Dana White: PFL founder says Francis Ngannou-led super card towers over $20 million Noche UFC 306 production: "Dana White loves to talk about the Sphere"

PFL founder says Francis Ngannou-led super card towers over $20 million Noche UFC 306 production: "Dana White loves to talk about the Sphere"

By Liam Fresen

Modified Oct 18, 2024 10:56 GMT

Francis Ngannou (left) headlines PFL super card on Oct. 19 that surpasses Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere (middle), which cost $20 million according to Dana White (right) [Images courtesy: Getty Images, @francisngannou on Instagram and @ufc on X] — Francis Ngannou (left) headlines PFL super card on Oct. 19 that surpasses Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere (middle), which cost $20 million according to Dana White (right) [Image courtesy: Getty Images, @francisngannou on Instagram and @ufc on X]

Francis Ngannou will return to MMA for the first time since 2022 when he headlines the PFL super card against Renan Ferreira on Oct. 19. It is one of the most exciting cards of the year, and PFL founder Donn Davis recently compared the event to the Noche UFC 306 event held at The Sphere.

Noche UFC 306 took place on Sept. 15, Mexican Independence Day, and was a "love letter" to Mexican combat sports athletes and fans, according to UFC CEO Dana White. White stated that the entire production cost over $20 million.

Davis recently compared the upcoming PFL: Battle of the Giants card to the Noche UFC card whilst talking to Front Office Sports. He shared several key differences between their pay-per-view card and the UFC's Mexican-themed card, saying:

"We couldn't afford what we're putting on on October 19th without the support [of our partners]. PIF and Surge, along with the Minister of Sport in Saudi Arabia, are underwriting this event. Dana White loves to talk about The Sphere, well most of his $20 million went into those historic movies. This [PFL event] is more than $20 million and most of it is going into the fights."

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Watch Davis discuss the Francis Ngannou-led PFL card below (3:05):

Donn Davis isn't concerned about losing star power in Francis Ngannou, nor anyone else

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is one of the fastest-growing MMA promotions in the world. With the help of marquee signings like Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul, the company has positioned itself to go from strength to strength over the coming years, particularly given their promotional attitude.

Unlike the UFC, which focuses on promoting certain fighters on their roster over others in the hopes of reaching wider audiences, the PFL leans heavily on fighter performance as a gauge for who to focus their promotional resources on.

Ahead of Ngannou's return to MMA after two boxing fights, Donn Davis was asked by the media if he was nervous that 'The Predator' would not be the Ngannou of old. He said:

Are we nervous about the outcome? No. Professional Fighters League is different from the other guys. The other guys are a promoter-driven league... They have stakes in certain fighters winning. They put a lot of investments in ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley winning... They worked to make sure he wins.then he falls flat and they’re disappointed... We’re a fighter-driven league. Fighters control their destiny. If they win, they advance."

Watch Davis discuss Francis Ngannou's return below (8:45):

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Edited by Anurag Mitra