Francis Ngannou is joining one of the biggest events of the spring. The former UFC heavyweight champion is set to make his MMA return on May 16 at Los Angeles' Intuit Dome, fighting in the five-round co-main event of MVP's historic Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event on Netflix.
Ngannou's first MMA bout since October 2024 will come against Philipe Lins (18-5), a 40-year-old former PFL heavyweight tournament champion and UFC veteran who has been out of action since exiting the latter promotion on a four-fight win streak in March 2024.
Ngannou (18-3) parted ways with the PFL this past Friday, ending a much-ballyhooed partnership that began in early 2023 but ultimately saw "The Predator" compete for PFL just once. Ngannou, 39, had one fight remaining on his PFL deal at the time of his departure, though his contract was set to expire in the coming months and his decision to leave was a mutual one with the promotion.
Despite his inactivity in recent years, Ngannou is still widely considered one of the top heavyweights in MMA. He captured the UFC heavyweight title in 2021 with a highlight-reel knockout of Stipe Miocic, then successfully defended his belt against Ciryl Gane despite tearing multiple ligaments in his knee just weeks out from the fight. In total, Ngannou put together a sterling 12-2 record during his Octagon tenure, with every win but the Gane bout ending in vicious stoppages.
Ngannou shocked the MMA world in January 2023 by departing the UFC as its reigning heavyweight champion — an unprecedented development in the UFC's modern era, and one that positioned Ngannou as one of the most coveted free agents in the sport's history. Ngannou then signed a lucrative, wide-ranging deal with PFL that included equity in the promotion, a leadership position as the chairman of PFL's Africa initiative, and a role on PFL’s advisory board to represent the athlete’s interests.
Yet Ngannou ultimately fought only once for the PFL, earning a first-round knockout of heavyweight tournament champion Renan Ferreira in late 2024. Prior to that, the Cameroon native also competed in professional boxing twice, losing to top heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua over a six-month span in 2023-24 while under PFL contract.
Ngannou famously knocked down Tyson Fury despite having no prior experience in professional boxing.
Lins won the $1 million grand prize in 2018's PFL heavyweight tournament with an underdog run of wins over Alex Nicholson, Caio Alencar, Jared Rosholt and Josh Copeland. Lins then signed with the UFC and lost back-to-back bouts to Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser, before dropping down to light heavyweight and rattling off four consecutive victories over the likes of Ovince Saint Preux and Ion Cutelaba.
Lins was not re-signed by the UFC following the completion of his contract despite his win streak.
Ngannou and Lins now join a Rousey vs. Carano card that doubles as the maiden voyage into MMA for both Netflix and Jake Paul's promotional company, MVP.
Rousey, 39, is one of the biggest stars in the history of the sport, while Carano, 43, is a fellow pioneer of women's MMA. The two trailblazers will have been away from the cage for a combined 25 years by the time May 16 rolls around.
