Francis Ngannou returned to a UFC stage on Friday, making his first appearance since departing the promotion in 2023. The former heavyweight champion showed up at the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC Atlanta to support his close friend and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
The moment captured attention across social media as Ngannou stood alongside Usman, who is scheduled to face Joaquin Buckley in Saturday’s main event. According to reports, Ngannou is not serving as a licensed cornerman and was present solely to support his longtime friend.
The brief appearance featured a warm reception from the crowd, with fans audibly reacting to seeing the imposing figure of Ngannou back in a UFC setting. Video footage shared by the UFC’s official social media accounts showed the two African-born champions together, with the caption “Francis Ngannou x Kamaru Usman at the #UFCAtlanta ceremonial weigh ins.”
This surprise appearance comes at an interesting juncture, arriving just days after Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, revealed that the heavyweight might be interested in returning to the UFC.
“It’s not about money anymore. It’s about competition,” Nicksick said recently. “And the best competition is in the UFC.”
Ngannou’s January 2023 departure from the UFC created significant waves in the combat sports world. After vacating the heavyweight championship, his exit led to a public dispute with UFC CEO Dana White. While Ngannou sought greater contractual freedom, ultimately securing lucrative boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, White claimed that Ngannou was avoiding a potential matchup with Jon Jones.
White, who was notably absent from Friday’s weigh-ins, recently expressed little interest in bringing Ngannou back to the promotion. When asked last week about potentially re-signing the heavyweight, White responded, “Probably not.”
Currently, Ngannou is under contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he has competed once, defeating Renan Ferreira via first-round TKO.
Whether this appearance signals a potential thawing in relations between Ngannou and the UFC remains to be seen, but his presence certainly added an unexpected element of intrigue to the UFC Atlanta event.
