Francis Ngannou responds to PFL heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov's challenge

Francis Ngannou wants Vadim Nemkov next. [Image courtesy: Getty]
Francis Ngannou wants Vadim Nemkov next. [Image courtesy: Getty]

Francis Ngannou has seemingly spotted the next challenge for his return inside the PFL cage. The Cameroonian wasted no time responding to Vadim Nemkov's callout after the Russian's recent win.

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Nemkov called out Ngannou after a dominant performance against Renan Ferreira. He secured an early takedown, stayed heavy on top, and punished Ferreira with elbows and punches from mount.

When the opening presented itself, Nemkov locked in an arm triangle choke and forced the tap in the first round. The win pushed his unbeaten streak to 15 and made him the new PFL heavyweight champion.

Speaking in his post-fight interview, Nemkov said:

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"I'll fight anybody that the company wants me to, but I really want to fight Francis Ngannou."

Ngannou responded soon after, saying he has been ready for a long time. He took to X and wrote:

"I been ready for a long time. See you soon."

Check out Francis Ngannou's X post below:

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Ngannou has one fight left on his PFL contract and is expected to return in 2026 for what PFL CEO John Martin has described as a "special fight." Since signing with the PFL in 2023, Ngannou has balanced MMA with high-profile boxing bouts. He lost a decision to Tyson Fury and succumbed to a knockout loss against Anthony Joshua.

Inside the SmartCage, he has only fought once, stopping Ferreira with brutal ground punches in the opening round last October. The Nemkov matchup now feels like the natural next step. It puts the reigning champion against the promotion’s biggest draw and answers questions about where Ngannou stands in the division.

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Beyond that, Ngannou has been talking about a fight against Jon Jones at the UFC White House card among other high-profile options. That being said, UFC CEO Dana White is not too keen on entertaining the idea of Ngannou's return to the promotion.

White has long maintained that working with Ngannou and his team was a challenge while he was under UFC contract. He even resorted to calling the 39-year-old a "bad guy" while talking about his behavior.

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar
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