https://www.mmanews.com/news/pfl/pfl-expects-ufc-stifle-ngannou-dana-white/
PFL Founder Anticipates UFC Attempt To Stifle Ngannou’s Return: ‘What Will Dana White Announce?’
Ngannou makes his PFL debut this weekend, and the promotion is expecting his ex-employer to do what it can to steal the spotlight.
Francis Ngannou makes his PFL debut this weekend, and the promotion is expecting his ex-employers to do what they can to steal the spotlight.
For the first time since January 2022, Ngannou will enter the cage for an MMA contest on Saturday, October 19. In his last appearance close to three years ago, “The Predator” got the better of Ciryl Gane to remain UFC heavyweight champion.
On this occasion, the Cameroonian will debut in new surroundings as the headline act for the Professional Fighters League’s second pay-per-view event of 2024.
After completing his long-desired transition to boxing to do battle with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, the former UFC champ will adjust his sights back to MMA to face 2022 PFL title winner Renan Ferreira in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
And as his first MMA fight week since departing the UFC gets underway, the PFL higher-ups are seemingly expecting some outside efforts to drag the spotlight away from Ngannou…
Davis Predicts White Announcement In Light Of Ngannou’s PFL Fight Week
PFL founder, chairman, and co-owner Donn Davis has caused a stir in recent times owing to repeated shots at his organization’s former fighter, two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison.
To kick off the PFL’s ‘Battle of the Giants’ fight week, Davis once again had his sights on a UFC figure, this time the boss.
In a social media post, Davis suggested the UFC CEO will no doubt be preparing a major announcement in the hope of stifling Ngannou’s return — a habit of the UFC’s that has become a running joke in the MMA community.
“PFL Super Fight Week! Francis Ngannou makes his highly anticipated return with @PFLMMA!” Davis wrote on X. “So what will @danawhite announce to try to steal spotlight from THE biggest fight of 2024?? #PFLSuperFights“
It would stand to reason that no announcement could affect the anticipation for Ngannou’s return, which comes after he took Fury to the limit and suffered a brutal KO to Joshua in the squared circle.
Ngannou vs. Ferreira headlines Saturday’s card, with the likes of women’s MMA legend Cris Cyborg, reigning Bellator middleweight kingpin Johnny Eblen, and former Bellator champion AJ McKee making up the undercard.
AAAANNNNDDDD Here We Go !
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – As far as Donn Davis is concerned, talk about the world’s top heavyweight should be focused on Saudi Arabia on Saturday, not New York in November.
Put simpler, the promotion’s co-owner thinks the PFL will have the best heavyweight in MMA after Saturday, not the UFC. And further, Davis implied that disputing that claim would take a cross-promotion of some kind with the UFC – an idea CEO Dana White essentially never has been keen to.
At PFL: Battle of the Giants (DAZN/ESPN+) at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (17-3) takes on Renan Ferreira (13-3) in a PFL heavyweight superfight title bout. Ngannou has boxed twice since he left the UFC, but hasn’t fought an MMA bout since January 2022 before he left the UFC for the PFL after a contract dispute.
At UFC 309, which takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden, Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) is a massive favorite upwards of 7-1 against former champ Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC). Jones won the UFC heavyweight title after Ngannou vacated it.
And naturally, depending on which side is asked, the other side is ducking – either Jones or Ngannou.
“Our focus is on this Saturday,” Davis said after a Thursday news conference in Saudi Arabia for the pay-per-view. “This is the biggest fight in MMA in heavyweight this year. Francis, when he left the UFC, he was the pound-for-pound No. 1 and the heavyweight champion. And then Ferreira is the biggest rising star … This is the fight everybody wants to see. Whoever comes out of this fight is the No. 1 in the world. Whoever wants to claim the No. 1 spot goes through the winner of this fight, not through the UFC – this fight. Whoever wants to claim that position better be calling us after Saturday, not calling them.”
Jones has suggested his fight with Miocic might be his swan song. Ngannou is in his late 30s, as well. Absent cross-promotion, and reasonably soon, it seems like a Jones-Ngannou fight is a longshot at best.
But Davis implied it could happen if White wanted it to.
“We’ve said at the PFL we want to give the fans what they want, and that’s the best fights in the world,” Davis said. “Francis Ngannou? He said he’ll take on all comers. I think Jon Jones wants to cement his legacy. There’s only one obstacle to that fight, and we know who that is.”
After the UFC 309 heavyweight title fight between Jones and Miocic, the UFC has interim champ Tom Aspinall waiting in the wings, as well.
Donn Davis is a clown who has no idea how to run an MMA promotion
This guy spends more time talking about the UFC than the PFL. His fighters deserve better.
1 Like
Clown was wrong as always lmao