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For former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, separating from being aligned with PFL was not his decision.
"We parted ways in January," Ngannou said during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show (thanks to MMA Junkie for the quotes). "I wanted to also give them a better way to come up with something because that was their decision to part ways, not mine.
"But I was a little surprised when they sent me (the announcement). They should have at least told me since I was holding onto this."
Ngannou added that he "wasn't aware at all" that the move was coming but had been in talks with MVP for a fight. He will compete on the upcoming Netflix card featuring Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano against Philipe Lins.
Francis Ngannou not feeling sorry for himself after release
"At this point, I'm not here to feel emotional about stuff," Ngannou said. "I just move on. I found it a little weird that after all this time, they didn't come back to me to say, 'Ok, now we're going to announce it.' They didn't even tell me."
Ngannou, who will turn 40 years old this September, signed with PFL after his contract with the UFC expired while he was the current heavyweight champion. He would compete just once for the promotion, defeating Renan Ferreira in 2024 for the PFL Super Fights heavyweight title.
He competed twice inside the boxing ring, losing to Tyson Fury via split decision in 2023 and falling to Anthony Joshua via knockout in 2024. Ngannou was also expected to help build PFL Africa as part of plans to spread the promotion around the globe.
The MVP-produced Netflix-streamed event takes place May 16 from the Intuit Dome in California. Ngannou vs. Lins is scheduled for five round and as the co-main event.
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