B/R's 4-Fight Ideas for Francis Ngannou's Next Opponent
The "Predator" is back among the prey.
Former UFC heavyweight boss Francis Ngannou made a long-awaited return to the MMA stage on Saturday night in Los Angeles, ending a 19-month absence with a knockout of six-fight octagonal castoff Philipe Lins.
Ngannou hadn't climbed inside a competitive cage since the fall of 2024, when he dismantled Renan Ferreira in less than a round in what turned out to be the Cameroonian's lone appearance with the PFL promotion.
He'd officially reigned atop the UFC's big boys from March 2021 to January 2023, taking the belt from Stipe Miocic and defending against Ciryl Gane before a contract dispute with Dana White hastened his exit.
Two subsequent trips into the boxing ring yielded a narrow scorecard loss to then-reigning champion Tyson Fury and a second-round squash at the fists of ex-claimant Anthony Joshua, leaving that side of his career in limbo and prompting the brief PFL dalliance that ended with his contractual release in March.
His defeat of Lins revs the engines for what's next and B/R's combat team joined the fray with four ideas, framed here as who it "Could Be" and "Probably Will Be," who we "Wish It Would Be," and the choice that'd "Break the Internet."
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.
Who It Could Be: Rico Verhoeven
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This one could have happened this weekend.
But, instead, the would-be rivals' paths diverged.
Rico Verhoeven, a 37-year-old from the Netherlands, was a reigning champion when he left the Glory kickboxing promotion last fall and seemed tailor-made for Ngannou's early 2026 agenda before deciding to try his hand at traditional boxing and agreeing to a date with Oleksandr Usyk later this month.
Ngannou, trying to rebuild his menacing brand, chose Lins.
But, presuming he doesn't topple Usyk, now a 25-to-1 favorite, Verhoeven will be back on the market and perhaps looking for a new challenge in the form of Ngannou, who could indulge him either in the ring or inside a cage, where Verhoeven is 1-0 after scoring a first-round KO a decade ago.
Who It Probably Will Be: Robelis Despaigne
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Robelis Despaigne's presence alongside Ngannou on Saturday's undercard at the Intuit Dome could have been a mere coincidence.
But probably not.
Though Jake Paul's MVP conglomerate hasn't outlined a plan for additional MMA shows, the guess is they'll continue. And if they do, matching two winners from the first show—particularly when one of them is a former UFC champion, and the other beat an ex-champ in L.A.—seems a logical choice for a headliner.
Despaigne flamed out of the UFC after losing two of three bouts in 2024, but his chops as an Olympic medalist in taekwondo and reigning heavyweight champion of the Karate Combat full-contact karate promotion provide ample street cred.
And if Paul and Co. should come calling, the 37-year-old Cuban is down for it.
"It wasn't even something that crossed my mind, but over time, many people have asked about it," he told Habelmos MMA. "I think it would be a great opportunity for me to let the world know who I am by fighting Francis Ngannou."
Who We Wish It Would Be: Jon Jones
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Likely? Maybe not. But we can dream, can't we?
A bout between Ngannou and now-former two-division UFC champ Jon Jones has been on nearly every dream fight short list for a few years now, given that Jones was atop the 205-pounders during Ngannou's heavyweight run and succeeded him as king of the big men two months after his departure.
Each has suggested the match could have been made had the other one really wanted it, and, though Jones hasn't competed in 18 months, the buzz for it was renewed when "Bones" landed a gig as an analyst on Saturday's Netflix broadcast.
Jones is still bound by a UFC contract—a hurdle that'll surely take some effort to clear—but if you're wondering if Ngannou is still interested, don't.
"I think if the condition was right and that we could fight each other, it would be the most exciting fight of my career," he said during the run-up to Saturday's fight. "I think that's the only thing that could hold me around for a long time, hoping, maybe after my 50s, still hoping that the fight could have happened someday."
What Would Break the Internet: Jake Paul
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Into every "Break the Internet" slide, a little Paul must fall.
Sometimes it's driven by the "Problem Child's" nonsensical claims that would-be high-profile rivals, like Canelo Alvarez, for example, are scared to meet him. Other times, it makes more sense, given Paul's willingness to advance his boxing career by fighting the likes of Mike Tyson and Joshua.
The latter bout, which occurred last December in Miami, could be the jumping-off point for a date with Ngannou, who shared a ring with Joshua in March 2024.
Both men are listed as KO victories on "AJ's" professional record, but the fact that Paul lasted halfway through Round 6 and Ngannou didn't escape Round 2 gives the YouTuber some leverage to suggest he'd have a competitive edge.
And given his habit for needling, a pre-fight press conference gave Paul an opening to suggest Ngannou ran away from him "like a duck," which prompted a predictable response from the former UFC menace.
"I really didn't want to fight you," Ngannou said, "but now I want to beat you."
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