Francis Ngannou opens up on retirement plans ahead of PFL debut: “I would like to leave at the top of my game”

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is discussing retirement ahead of his PFL debut.

‘The Predator’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since defeating Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision in early 2022. That fight wound up being Francis Ngannou’s last in the UFC, as he left the company soon afterward. In early 2023, the former heavyweight champion shockingly signed with Donn Davis and the PFL.

However, Francis Ngannou has spent the last year and a half in the boxing ring instead. Last October, the former UFC champion came up short against Tyson Fury, losing by split-decision. In his second appearance in the ring, Ngannou was flattened by Anthony Joshua earlier this year. The lopsided defeat assured an MMA return.

Later this month in Saudi Arabia, Francis Ngannou will face Renan Ferreira in his PFL debut. The 38-year-old hasn’t fought in the cage in nearly three years, but he’s still supremely confident. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Ngannou discussed his next fight against ‘Problema’. He also opened up about his combat sports future in general.

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Francis Ngannou opens up on retirement ahead of PFL fight against Renan Ferreira

There, Francis Ngannou admitted that his retirement plans are quite fluid. The former UFC champion said he could retire as soon as 40, or as late as 42 years old. However, Ngannou added that he wants to leave the sport on top. He doesn’t want to stay around too long and have the game push him around instead.

“For sure, I still have a couple fights in both [sports] left.” Francis Ngannou stated in the interview. “I just turned 38, so I will say my retirement [will be] when I start getting around 41 or 42. It could be 40, but this is just in an exceptional case. This time I think I really have to enjoy my time inside the octagon and inside the ring, and then have my last dance and go home.”

He continued, “Heavyweights can go for a long time… But the thing here, I just want to say I want to leave the sport before the sport leaves me. I would like to leave at the top of my game. We will see how it goes. You make plans, but then God has plans. We will see.”

What do you make of these comments from the PFL heavyweight? Do you think Francis Ngannou will defeat Renan Ferreira in his return later this month?