The PFL has instituted a new rankings system as a part of their new promotional fresh start, and in the first iteration, Francis Ngannou was left out altogether.
Ngannou chose to vacate the UFC heavyweight title and sign with PFL in 2023 after becoming a free agent. “The Predator” competed in two boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before making his PFL debut, which happened in October 2024 when he destroyed Renan Ferreira in the first round at PFL: Battle of the Giants.
With the MMA community left scratching their heads as to why Ngannou was left out of both the inaugural PFL heavyweight and pound-for-pound rankings, PFL CEO John Martin provided an explanation as to why the first crop of rankings look like they do.
“These rankings are a starting point,” Martin said in a statement to MMA Fighting. “They reflect where the roster stands today, not a final verdict. Over the next three to four months, as fighters compete and activity picks up, the rankings will evolve and sort themselves out naturally.”
The new PFL rankings are independently administered by Combat Registry, who also compiles rankings for the ABC and the UFC. The company also compiled rankings for Bellator MMA prior to PFL absorbing the promotion in November 2023.
Ngannou currently has one fight left on his initial deal with the PFL. In an interview with MMA Fighting in December, Martin remained hopeful Ngannou would compete for the promotion in 2026, and they are planning to provide him with something big.
“I’ve spoken to Francis a number of times,” Martin said. “He knows we’re working on something very special for him. I’d like to see what happens in the fight this week and see if [Vadim] Nemkov wins, if that makes sense. But Francis knows that we’re forward to him fighting in 2026, relatively soon hopefully and we’re trying to put something together that’s very special for him.
“He’s got one more fight under his contract, and we’ll see what happens after that. In the meantime, he’s been a great ambassador for us and PFL Africa. I know he’s explored some [options] on the boxing front, too. We’ve been in reasonably frequent communication with him and his manager and his lawyer. I look forward to seeing Francis in the cage again.”
