Francis Ngannou is making his next move, but unfortunately for MMA fans it comes outside of the cage.
Ngannou has stepped into the ring with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the last two years, before making his first MMA appearance since leaving the UFC.
He has now announced his involvement with a project taking place in his native Cameroon as he teased fans to ‘stay tuned’ for what’s to come next, while also revealing an exciting new job he will partake in.
“My next project in Batie is a masterpiece and very personal,” Ngannou wrote on Instagram.
“So I don’t just assign it to people; I follow it closely, to the point of becoming an excavator operator.
“Stay tuned for what’s coming out of the ground.”
Those same fans have been eagerly awaiting an announcement from ‘The Predator’ regarding his next bout.
Ngannou flattened Renan Ferreira in the first round of his PFL debut in October 2024, which marked his last fight to date.
The 38-year-old has been rumoured to step back into the squared circle with the likes of Deontay Wilder, before making a return to mixed martial arts.
Although combat sports fans are getting impatient regarding Ngannou’s next move in the fighting world, ‘The Predator’ has been praised for his continued acts of kindness beyond the cage.
“In a world of greed you choose to give and help others. You’re a role model and the world needs you,” one fan responded.
Another said: “Work ethic and supporting your people = actions speak louder than words.”
“Champ for a reason,” a third wrote, and a fourth said: “A king and more.”
UFC star like Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya also shared their love on the post.
Ngannou’s combat sports future remains uncertain, but there are plenty of exciting options ahead for ‘The Predator’.
He left the UFC after defending his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in January 2022, citing contract disputes with the promotions CEO, Dana White, as a major driving force behind his decision.
Ngannou had been rumoured to fight current heavyweight champion Jon Jones for years, but the promotion were never able to make the fight work, so the former left.
The Cameroonian has since joined UFC’s biggest rivals, the PFL, who have allowed him to work his boxing career around being the promotion’s biggest star.
Dan Hardy oversees PFL events in Europe and he told talkSPORT.com that Ngannou is eager to get a fight booked soon.
“From what I understand, Francis wants some activity, whether that is boxing or MMA,” he said.
“I think he wants to have another run out very soon. I don’t think it would be a bad idea for him to have another boxing run out. I think there are some really interesting fights there for him.
“I think he can make a good chunk of cash while at the same time the PFL heavyweight division keeps developing…
“There are good options for him in MMA. I don’t know who I would put on the table right now unless it is Jon Jones for $50million or even Tom Aspinall.
“Give Tom Aspinall the $50m. However it plays out, I don’t get involved in those high-end dealings.
“One thing I will say is if we do get Ngannou versus any of those MMA champions that I have mentioned, then we need to rent out the Colosseum or something.
“I don’t think anywhere else would do it justice.”
Briton Tom Aspinall is the UFC interim heavyweight champion and could unify the division through a fight with Jones this year.
There have been calls from several MMA fans that the winner of that should fight Ngannou to decided the ultimate heavyweight on the planet.
Ngannou fighting against any of the current champions in MMA would be a spectacle, however, the former is likely to delve back into the ring first.
