Former UFC fighter who once almost fought Francis Ngannou explains why he left PFL

A former UFC fighter, who once almost clashed against Francis Ngannou,has opened up about why he parted ways with the PFL. Additionally, the fighter also hinted at his potential future following his exit from the PFL.

Back in 2024, the PFL confirmed that Ngannou would face the winner of the fight between heavyweights Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader that would headline the PFL vs. Bellator card in February 2024. Wrestling savant and UFC veteran Bader was ultimately knocked out by the PFL's Ferreira.

As such, America's Bader almost fought the Cameroon-born Francis Ngannou, but his knockout defeat led to Ferreira getting the opportunity to face Ngannou. They clashed in October 2024, with Ngannou knocking out Ferreira.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, former Bellator light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Ryan Bader was asked about his recent PFL exit and entry into free agency. Bader responded by explaining:

"Yeah. I have one fight on my contract with PFL. And it was just kind of us kind of wondering, 'Who? If?' You know? 'Cause when they [the PFL] acquired Bellator, and Bellator kind of was no longer, it was kind of like everything was up in the air. Like, who's the champ, this and that. You know, me coming as a Bellator champ, I couldn't really fight just anybody."

He added:

"So it's like, finding an opponent and all that kind of stuff. And I didn't know how long that would be. And I wanted to kind of get something going sooner rather than later. So we kind of came together and decided a release would be for the best."

Watch Bader's assessment below (1:26):

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When Ryan Bader addressed a potential fight against Francis Ngannou

During the aforementioned interview, Ryan Bader, who hasn't fought since losing to Ferreira, indicated that he enjoyed his time in Bellator. Bader also signaled that he'd be open to submission grappling or even competing in an MMA bout next.

On the other hand, Francis Ngannou hasn't competed since knocking out Renan Ferreira in October 2024. Ngannou has notably expressed interest in boxing first in 2025.

Speaking to TMZ Sports in early 2024, Ryan Bader implied that his wrestling prowess would present a stylistic challenge to striking savant Francis Ngannou. Bader lightheartedly acknowledged that 'The Predator' is an incredible knockout artist, but he underscored that he'll take the fight to the mat and outwork him:

"There's no secret, right? I'm going to go out there and try to take him down. If it's a boring fight, whatever ... That guy has sledgehammers."

Check out Bader's comments below (0:33):