The PFL’s acquisition of Francis Ngannou has brought instant excitement and anticipation, with a major question now surrounding who will be his first opponent.
Ngannou is likely to box first, which is smart. Considering he is not expected to make his Professional Fighters League debut until mid-2024, that allows him plenty of time to train and prepare for a bout against a major name like Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder. That leaves plenty of possibilities for his first PFL. He has been sending jabs back and forth with Jon Jones, but there is no chance that Jones will ever compete against Ngannou unless it is in the Octagon. While that fight would likely favor Jones, all signs point to it being one of those fights—like the heralded Khabib Nurmagomedov–Tony Ferguson bout that never materialized—that will never take place.
By the time he competes for the PFL, Ngannou will be 37. He’ll also have fought his last fight in January 2022, more than a two-year gap between bouts. So it would be wise for the PFL to be pragmatic with his opponent.
Ngannou’s contract is written so that his opponents make at least $2 million in a fight against him, so there will be no shortage of options. A lot can change in a year, but an opponent that would make sense for Ngannou is Ante Delija. He is the reigning PFL heavyweight champion, and defeating him would be a strong start for Ngannou. There is obviously a risk involved, as Delija possesses real power, but it is still a matchup that favors Ngannou.
The winner of the 2023 heavyweight tournament would also be a good fit, or even PFL heavyweights like Maurice Greene or Yorgan De Castro. While neither of those opponents is a major name, the draw will be seeing Ngannou. The hope within the PFL is that Ngannou steamrolls his opponent in his first PFL bout, building more intrigue every time he enters the cage.
A free-agent signing isn’t out of the question. But that first bout for Ngannou would make sense against one of the fighters already part of the heavyweight roster.
Mackenzie Dern cannot afford to lose to Angela Hill
Mackenzie Dern enters a must-win fight tomorrow.
Dern headlines UFC Fight Night at the Apex in a strawweight bout against Angela Hill. Currently ranked eighth, Dern needs to break No. 14 Hill’s two-fight win streak. Dern has dropped two of her past three fights, including a bout against Yan Xiaonan last October she was expected to win.
“This is my third main event,” says Dern (12–3). “I’ve lost my first two. This time we’re going to get it.”
Only 30, Dern can launch herself back into title contention with a win. She would need at least another victory after that, perhaps against someone like Carla Esparza or Rose Namajunas, before getting a title shot, but she would be in the mix. A loss, however, would be damaging.
“I’m coming with a lot of aggression,” says Dern. “I know it doesn’t look that way because I’m smiling all the time, but that’s because I love what I do. I’m looking forward to releasing all that aggression.”
Hill (15–12) is a versatile opponent and would greatly benefit from this win. At 38, it may be her last best chance to make a run at the title. But for all the challenges Hill brings, she does not come close to measuring the obstacles that life has thrown in Dern’s way leading up to this bout.
“I’ve been going through a divorce for the past year, and that’s been hard, and all I’ve wanted throughout that is the best for my daughter,” says Dern. “My coach was away during training to work with Luke Rockhold. I changed managers.
“There’s been a lot of chaos, but I haven’t stopped working. This is the time to make a statement.”
The Pick ’Em Section:
UFC Fight Night women’s strawweight bout: Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill
Pick: Mackenzie Dern
UFC Fight Night middleweight bout: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez
Pick: Edmen Shahbazyan
UFC Fight Night welterweight bout: André Fialho vs. Joaquin Buckley
Pick: Joaquin Buckley
UFC Fight Night lightweight bout: Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Michael Johnson
Pick: Carlos Diego Ferreira
UFC Fight Night heavyweight bout: Ilir Latifi vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
Pick: Ilir Latifi
Last week: 0–5
2023 record: 49–35
Justin Barrasso can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
