Francis Ngannou finally has an opponent.
“The Predator” will make his SmartCage debut against the winner of Ryan Bader vs. Renan Ferreira, who collide atop the “PFL vs. Bellator” pay-per-view (PPV) event this weekend in Riyadh. The winner will exit Saudia Arabia as the promotion’s heavyweight champion.
Along with a shiny new belt.
“The PFL is excited to announce Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA in the PFL PPV Division will be against the winner of the PFL Champion vs Bellator Champion Heavyweight Superfight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader,” said Peter Murray, PFL CEO.” Francis is a true combat sports icon with a global fan base and appeal. We, along with the rest of the MMA world, will be watching to see who his first opponent will be, Ferreira or Bader.”
A date and location for Ngannou’s PFL debut have yet to be revealed.
Before that happens, Ngannou — who is now a Top 10 contender in the WBC rankings — will make his return to the “sweet science” when he collides with former unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua next month in Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou has not competed in MMA since defeating Ciryl Gane back in early 2022.
“I feel like this is almost a make it or break it moment,” Ferreira told MMAmania.com. “It’s tough to even say this because there’s so much on the line between the belt and the million dollars, but there really is more on the line when you talk about future opportunities and the opportunity to fight a guy like Francis after this.”
To see who else is fighting at the PFL vs. Bellator championship PPV event click here.