Francis Ngannou (Photo by Mohammed Saad/Anadolu via Getty Images)
When Francis Ngannou left the UFC, he did it partially because he wanted the freedom to pursue other combat sports interests. Looking ahead to 2025, Ngannou is in talks to exercise that freedom again.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Ngannou has had “some discussion around” a potential fight with kickboxing legend and reigning Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion, Rico Verhoeven.
The 35-year-old is known as the King of Kickboxing and he sports an impressive professional record of 65-10 with 21 KO.
Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven fights against Moroccan-born Dutch kickboxer Badr Hari as part of the … [+]
The fight would happen in the summer of 2025, according to the source, but the sides are in the discussion phase. It’s unclear if the two men would compete in mixed martial arts or boxing.
It’s highly unlikely Ngannou would fight Verhoeven in kickboxing, although he stepped into the boxing ring with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Ngannou made his return to MMA in October with an emphatic first-round TKO win over Renan Ferreira to capture the Professional Fighters League SuperFight heavyweight championship.
Verhoeven is coming off a successful defense of his title on December 7 in the Netherlands. In a rematch with Levi Righters, Verhoeven scored a unanimous decision victory. Six months earlier, Verhoeven defeated Righters via TKO to win the Glory Heavyweight Grand Prix.
With the success we’ve seen from former kickboxers like Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira, and Dricus Du Plessis, the hype is real for guys who have made the jump more recently like the PFL’s Cedric Doumbe.
French-Cameroonian Cedric Doumbe reacts after losing at the end of the welterweight bout against … [+]
Verhoeven has had one MMA fight, but it was nine years ago. Verhoeven defeated Viktor Bogutzki via first-round TKO. Verhoeven has also had a professional boxing match. In 2014, he scored a second-round KO win over Janos Finfera.
Since those flirtations with MMA and boxing, there have been whispers around a more serious push into those two sports for Verhoeven, but it hasn’t materialized. At this point, Verhoeven is probably the most accomplished kickboxer who hasn’t made the leap into a major MMA organization.
Verhoeven may have had an interest in joining the UFC at some point, but it is unclear whether the No. 1 promotion in the world would want him to fight for a few smaller promotions before getting an opportunity on their main roster.
That’s a hurdle the PFL isn’t likely to push in Verhoeven’s path.
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 23: Francis Ngannou looks on during the PFL 2024 Playoffs at The Anthem on … [+]
If the PFL can pull off Ngannou vs. Verhoeven as an MMA fight, it would be a huge get for the promotion. The end of 2024 has been rough for the organization from a public relations standpoint.
Several Bellator champions, including Corey Anderson and Patricio Pitbull, have complained about inactivity, and rising star Dakota Ditcheva has said she hopes the PFL is able to provide her with a challenge in 2025 after she hammered her way to the title in 2024.
Even if the PFL has a part in the promotion of Ngannou-Verhoeven as a boxing or kickboxing match, it would continue the push of the biggest success story associated with the promotion.
On Thursday, PFL owner Donn Davis took to social media to prep fans for a big year ahead.
The hope is that the organization can regain the momentum it established shortly after it signed Ngannou away from the UFC and other promotions bidding for his services.
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