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Francis Ngannou Drawing Interest From Major Promotion

James Herrick / UFC / January 17, 2023

Francis Ngannou Drawing Interest From Major Promotion

After being released by the UFC, Francis Ngannou has quickly drawn interest from major combat sports promotions.

While not every organization has been public about its level of interest, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) President Dave Feldman has made it clear that he wants Ngannou to join BKFC.

“We’re very interested in signing Francis Ngannou and would very much like to have him compete in the stacked BKFC heavyweight division,” Feldman said Sunday in a statement to MMA Junkie. “We’re tabling an offer for his services, and hopefully fans will see him in the BKFC squared circle in 2023.”
Quote via MMA Junkie

For those unaware, BKFC is a bare-knuckle-boxing organization. The major difference between BKFC and other organizations is obviously the fact that fighters do not wear gloves — only hand wraps. A lesser-known aspect of the promotion is that they also have a circular ring and a modified ruleset that allows for more clinch striking than traditional boxing.

The thought of seeing Ngannou landing an overhand without gloves is one of the scariest things that I can imagine. Honestly, what would happen to someone’s face if they ate a bare-knuckle punch from Ngannou? I am willing to bet they would look like a victim in a horror film real quick.

Despite the fantasy of seeing Ngannou in BKFC, it is fairly unlikely. I do not know how much money Ngannou will earn on the open market, but I am willing to guess that BKFC does not have the financial capabilities to get the deal done. To land Ngannou, BKFC would have to out-bit large MMA organizations like Bellator, Professional Fighters League (PFL), and ONE Championship. That is not even considering how much Ngannou could make boxing a superstar like Tyson Fury.

If BKFC is able to land Ngannou, who does he fight? I cannot imagine there would be a long list of people that are willing to take a bare-knuckle punch from the heaviest hitter in MMA history.

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Ngannou would not be the first ex-UFC fighter to test their luck in BKFC. Former fighters Chad Mendes, John Dodson, Paige VanZant, Mike Perry and more have all fought for the organization.

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