Francis Ngannou to return to the cage for May 16 bout against Philipe Lins
Francis Ngannou is set to step back into the cage on May 16, with the former UFC heavyweight champion confirmed for a bout against Brazilian fighter Philipe Lins, reports BritPanorama.
The five-round heavyweight contest will serve as the co-main event beneath the headline clash between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.
Most Valuable Promotions, the organisation co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, announced the Cameroonian’s addition to their roster on Monday. The event will stream live on Netflix, marking the platform’s first venture into mixed martial arts broadcasting.
Ngannou, 39, will compete under Unified Rules of MMA inside a hexagon cage, with fighters wearing 4oz gloves. The announcement arrives just days after Ngannou parted ways with PFL, having competed only once for the promotion since signing in 2023. That sole appearance came in October 2024, when he claimed the PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Championship by stopping Renan Ferreira in the opening round with devastating ground strikes approximately three and a half minutes into the contest.
Speaking about his return, Ngannou declared: “While the world was busy talking, I was busy evolving. Silence shouldn’t be mistaken for absence – it’s the sound of a predator closing the distance. Stepping back into the cage isn’t just a return; it’s a reclamation.”
He added that partnering with MVP for a Netflix broadcast “ensures the entire world is watching.” Ngannou’s journey to this point has been marked by both triumph and turbulence. He captured the UFC heavyweight title in March 2021, knocking out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 after losing to the American in his first championship challenge three years earlier.
Following a successful defence against Ciryl Gane, negotiations with the UFC broke down, resulting in him being stripped of the belt. Ngannou then ventured into boxing, narrowly losing a controversial split decision to Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia in October 2023. His second professional boxing bout proved less competitive, with Anthony Joshua stopping him in 2024. His PFL contract had included provisions allowing him to box whilst also serving as chairman of PFL Africa.
Lins, now 40, brings considerable experience to the contest, having competed across UFC, Bellator and PFL throughout his career. The Brazilian claimed the 2018 PFL heavyweight tournament but has not fought at heavyweight for nearly six years, most recently winning four consecutive light heavyweight bouts in the UFC between 2022 and 2024 before his release.
Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian issued a joint statement describing Ngannou as “unequivocally the best heavyweight MMA fighter in the world”. The MVP co-founders added: “Francis is one of the most feared knockout artists the sport has ever seen, and his return to MMA instantly makes this a historic night.”
As MMA begins to evolve on platforms like Netflix, the world will undoubtedly be watching Ngannou’s journey with a mix of excitement and anticipation.
