Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is once again a free agent after parting ways with the Professional Fighters League.
“The Professional Fighters League had made the decision to part ways with Francis Ngannou,” the company said in a press release Friday. “We have great respect for Francis as both an athlete and a person, and we wish him success in the next chapter of his combat sports career. The PFL remains focused on recruiting and signing the best athletes in the sport while continuing to deliver world-class competition for fans around the globe.”
Ngannou and the PFL had a partnership that began in May 2023, following the multisport combat sports star’s departure from UFC while being their heavyweight champion, a title he won in March 2021 and held until leaving the company.
Ngannou was also on the PFL’s global advisory board and had equity in PFL Africa.
His last UFC bout was a unanimous decision win in his only defense of the promotion’s world heavyweight title in January 2022.
He returned to MMA on a PFL card, knocking out Renan Ferreira on Oct. 19, 2024, for the PFL Super Fights heavyweight championship over three minutes into the first round of the bout.
Ngannou’s reputation was built largely during his run in the UFC, which began in 2015.
Known as “The Predator,” the 6-foot-4 heavyweight became one of the most feared knockout artists in mixed martial arts, compiling a now 18-3 record with 13 knockouts and four wins via submission.
It’s worth noting that Netflix has to fill out a card for the upcoming superfight between long-retired MMA stars and pioneers of the women’s division, Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, which is scheduled to take place at Intuit Dome in Southern California on May 16.
Amid Ngannou’s departure, there’s a world where a fight could be right around the corner after all, which would be his first in over a year and a half.