Overview
- Ngannou will face Philipe Lins on Saturday, May 16, on Most Valuable Promotions’ Rousey–Carano card at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, streaming on Netflix.
- Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick said Ngannou arrived to camp "beyond in shape," already at 265 pounds compared with his usual 280.
- In interviews published Wednesday, Ngannou called a Jon Jones showdown the fight he wants before retirement and said the UFC floated Jones as “bait” during past talks.
- Now free of a PFL deal, Ngannou frames this bout as a win for contract freedom and urges fighters to test free agency for better pay and options.
- Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven said he passed on May 16 due to another commitment but wants to revisit an Ngannou matchup, while Nicksick says he will not rule out a UFC return if the terms and opponent make sense.