Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou has booked his return to the cage.
The 39-year-old will appear in the co-main event of a May 16 Netflix MMA broadcast, which sees Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano come out of retirement in the main event. Ngannou will go head-to-head with former UFC and PFL talent Philipe Lins as part of the show from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.
The booking comes just days after Ngannou severed his ties with PFL, an MMA promotion he had spent the past couple of years associated with.
Ngannou made headlines back in 2023 for leaving the UFC roster despite heavyweight champ status and joining the PFL, where he was guaranteed high payouts, freedom to pursue boxing opportunities, and other roles inside the MMA company.
The Cameroonian fighter would briefly give boxing a try, getting into high-profile matchups against heavyweight greats Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. While he grinded out a split decision loss to Fury in 2023, his matchup against Joshua saw him get melted in under two rounds.
Ngannou ended up competing in MMA just once during his time with the PFL, scoring a first-round stoppage against Renan Ferriera in late 2024.
Lins exited the UFC roster in 2024 despite carrying an impressive four-fight winning streak. He was among the dozens of MMA free agents who hoped to join the Global Fight League last year, before the upstart promotion’s plans of launching failed. The American Top Team fighter, like Ngannou, is coming back after a significant layoff from in-cage competition.
