Francis Ngannou officially signs with PFL

PFL has secured the signing of the hottest free agent in all of Combat sports.

After giving up the UFC heavyweight title in January to become a free agent, there had been four months of rumors about Ngannou's next move. On Tuesday, the tournament-based company made its major signing official via The New York Times.

Ngannou agreed to a "strategic partnership" that grants him equity and managerial positions in the PFL. Following an anticipated boxing battle in 2023, he intends to make his promotion debut in the middle of 2024.

“Let’s just say, all-in my deal with PFL is more than anyone else offered,” Ngannou said.

“The past few months have been a very interesting time to understand and see the landscape but I’m very excited about this deal with the PFL because they basically showed what I was expecting.

“They didn’t just show up as a promotion that was looking for a fighter, but really came as a partner that sees more value in you as a person.”

Ngannou is going to compete in the PFL's "superfight" division, which was created to showcase athletes in high-profile matches, perhaps on pay-per-view, with the winners taking home a larger portion of the money earned from the events.

As part of the agreement, Ngannou will also take on the role of chairman of PFL Africa, where the promotion has hopes to grow soon. Ngannou will serve as the athlete's representative on the PFL advisory board.

The PFL, one of numerous MMA promoters who made a bid for Ngannou, scored a huge victory with his contract. In response to the heavyweight's contract demands, ONE Championship declared earlier this month that it was withdrawing from the bidding process.