
Francis Ngannou criticizes fighters for remaining tied to UFC contracts. After leaving the UFC, he has fought in the PFL and is set to return to the ring in May against Philipe Lins.
Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Since 2023, Francis Ngannou has taken a path that few others have followed.
After leaving the UFC following an extended contract dispute, Ngannou took his time before making his next move. Heâs fought once in the PFL and has since pursued his long-standing interest in boxing.
His next fight is scheduled for May, where he will face Philipe Lins. Itâll be his first fight back since October 2024.
The event will also be notable as the first MMA card to stream on Netflix. As someone quick to take the opportunity, Ngannou believes plenty of other fighters should have done the same.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Ngannou is one of several former UFC fighters set to compete at the Inglewood Intuit Dome on May 16. Nate Diaz is scheduled to face Mike Perry, while Junior dos Santos and Muhammad Mokaev are also on the card, which will be headlined by Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano.
During a recent press conference in New York, Diaz described the event as one made up of âfreeâ fighters â a point that Ngannou strongly agreed with. And in an interview with ESPN, Ngannou elaborated on why he believes more fighters should consider free agency after seeing how this Netflix event has come together.
âThereâs always the opportunity,â Ngannou said. âI think you just have to be around and be free. Make sure youâre in the position to catch that opportunity when it comes. If you get yourself stuck in a contract because youâre afraid of being alone out there, when the opportunity comes, you might be stuck in some contract.
âThatâs what happened to a lot of fighters. They are just so scared of being free, being without promotion, without a promoter, or something that they can do. They will sign up for everything just to be in the promotion, and then the day that the opportunity, the real opportunity, comes around, they are not there.
Francis Ngannou left the UFC due to an extended contract dispute.
Francis Ngannou's next fight is scheduled for May against Philipe Lins.
Since leaving the UFC, Ngannou has fought in the PFL and pursued boxing.
Francis Ngannou last fought in October 2024 before his upcoming match in May.

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âThis fight, this could have been an opportunity for so many people, but they are all locked somewhere in the contract that they are not very happy about, that (is) not helping them,â he continued. âBut they donât have the balls to stand on their own and claim that freedom.
âWe all talk about free agency, but itâs like itâs something that also demands you to be strong. Youâre going to be out there on your own without having any idea about your future, not knowing if youâre going to fight, have a short notice in 10 days, or if youâre going to fight and go a year back without fighting.
âYou donât know. Just have to be ready. Get yourself prepared for the opportunity.â
Ngannou almost beat Tyson Fury in his professional boxing debut before coming up short against another former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua upon his return.
The Cameroonian star still holds boxing ambitions but is currently focused on MMA as he prepares for his upcoming return against Philipe Lins at Netflix 1.
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