If Francis Ngannou goes back to mixed martial arts next, who should he battle initially?

After this previous weekend, Francis Ngannou may be the most fascinating professional athlete worldwide.

There is absolutely nothing like Ngannou in sports today. He left the UFC as its undeniable heavyweight champ and signed a brand-new offer with the Expert Fighters League, which permitted him to box. That agreement likewise permitted him to handle Tyson Fury, the WBC heavyweight champ.

And After That, in the eyes of numerous, Ngannou beat the best heavyweight fighter of his age in a 10-round battle. Despite the fact that Fury won the battle on the scorecards by split choice

Yes, there are resemblances in between boxing and combined martial arts, however it can not be downplayed how hard that is to do. This is Bo Jackson area (voted an All-Star in football and baseball). This is Deion Sanders (played in a Super Bowl and a World Series). This is Shohei Ohtani, dealing on the mound and striking 40 crowning achievement in a season. It’s such an uncommon, distinct level of quality. And undoubtedly, it opens a world of alternatives.

Ngannou has a special handle the PFL to complete in mixed martial arts. That offer permitted him to combat Fury on Saturday, however it’s uncertain what it appears like beyond that. Ngannou informed ESPN that he plans to combat in February or March, however he did not define in which sport. Entering into last weekend, it was most likely going to remain in mixed martial arts. That’s less clear now. The general public’s need to see him box once again will be huge, definitely greater than seeing him go back to mixed martial arts.

Nonetheless, if Ngannou is dedicated (and even bound) to combat in the PFL next, he will do so. He was pleased with his PFL settlements and views the company as a partner. So if it is mixed martial arts next, who will he battle? Here are his alternatives.

He’s a far cry from a family name, however Goltsov is a hazardous challenger for any heavyweight in combined martial arts, consisting of Ngannou.

Goltsov has actually made it to the PFL heavyweight last in 3 successive years, although he could not complete in 2022 due to visa concerns. He went into the 2022 playoffs as the No. 1 seed at heavyweight and duplicated that accomplishment in 2023. To put it simply, this 33-year-old Russian has actually done a great deal of winning in the PFL. He likewise has a high surface rate.

He has actually divided time throughout his profession completing in mixed martial arts and Sambo competitions in Russia. Plus, he’s well-rounded and in his prime. Beyond anybody in the UFC, he’s perhaps the most harmful challenger Ngannou can deal with in mixed martial arts. He is set up to deal with Renan Ferreira in the 2023 PFL World Championships on Nov. 24. I question just how much the PFL will promote the winner of that battle as the ultimate opposition to Ngannou.

2. Renan Ferreira

Ferreira is the other half of this year’s PFL heavyweight title bout– and without any disrespect to Goltsov, Ferreira would be a more valuable alternative.

Like Ngannou, Ferreira is a total physical specimen. He’s 6-foot-8 with an 85-inch reach (Ngannou is 6-4 with an 83-inch reach). He moves like an NFL linebacker and is understood for commemorating his first-round knockouts with backflips. He has PFL knockouts of 50 seconds, 31 seconds and 25 seconds.

There are a great deal of contrasts one can draw in between Ngannou and Ferreira. Despite the fact that Ferreira, like Goltsov, is not a family name, if he were to do something incredible on Nov. 24 versus a developed product in Goltsov, and the PFL and Ngannou were on hand to actually promote him, there might be some buzz in a battle in between them. The buzz would be absolutely nothing like Ngannou in another boxing match versus a top-10 heavyweight, however Ngannou vs. Ferreira would bring intrigue.

Bader, 40, is the Bellator mixed martial arts heavyweight champ, which would omit him from this list if it weren’t for the continuous talks of PFL obtaining Bellator from Viacom before completion of this year. If the PFL does acquire Bellator and combine the 2 lineups, there will be a variety of brand-new matches for the promo to make, and this would be among the most apparent.

Bader is a previous college wrestler, a UFC veteran and a three-time safeguarding heavyweight champ. He likewise won Bellator’s light heavyweight champion in 2017. He combated just as soon as in 2023– a first-round knockout over a quite past-his-prime Fedor Emelianenko in February. Bellator has yet to promote him much as a heavyweight champ, however he’s a tested name in the mixed martial arts neighborhood. He would be viewed as a genuine challenger to Ngannou. And the truth that he ‘d be can be found in as a champ of another company would be a good little marketing benefit for the PFL.