Netflix has added former MMA heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to the May 16 card headlined by Ronda Rousey’s return to mixed-martial arts for the first time in nearly a decade.
Netflix and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced Monday that Ngannou (18-3, 4 Submissions, 13 KOs) will face off against Philipe Lins (18-5, 4 Submissions, 9 KOs) at th Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The announcement came three days after PFL released Ngannou, who fought just once for the promotion in three years.
His contract allowed Ngannou to compete in other combat sports, and he fought in boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before making his lone PFL appearance by knocking out Renan Ferreira in October 2024.
Ngannou now returns to MMA in a Netflix special against Lins in what will be a professionally sanctioned heavyweight bout contested over five, five-minute rounds.
“While the world was busy talking, I was busy evolving,” Ngannou said in a statement. “Silence shouldn’t be mistaken for absence — it’s the sound of a predator closing the distance. Stepping back into the cage isn’t just a return; it’s a reclamation. My return to MMA demanded a stage that matched the scale of my ambition, and partnering with MVP to bring this event to Netflix ensures the entire world is watching. I am ready for this new chapter, and I cannot wait to entertain my fans again and remind the world exactly who I am and what I am capable of delivering on a highest stage.”
Lins is a 2018 PFL heavyweight tournament winner who said he is “grateful” for the opportunity to be part of the first MMA event on Netflix and the first MMA event for MVP. After earning a $1 million grand prize in PFL, Lins signed with the UFC in 2020, where he earned wins over Ion Cutelaba, Ovince Saint Preux and Marcin Prachnio.
The event will be made available to the streamer’s more than 325 million members at no additional cost.
The headline bout will be Rousey (12-2) against the trailblazing Gina Carano (7-1) at 145 pounds. The contest is a five-round bout with standard five-minute rounds and four-ounce gloves.
Rousey, 39, retired from MMA in 2016 and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. She later competed in World Wrestling Entertainment from 2018-2022. Carano, 43, retired from MMA following her loss to Cris Cyborg in 2009 and tried her hand as an actress.
–Field Level Media
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