Ex-PFL champ talks potential Francis Ngannou signing 

With Francis Ngannou rumored to be signing with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the promotion's former two-time lightweight champion Kayla Harrison gave her thoughts in an interview with The Schmo. Francis Ngannou wants to get in the boxing ring but also revealed that he's close to signing either with PFL or ONE Championship.

Kayla Harrison, who trains at the American Top Team (ATT), said that she respects the former UFC heavyweight champion and said that "he's the man" in her eyes. Here's what the fighter from Danvers, Massachusetts, said:

"Look, Francis knows his worth. Francis knows that he's got a lot of options. I have nothing but respect for him and everything he's done - the way he stands up for fighters and their rights. And he's the man in my eyes. So, he can do whatever he wants, wherever he wants. I hope he comes to the the PFL because it's been a great home for me and I know it could be for him as well."

Skip to 2:29 for Kayla Harrison's thoughts on Francis Ngannou joining the PFL:

Kayla Harrison was rumored to be joining the UFC after her PFL contract expired in 2021, and many hoped that she would face women's pound-for-pound No.1 fighter Amanda Nunes in a featherweight showdown. 'Doug' was also in attendance at UFC 269 when the bantamweight queen was dethroned by Julianna Pena.

However, Harrison didn't end up joining the UFC (or Bellator, where she was rumored to face Cris Cyborg) and instead chose to re-sign with the Professional Fighters League. According to Ariel Helwani, Harrison's contract with the PFL pays her "better than 99.9% of female fighters" in other organizations.

---

"He's the scariest motherf****r in the world, and he's not going to be fighting in the UFC?" - Sean O'Malley on Francis Ngannou leaving UFC

On an episode of Sean O'Malley's podcast, he and his head coach Mike Welch speculated on what Ngannou's next move will be after leaving the UFC. Welch stated that Ngannou could potentially fight for a higher paycheck in the PFL in response to O'Malley saying the UFC pays its athletes the most.

Here's what Mike Welch said:

"When you're a star like that [Francis Ngannou], yeah [you'll get paid a lot and gain a lot of attention in the] UFC. When you're not really a star, you might make some more money in [the] PFL."

O'Malley responded by saying:

"I agree. But, Francis is the scariest motherf****r in the world, and he's not going to be fighting in the UFC?"

Francis Ngannou last fought at UFC 270 in January 2022, where he defended his heavyweight title for the last time against Ciryl Gane. The fight with 'Bon Gamin' was the last fight on his contract.

'The Predator' was rumored to face Jon Jones for his second title defense. However, failed contract negotiations with the premier MMA promotion caused Francis Ngannou to walk away from the UFC.