Francis Ngannou wasn’t entirely surprised when he read that Rico Verhoeven was set to next take on lineal and unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
It was mildly disappointing to the former UFC heavyweight champion, however, considering that he was already in talks for a lucrative showdown with the legendary Dutch kickboxer in a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight.
Instead, Ngannou’s next fight will come against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Philipe Lins as part of a May 16 MMA show on Netflix as presented by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).
“I was [contacted] by Nakisa [Bidarian, MVP co-founder] with an offer,” Ngannou explained how he landed on the show, during a kickoff press conference held Tuesday in Los Angeles. “Originally, it was a big name – no disrespect to Philipe, who is a dangerous opponent. But originally, it was Rico. He called me and asked what I thought about fighting Rico. I was like, “Damn, that sounds good.” I never thought about fighting him in MMA but was excited for it.
“Two or three weeks ago, Rico gets signed for the Usyk fight so that wasn’t an option. We looked for a replacement and Philippe was the best option. There were a lot of names but Philippe was the best option out of them.”
Verhoeven will enter his second career boxing match, more than a decade after his lone fight in 2014. It will come against arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Usyk, 24-0 (15 KOs) – a three-time undisputed champion at two weights and current heavyweight king.
Ngannou (18-3 in MMA, 0-2 in boxing) certainly wasn’t mad at Verhoeven for taking on the assignment. After all, it mirrors Ngannou’s own entrance into boxing, when he made his pro debut against then-unbeaten lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Their October 2023 novelty clash – which launched Riyadh Season’s foray into boxing – saw Ngannou floor Fury in the 3rd round and nearly pull off what would have been among the biggest upsets in boxing history.
His follow-up act in this sport wasn’t nearly as memorable, however. Ngannou was knocked out inside of two rounds by former two-time unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua in March 2024.
Just one fight has followed in any discipline for Ngannou – an October 2024 appearance in Professional Fighting League (PFL). What was thought to be a long-term partnership at the time ended as a one-and-done affair. It was revealed earlier this month that Ngannou will not fight again on the PFL circuit.
However, the timing of the news only confirmed what he’d known all year.
“It was just the news that came out on Friday but was an ongoing process for a couple of months,” admitted Ngannou. “We’ve been in this position since January when I found out I wouldn’t have another fight with PFL. Two or three weeks later, I was [contacted] by Nakisa with an offer.”
Fittingly, his fight on this show takes place just one week before Verhoeven attempts to shock the world versus Usyk atop a May 23 DAZN pay-per-view event from the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
With any luck, old plans can be revisited. There was also a brief verbal exchange with Jake Paul – ironically, Ngannou’s promoter for at least his next fight – which created buzz over whether they could next meet.
Or, Ngannou – who insists he’s still in his physical prime even at 39 – can look elsewhere for his next blockbuster payday. That’s the beauty of autonomy.
“I still have a lot of time in front of me,” insisted Ngannou. “I still enjoy this. I’m in the [best] I’ve ever been, even while not fighting. I do some stuff on the side but this is my primary job, I wake up and go to the gym.
“Now I have this fight. That’s the privilege of being a free man. You do whatever pleases you. The good thing is that you do it when you want to do it, not that you’re [obligated] to do it.”
