{"id":37861,"date":"2026-04-22T21:04:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T21:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/news\/news\/Francis-Ngannou-names-mostdesired-fight-before-retirement-200932"},"modified":"2026-04-22T21:04:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T21:04:41","slug":"francis-ngannou-names-most-desired-fight-before-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.martialartskleinanzeigen.com\/videos\/francis-ngannou-names-most-desired-fight-before-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Francis Ngannou names most-desired fight before retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nFrancis Ngannou will return to MMA on May 16. | PFL
\nMMA<\/b><\/p>\n


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One of the bigger \u201cwhat if\u201d fights in recent MMA history was a
\npotential heavyweight booking between Francis
\nNgannou<\/a> and Jon Jones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While both men were once under the
\nUFC<\/a>banner, the bout never came to fruition, as the promotion
\nhad difficulties negotiating with both men at various times during
\ntheir respective tenures. According to Ngannou, Jones was never a
\nrealistic possibility while he was in the UFC.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was never really on the table, so I don\u2019t have to be
\ndisappointed. The only time that he seems like a possibility was
\nwhen he was used as bait, something to bait me,\u201d Ngannou told
\nESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ngannou eventually left the UFC, vacating the heavyweight title in
\nthe process. He then signed with
\nProfessional Fighters League<\/a>, which allowed him to compete in
\nlucrative boxing matches against Tyson Fury<\/a>
\nand Anthony
\nJoshua<\/a> prior to his debut. In his lone PFL appearance, \u201cThe
\nPredator\u201d knocked out Renan
\nFerreira<\/a> in October 2024. Ngannou was released from his
\ncontract earlier this year, and he will make his long awaited MMA
\nreturn against Philipe
\nLins<\/a> at
\nMost Valuable Promotions “Rousey vs. Carano”<\/a> on May 16 at the
\nIntuit Dome in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, it was frustrating,\u201d Ngannou said of the layoff. \u201cIt
\nwasn’t my choice, but at the end of the day, it’s about what you
\ncan do, what you have to do \u2026 As much as I love fighting, my life
\nis not only fighting. I have a life and I’m trying to make it work
\nin parallel with my fighting career.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his 40th birthday on the horizon, Ngannou doesn\u2019t lack for
\nmotivation as he prepares for Lins.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m still excited about doing it,\u201d he said. \u201cI get excited when I
\nsay, OK I’m going to a camp. I call the guys, OK boys, we go. It’s
\ncool. You have that experience \u2026 It\u2019s your routine. It’s your life.
\nIt’s part of you.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen something that people don’t always talk about is also
\nfinancial. It’s my job.I have to bring money. I have to bring money
\n[to] the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

In It for the Long Haul?<\/h2>\n

MVP and Netflix have made waves by partnering for their first MMA
\ncard, enlisting big names like Ngannou, Ronda
\nRousey<\/a>, Gina Carano<\/a>,
\nMike
\nPerry<\/a> and Nate Diaz<\/a>,
\namong others. Those involved have expressed hope that this will be
\nmore than a one-off event, and Ngannou would also like to see the
\npartnership have some staying power \u2014 because more options are also
\nbetter for the fighters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that they stay around for long term and also the way that
\nthey are doing it. It would also be great to see another platform,
\nto see something that can provide opportunity to other fighters,\u201d
\nNgannou said. \u201cBecause I think also one of the reasons that some
\nfighters get locked in a contract is because they are afraid of the
\noutside. They are afraid of the unknown. They don’t know what is
\nout there. They are not seeing any possibility. So it freaks them
\nout. They’d rather get something that they are safe. Even if it’s
\nnot enough, then at least they’re like, \u2018OK, this is better than
\nnothing.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

With that in mind, Ngannou acknowledges that \u201cfreedom\u201d is his theme
\nheading into the matchup with Lins.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as I’m concerned, I’m free of every contract and I’m still
\nout here still doing it,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a proof of the faith
\nthat I was talking earlier of something could happen at any given
\nmoment if you can just wait\u2026 I stay consistent and then consistent
\nin my faith, in my hope, and then I stay free. I keep that freedom.
\nIf I wasn’t free, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Ngannou didn\u2019t think Jones was a realistic fight for him in
\nthe UFC, facing \u201cBones\u201d would still be a bucket-list item for the
\nformer heavyweight champion. With Jones flirting with retirement
\nwhile still under UFC contract, it still seems more like a pipe
\ndream than a concrete possibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cJon Jones is the fight that I really want to have before my
\nretirement,\u201d Ngannou said. \u201cBut other than that, it could be
\nanybody, I don\u2019t care. As long as it\u2019s a fight. I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s
\na fight that would define my career or something, but if I had to
\npick, OK let\u2019s do this one and go home, then it would be Jon
\nJones.\u201d<\/p>\n