Francis Ngannou to Fight Winner of Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader PFL Bout

The Professional Fighters League announced Thursday that the winner of Saturday's heavyweight bout between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader will go on to face former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Ngannou said earlier Thursday before the initial announcement was made that he anticipated fighting either Ferreira or Bader in his PFL debut:

"I think the winner of this is the guy I'm going to fight in my MMA return. It is my intention to return to the sport. When exactly, I think depends on March 8. [Ferreira and Bader] are both champions and one of them is going to be a 'champ champ.' So, I think there isn't a better way to find an opponent [for me], since I am a champion myself."

Ngannou signed with PFL back in May 2023, but he has yet to compete in a fight for the promotion due to his focus on his burgeoning boxing career.

The 37-year-old Ngannou competed in UFC from 2015 to 2022, beating Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 260 in 2021 and then successfully defending it against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022.

Ngannou and UFC were unable to come to terms on a new contract, so he vacated the title, left the promotion and signed with PFL.

The 17-3 heavyweight's PFL debut was delayed when he decided to make his pro boxing debut against undefeated world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October.

Despite having never boxed professionally, Ngannou pushed Fury to the limit and lost by split decision, falling just short of handing the 34-0-1 Fury his first career loss.

Given the fact that Ngannou nearly beat arguably the best heavyweight boxer in the world in his boxing debut, he agreed to a second fight against former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, which will take place on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.

The result of Ngannou vs. Joshua could dictate Ngannou's future in boxing, but his MMA return is in the cards regardless, and two accomplished heavyweights will vie for the chance to welcome him back into the fold.

Ferreira, 34, is 12-3 with three no contests in his career, and 10 of his wins have come by way of knockout. He scored the biggest victory of his career in November when he beat Denis Goltsov by second-round technical knockout to win the 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament.

The 40-year-old Bader is a UFC veteran who was part of the promotion from 2008 through 2016 before moving on to Bellator.

Bader is 31-7 with one no contest, and he held both the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles in Bellator. Bader is still the Bellator heavyweight champion and is the longest-reigning champ in Bellator history.

During his time in Bellator, Bader has beaten Fedor Emelianenko, Cheick Kongo, Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis, plus he owns wins over Quinton Jackson, Ovince Saint Preux, Rashad Evans and Davis from his UFC tenure.

The winner of Ferreira vs. Bader will have a ton of momentum on their side, and a subsequent win over Ngannou would perhaps be the biggest victory in either of their careers.