Francis Ngannou vacated the UFC heavyweight title and jumped to PFL because “The Predator” was unable to reach a deal that was in line with his goals for his combat sports future. Aside from the money, Ngannou wanted to try his luck in the “sweet science” and mix it up with some of the best heavyweight boxers in the world.
Mission accomplished.
Now that Ngannou, who turns 39 in September, banked his boxing bucks and laid waste to the best heavyweight on the PFL roster, he may consider making his way back to the Octagon, assuming it makes sense from a business perspective. That’s according to longtime coach Eric Nicksick in a recent conversation with Home of Fight.
“Enough time has passed, I would love to see them mend these fences and get back to competing in the UFC,” Nicksick said. “I think it’s more about business than it is about ego, at least it is from Francis’ side. Now where does his motivations come from? It’s not about money, it’s about competition. And the best competition is in the UFC.”
That would be an easy fix for UFC’s muddled heavyweight title picture, which remains in limbo after multiple setbacks and delays. Defending champion Jon Jones has been dragging his feet, much to the dismay of interim titleholder Tom Aspinall, so inserting Ngannou into the mix would make it much easier for fight fans to forget about “Bones.”
That’s the good news.
The bad news, is that UFC CEO Dana White was awarded an honorary doctorate in holding grudges (just ask this guy). In addition, White — who once threatened to cut the Cameroonian for stinking up the joint — insisted he “will never be in business” with “The Predator” after the way things unfolded back in 2023.
Money talks?
