Francis Ngannou is back! And this comes just days after parting ways with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). While it seemed the former UFC heavyweight would take some time before taking up his next assignment, he isn’t. And in front of him is an interesting opponent, who is also a former UFC fighter.
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The fighter in question is none other than Philipe Lins. And the bout between Ngannou and Lins is set to go down in the first-ever Netflix MMA event on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. And interestingly, it is the same event that will be headlined by women’s MMA legends Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. But before talking more about the card, let’s get into a deep dive about Ngannou’s upcoming opponent.
Who is Philipe Lins?
Philipe Lins is a 40-year-old fighter who hails from Brazil. Like Francis Ngannou, he was a member of the UFC roster from 2020 to 2024, and fought in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions.
After an impressive record of 14-3 in regional circuits, Bellator, and PFL, Lins entered the leading MMA promotion. And for that, the expectations were high around his opening UFC bout. To that end, the Brazilian directly got booked against a veteran like Andrei Arlovski.
However, contrary to expectations, Lins failed to win on his UFC heavyweight debut. Not only that, a similar result, if not more devastating, followed in the subsequent fight. Tanner Boser, who was coming off a loss against Ciryl Gane, was booked to face the Brazilian, and in just 2:41 minutes into the fight, Boser secured a knockout win.
As a result, Lins immediately moved a weight class down to light heavyweight. And this decision completely turned around his career in the UFC. To that end, the Brazilian went on a four-fight winning streak, where he defeated the likes of Marcin Prachnio, Ovince Saint Preux, Maxim Grishin, and Ion Cutelaba.
However, despite having that consistent performance, Lins was released by the leading MMA promotion in 2024. And interestingly, the reason behind that was the Brazilian’s history of constant fight cancellations due to medical issues.
Now, Lins’ fight against Ngannou will be his return to a professional MMA fight after his departure from UFC. Their bout is set to be the co-main headliner of the Netflix MMA event. And the stipulations of the bout will be a five-round heavyweight contest.
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Not only that, but the event is also co-promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). Considering that, Ngannou has seemingly teased another potential fight.
Francis Ngannou eyes potential Jake Paul fight after Netflix MMA bout
Francis Ngannou parted ways with UFC in 2022 after having conflicts with the UFC president, Dana White, over fighter’s pay. And following that, he ventured into professional boxing, where he fought Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Although Ngannou suffered defeats in those fights, he still wants to pursue that line. As it seems, ‘The Predator’ also has an opponent in mind.
“Hey guys, rumors are true,” said Ngannou on Instagram. “I’m joining the Rousey vs. Carano MMA fight on Netflix. I’ll be entering the cage to fight Philipe Lins from Brazil. MVP is the promoter, so who knows, maybe this means I’m one step closer to knocking out Jake Paul too.”
Now, Jake Paul‘s meteoric rise in the boxing world is well known to the boxing community. In a very short span of time, Paul has already fought big names like Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua. Although he lost against Joshua, ‘The Problem Child’ still looks like a highly sought-after opponent.
Whether Ngannou fights Paul or not will be interesting to see. But before that, ‘The Predator’ will surely look to capitalize on his upcoming bout against Philipe Lins.
Surely, he had an impressive knockout win over Renan Ferreira in his last MMA fight in 2024. And considering that, do you think Ngannou beats Lins on May 16? Let us know in the comments below!
