewhere in your mind.”
What do you make of these comments from Donn Davis? Who do you want to see Francis Ngannou face in his PFL return?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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