Francis Ngannou has really proved Dana White about being relevant after his UFC departure. He wanted to box, and he did it against a couple of heavyweight legends, and reportedly made more money than he ever did in his tenure at the Las Vegas-based promotion. Even Ngannou’s PFL debut was a huge success, and now, he’s intending to make his return to fighting, marking the beginning of another camp with his coach, Eric Nicksick.

‘The Predator’ recently shared a message, and quite a motivational one at that, to his fans and followers. Francis Ngannou’s 2024 wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine; he lost his 15-month-old son Kobe. The Cameroonian-French star, on the other hand, seems determined to face the obstacles that lie ahead. He posted some photographs from one of his latest workouts.

“Life can slow us down and push us off track from time to time, trying to stop us from climbing. But never forget that your dedication, determination, and discipline are your first allies and will never let you down,” Francis Ngannou wrote on Instagram. “I’m back in the gym and feel more motivated than ever before. Getting ready for whatever is to come.”

Well, the buzz surrounding Francis Ngannou is growing, and fans have shared their reactions to it. Eric Nicksick will have ‘The Predator’s back for sure, even though things weren’t always smooth sailing for the Xtreme Couture head coach, as a popular MMA enthusiast going by the pen name ‘Jack Slack’ tweeted, “Watching Eric Nicksick give good advice to a team of the least coachable fighters ever assembled, every single week.”

Now, to understand that, let’s talk about one of the notable issues that happened with the veteran coach. But it wasn’t with Ngannou. It happened with former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. The ever-vocal UFC star often sees his attitude clashing with the discipline of the gym. After his lackluster performance at UFC 312, where he failed to reclaim the middleweight belt, both Strickland and Nicksick had a public disagreement. As the coach claimed that his fighter’s performance was “underwhelming,” the former champion went on to claim that he won’t be having the Xtreme Couture coach in his corner again.

Well, things have been working just fine for Eric Nicksick and Francis Ngannou, who, much like the fans, may have to wait to see what is next for ‘The Predator’. After all, he didn’t really specify if it was a boxing or MMA return he’s talking about. Fans have thrown around some names when they came across his Instagram post, as they picked Jon Jones and Oleksandr Usyk for his next fight.

Oleksandr Usyk or Jon Jones? Fans make their picks for Francis Ngannou

For almost half a decade now, the conversation about the biggest heavyweight MMA clash did not involve Tom Aspinall, but rather Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. But after the now-PFL star’s unceremonious departure from the UFC, the chances of that happening were very slim. Nevertheless, Jones is still interested in the fight, and judging by what some of the fans had to say, they want it as well. A few fans commented, “You can beat [Jon Jones] from Monday to monday,” “Make the fight with Jones,” and, “I can take him. Go beat up jones for all of us, champ,” in that regard.

But then again, some fans had another idea, and this time, it did involve Tom Aspinall. They suggest Francis Ngannou should be aiming to fight UFC stars, and that, too, at the White House when UFC hosts its maiden event at the POTUS residence. “Sign a deal fight aspinall december / early 2026 winner fights jones at the white house,” a fan commented. On the other side of the spectrum, a section of fans believe Aspinall should not be in the picture, commenting, ”
Go fight Jones at the white house.”

But fans who’ve enjoyed watching Francis Ngannou box are convinced that he can become champion. Hence, they mentioned Oleksandr Usyk‘s name, who recently defeated Daniel Dubois. “I can take him. Go beat up jones for all of us, champ.” But when we talk about someone of Ngannou’s caliber, who now has the ability to pick and choose his avenues of fighting. But boxing and MMA aren’t the only avenues available to him. Not too long ago, he even expressed interest in a potential fight against GLORY star Rico Verhoeven. Fans aren’t opposed to that idea either. “Jones, Verhoven or Wilder? Or all three? Can’t wait for the announcement,” the fan wrote.

It looks like Francis Ngannou would have liked it if people were guessing about his next battle. We don’t know what or who is next for “The Predator” right now. We’ll have to wait for more rumors and news to find out. Please tell us what you think in the comments section below.