UFC president Dana White commented on former promotion heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou's move to the PFL.
You’re gonna pay a guy not to fight for a year, and it’s already been like 18 months.
Francis wants to take zero risks, doesn’t want to take any chances. He obviously didn’t want to take a chance against Jon Jones and after we saw what happened with Ciryl Gane. I don’t blame him. I think the outcome would have been exactly the same. I am sure most of you do and Francis does too.
Dana White after the UFC Vegas 73 tournament
As a reminder, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou announced his signing with the PFL on May 16. Ngannou will make his 2024 debut in the promotion's Super Fight division, where the fighters receive an increased percentage of pay-per-view (PPV) sales.
Ngannou had his last fight against Cyril Gane in January 2022 at UFC 270. Francis won that fight by unanimous decision.
Ngannou made his MMA debut against Rachid Benzina in November 2013 in the 100% Fight Promotion. Francis won that fight by first round submission. He has 17 wins and three losses under his belt.