The heavyweights will fight in the cage under hybrid rules, as announced by the head of the organization, Donn Davis, on another edition of The MMA Hour.
“Francis is going to fight Deontay Wilder, and I think it’s going to be a wild fight,” the PFL chief said. “Now everyone knows who Francis Ngannou is – he’s a global superstar. Everyone will want to see that and will take him seriously.”
Deontay Wilder had his last fight last October, knocking out Finnish heavyweight Robert Helenius in the first round to close out two early losses to Tyson Fury. The American will return to the ring on December 23 in Riyadh and his opponent will be former WBO world champion Joseph Parker of New Zealand.
Francis Ngannou, who left the UFC as a free agent earlier this year, made his professional boxing debut in late October, losing a ten-round split decision to Tyson Fury, knocking out the reigning world boxing champion in the third round.
The day before, PFL league executives officially announced the purchase of the Bellator MMA organization, describing an ambitious plan to deprive the UFC of sole leadership in the mixed martial arts industry.