MMA analysis: Return of the King - The heavyweight fight the UFC can’t make

Francis Ngannou has had one of the most surprising careers in MMA, breaking free of the UFC’s constraints and fighting some of the world’s top boxers. 

Now with a contract signed, May 16 will mark The Predator’s much anticipated return to the sport that made him great.

Sports News Blitz writer Ollie Hughes discusses the career of the most devastating puncher in UFC history.

Background

At 6′ 4″ and 18 stone, Francis Ngannou is a towering figure in MMA, both literally and figuratively. 

Having existed outside the realm of top competition for some years now, his departure from the UFC in 2023 made a bold statement: the company will not back down to demands of higher pay.

When Francis left as champion, he also took the heavyweight lineal title with him, a heritage that can be traced back to Mark Coleman’s victory over Dan Severn in 1997.

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Fumbled the bag? 

In the months after him leaving the UFC, rumours online circulated that he had priced himself out of other organisations.

‘Fumbled the bag’ was a phrase frequently echoed online as it seemed unclear if Francis had made the right decision.

Then news came of a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League, having negotiated a base pay of two million dollars for his opponents and “a little bit more than that” for himself. 

Betting on himself

The contract also allowed Francis to explore a boxing career alongside MMA, something that had been a point of contention for the UFC.

Critics were silenced as Francis had seemingly beat the system and forged a new career path outside the constraints of a UFC contract. He had bet on himself and won.

Three years later and Francis has accumulated a losing boxing record but nevertheless garnered generational wealth for himself and his family, boosting his public profile while doing so.

Success marred with tragedy 

Despite only fighting once under the PFL banner, he also reminded us why he’s one of the most dangerous men on the planet, with a brutal first round KO over Renan Ferreira.

Since then things have been quiet for Francis. He suffered tragedy with the death of his 15-month old child before the Ferreira fight, and then not long after he was involved in a motorcycle crash that took the life of a 17-year-old girl.

Now, after being released from his PFL contract, Francis has once again entered free agency and signed to fight Brazilian, Philipe Lins on May 16.

A free agent once more 

The fight will take place on Most Valuable Promotion’s first dip into MMA, headlined by Ronda Rousey v Gina Carano in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile in the UFC, the heavyweight division has well and truly moved on from Francis but never truly replaced him.

A new champion 

Stepping up to the mantle of the ‘baddest man on the planet’ mantra, Tom Aspinall claimed the heavyweight title in Francis’s absence and made a name for himself as one of the quickest and most skilled heavyweights of all time.

But it seems the UFC has a real problem keeping its heavyweight talent happy.

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Relationships strained

After a hugely disappointing title fight with Cyril Gane that ended in a no-contest, Tom has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with how he’s been treated.

Feeling vilified from comments made by UFC kingpin, Dana White, Tom has been increasingly forthright on the topic of fighter pay.

He’s also spoken on the perceived worth of fighters in light of Zuffa, White’s new excursion into the boxing business, signing Conor Ben on a £15million deal.

A new player at the table 

And stirring the pot from the sidelines is Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, signing Aspinall to a managerial deal and sounding his disbelief on the state of UFC fighter pay at every opportunity.

With a $7.7 billion deal on Paramount and apparently none of that making its way to the fighters, they’re not the only ones voicing their frustration. 

Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje and Sean O’Malley have all chimed in on the topic, seeming disheartened by the imbalance of power in a sport they’ve given their lives to.

THE fight at heavyweight 

So with Francis back on the MMA scene and Tom evidently looking for opportunities outside the UFC, is it possible that we’ll see the biggest fight in heavyweight MMA finally come to fruition?

Unfortunately, the answer falls somewhere between ‘unlikely’ and ‘impossible’.

While Tom only has two fights left on his deal with the UFC, the famously restrictive contracts guarantee exclusivity.

Unlikely? Yes. But… not impossible 

If push comes to shove, Dana White will put Tom’s entire career on ice if he gets the slightest inclination that Tom is looking to use the name he’s built in the UFC elsewhere.

Furthermore, the future of Aspinall's career is up in the air after Cyril Gane’s egregious foul has left him needing multiple eye surgeries and apparently unable to properly gauge distance or spar.

Time running out 

As well as this, Francis’s time in combat sports is limited, at 39-years-old. It’s true that heavyweights typically have a longer shelf life than lower weight classes, yet his window of opportunity is slowly slipping away.

And while he is a class above his upcoming opponent, wilder upsets have happened.

The ultimate irony 

But, if Eddie Hearn somehow manages to release Aspinall from his contract, it would be poetic justice that the greatest possible fight at heavyweight is made outside the UFC, all stemming from Dana White’s desire to upend the status quo in boxing.

The peak of irony would be an era-defining heavyweight fight taking place outside the organisation that elevated the sport, but ultimately came to stifle it.

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