Highlights: Cameroonian Francis Ngannou, former UFC heavyweight champion, signed Tuesday with the PFL, a competing American organization. He will fight in English boxing, as he wished, and mixed martial arts, his favorite discipline. The PFL boasted on its Instagram account of having concluded "the most expensive and important signing in the history of MMA" None of the duration nor the amount of the contract was revealed by NganNou or the Pfl, but "all inclusive in my agreement with PFL is more than any other offer," he said.

Cameroonian Francis Ngannou, former UFC heavyweight champion, committed Tuesday with the PFL, a competing American organization, allowing him, according to this league, to fight in boxing...

MMA: Francis Ngannou signs a big contract with the PFL organization

Cameroonian Francis Ngannou. Gregory Shamus / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

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Cameroonian Francis Ngannou, former UFC heavyweight champion, signed Tuesday with the PFL, a competing American organization, allowing him, according to this league, to fight in English boxing, as he wished, and mixed martial arts, his favorite discipline.

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Four months ago, Ngannou, 36, then holder of the heavyweight belt, left the UFC, MMA's most powerful league, amid disagreement over his pay and that of other fighters in the organization. He seems to have obtained the guarantees he wanted within the PFL (acronym for Professional Fighters League, Editor's note), a more confidential organization, but which multiplies stunts and media stunts in recent weeks to emerge in the landscape of the various MMA leagues.

With the PFL, Ngannou will, according to the New York Times, participate in an English boxing fight in 2023, and will return to fight in MMA in his new league in 2024.

« The most expensive and important signing in MMA history »

He also became a member of the organization's Advisory Board to represent the interests of fighters, and president of its Africa branch with the mission of detecting new fighters and organizing events in 2025 on the continent.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨
"The Predator" @francis_ngannou is PFL bound!

He's set to fight in the PFL's PPV Superfight division https://t.co/Jal3clCZhW pic.twitter.com/5RRaG7oFwr

— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 16, 2023

Neither the duration nor the amount of the contract was revealed by Ngannou or the PFL, but "all inclusive in my agreement with the PFL is more than any other offer," Ngannou was quoted as saying by the New York Times. The PFL boasted on its Instagram account of having concluded "the most expensive and important signing in the history of MMA".

In addition to Ngannou, the PFL has announced in recent weeks other renowned signings with that of the influencer and fighter Jake Paul, the French fighter Cédric Doumbé, while the former Olympic champion of judo, Kayla Harrison, is for the moment the figurehead.

MMA: Francis Ngannou signs a big contract with the PFL organization

MMA: Francis Ngannou signs a big contract with the PFL organization

« The most expensive and important signing in MMA history »

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