"PFL is slowly closing that gap" - Kenny Florian details the impact of Francis Ngannou's massive signing after UFC split [Exclusive]

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou stunned the MMA world earlier this year when he announced that he’d departed the promotion to join the rival PFL organisation.

The move made ‘The Predator’ the first reigning champion to walk away from the UFC without losing his title since BJ Penn’s departure for K-1 back in 2004.

Since then, it has been revealed that not only will Francis Ngannou’s deal with the PFL make him plenty of money, but his first fight will come against WBC heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury in October.

Since these announcements, a number of key figures in the MMA world have spoken about what this means for the sport’s landscape. The latest name to throw his opinion out there is former UFC lightweight title challenger Kenny Florian.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda’s James Lynch, ‘Ken-Flo’ had the following to say about the PFL and their position in the market following their signing of Francis Ngannou:

“I’ve talked to a lot of fighters personally who are very curious about going over to the PFL...I think first of all, not everyone can be a world champion, right, it’s extremely difficult...and I think when you’re looking at your fight career, what you probably have to look at most is...how can I make the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time? You’re not out there raking leaves...you’re fighting in a cage, you are preparing every single day, destroying your body in preparation for this thing...so how long do you wanna be doing that? If you realise that hey, in under 12 months, I could potentially win a million dollars? You could be fighting for years in the UFC and never make a million dollars cumulatively. I think it’s really gonna get people scratching their heads and thinking, where should I actually be and what are the opportunities outside of the UFC? Certainly the UFC is still elite...but the PFL is slowly closing that gap and will continue to do so.”

Listen to Kenny Florian discuss the PFL below.

---

Francis Ngannou PFL: What did Carl Froch say about ‘The Predator’ and his fight with Tyson Fury?

Francis Ngannou’s move to the PFL has created waves in the MMA world, but it has now been confirmed that ‘The Predator’ will not be competing in the cage for his new promotion just yet.

Instead, the former UFC heavyweight champ is set to fight WBC heavyweight kingpin Tyson Fury in the squared circle in Saudi Arabia in October.

While many fans are excited by the prospect of this bout, one person who has talked it down is former WBC and IBF super-middleweight champion Carl Froch.

‘The Cobra’ compared the Fury vs. Ngannou fight to an exhibition bout, and even went as far as labelling it “a joke” in a recent interview.

Despite Froch’s views, it’s still likely that Fury vs. Ngannou will become one of 2023’s biggest fights.