Arjan Bhullar lauds Francis Ngannou for taking a chance on himself by signing with the PFL.
Former heavyweight champion Ngannou parted ways with the UFC and signed a deal with the PFL that allows him to box and gives him equity and a leadership role within the promotion.
Former ONE Championship heavyweight titleholder Bhullar (11-2) – he lost the belt Friday to interim champ Anatoly Malykhin (13-0) in a title unification bout– thinks Ngannou’s deal will only benefit fighters moving forward.
“He was able to beat the machine and get a great deal for himself,” Bhullar told MMA Junkie. “It proves MMA is real because he’s the highest paid heavyweight of all time, and it’s outside the UFC. The UFC isn’t the entire sport. MMA is a real option. There are other promotions, and he proved that.
“He’s the second highest-paid fighter of all time now because of that deal – potentially the highest paid, depending on how his boxing goes. And all that, again, is outside the UFC. So good on him for betting on himself and cashing in.”
ONE Championship was in the bidding for Ngannou before he signed with the PFL. Bhullar is disappointed Ngannou didn’t end up in the same promotion as him, but doesn’t rule out the possibility of them fighting.
“I would have loved for it to be within ONE Championship,” Bhullar said. “I’m an athlete. I like to test myself against the best. He is the lineal MMA champion of the world. He holds that title and that prestige right now. I would have loved to be able to compete for that. (I’m) not saying it’s not a possibility still. It could potentially be an even bigger fight if we’re able to co-promote, to be quite honest with you. Let’s see how things play out for him.”
Arjan Bhullar: Francis Ngannou ‘beat the machine’ with PFL deal, proved ‘UFC isn’t the entire sport’