Days before news of his departure from the promotion became public, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was lacing up cleats and running drills for a Cameroonian football club rather than preparing for his next bout in the cage.
Ngannou took to Instagram to share that he had participated in a tryout with Cameroonian side Sable De Batie. “I did a tryout last weekend for @sablefcdebatie,” he wrote. “Center forward is the position that I’m the most interested in, but I can also play midfielder.”
He even took a playful jab at a club legend, noting, “They even told me that I’m better than the pichichi @samueletoo.” He closed out the post on a candid and upbeat note: “Whether they sign me or not, it was fun. I didn’t score this time around, but next time I promise I get you guys.”
According to sources, the 39-year-old’s football detour came as the PFL confirmed publicly that both parties had agreed to go their separate ways. In a statement, the organization said, “The PFL has made the decision to part ways with Francis Ngannou. We have great respect for Francis as both an athlete and 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 for fans around the globe.”
Ngannou’s path to the PFL was a winding one. He departed the UFC in 2022 and, while aligned with the PFL, pursued a parallel boxing career. In October 2023, he made his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury, famously sending the WBC heavyweight champion to the canvas before ultimately losing by split decision.
He then stepped back into the boxing ring in March 2024, this time against Anthony Joshua, where he was stopped in the second round. Six months after that bout, Ngannou finally made his PFL debut, defeating Renan Ferreira in the opening round of a highly publicized event in Saudi Arabia. That victory turned out to be his one and only appearance under the PFL banner.
The split, according to those close to the situation, was more of a mutual parting than a dramatic falling out. Sports media personality Ariel Helwani noted that Ngannou had one match remaining on his contract, but with the PFL operating under a new leadership regime and repositioning itself heading into a new media rights cycle, both sides recognized there was little reason to push forward.
The executives who originally signed Ngannou are no longer with the company, and the promotion’s current direction simply does not align with a high-profile, individually managed star like Ngannou. Helwani also pushed back on any narrative suggesting Ngannou was difficult to work with, pointing out that he was actively seeking competition and that new management simply charted a different course.
Financially, by most accounts, Ngannou walked away from his PFL tenure having been well compensated. His earnings across the Fury bout, the Joshua contest, and the Ferreira showcase reportedly dwarfed what he might have accumulated across multiple UFC appearances. The PFL also had no exclusivity claim over his boxing pursuits, allowing him to cash in on those high-profile opportunities freely.
Now, with no contractual ties to any combat sports promotion, Ngannou is fully free to explore his options.
