For the second time in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, Francis Ngannou has been released before his contract expires.
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) today parted ways with the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight titleholder, who made just one appearance in the PFL SmartCage. This situation occurred again in late 2024, when “The Predator” defeated Renan Ferreira at the “Clash of the Giants” event in Riyadh.
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This is the only MMA fight Ngannou has fought in the past four years.
“The Professional Boxers Alliance has decided to part ways with Francis Ngannou,” officials told MMAmania.com. “We have the utmost respect for Francis, both as an athlete and as 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 to fans around the world.”
The PFL has made a number of high-profile roster changes over the past few weeks.
Ngannou, 39, doesn’t seem to be showing much enthusiasm for MMA after earning two big paydays in boxing matches with Tyson Fury (2023) and Anthony Joshua (2024). The PFL even appointed Ngannou as PFL Africa chairman, with the result that the ‘Predator’ was absent from the promotion’s 2025 event in Cape Town.
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According to comments from CEO Dana White, a return to the UFC is unlikely.
The PFL, which recently canceled its championship format, plans a busy spring season in 2026 that includes stateside stops in Pittsburgh (March 28), Chicago (April 11) and South Dakota (May 2), as well as international visits to destinations such as Spain (March 20), Northern Ireland (April 16) and Brussels (May 23).
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