Early Monday morning, it was announced that Ngannou will face fellow UFC outcast Philipe Lins on May 16. The fight will serve as a co-headliner to the highly publicized clash between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. It is promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Ngannou announced the match himself, in collaboration with Netflix Sports.
Francis Ngannou returns to Netflix
Ngannou joined the UFC roster in 2015. He quickly became a contender, thanks to vicious wins over Curtis Blaydes, Andrei Alrovski and Alistair Overeem. He fell short in his first bid for UFC gold, suffering a decision loss to Stipe Miocic. However, after knockout victories over Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, he earned a rematch with the champion. In his second fight with Miocic, he claimed the title with a vicious knockout. He then defended the title with a decision victory over Ciryl Gane, before vacating the title and leaving the UFC due to highly publicized contract complaints.
Ngannou has fought three times since leaving the UFC. First, he shocked the world by battling Tyson Fury to a decisive loss in the boxing ring. He then suffered a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua, also under boxing rules. He then returned to MMA for a one-off fight inside the PFL cage, taking Renan Ferreira to a quick victory. He parted ways with the PFL last week despite having one more fight left on his contract.
As Ngannou’s next opponent, Lins will certainly come as a surprise. The Brazilian hasn’t fought since 2024, when he defeated Ion Cutelaba in a light heavyweight bout in the UFC. It was his fourth victory in a row. All four of his last wins have come at light heavyweight. However, he has competed at heavyweight before, most recently losing to Tanner Boser and Arlovski.
How do you think Francis Ngannou will do in his return to MMA?
#Francis #Ngannou #ready #MMA #return #Ronda #Rousey #Gina #Carano #Netflix #card