Francis Ngannou is keen to return to MMA, and his coach would love to see it happen in the UFC Octagon.

Ngannou is the former UFC heavyweight champion. Several years ago, he famously left the promotion—vacating the title in the process—to seek out new opportunities as a free agent.

Initially, it looked like Ngannou might have fumbled, as the kids say, but he later signed a lucrative deal with the PFL. Things then got even better for him when he scored a pair of blockbuster boxing matches with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He lost both, but made bundles of cash in the process. More than he ever made in the UFC.

Ngannou’s last fight occurred under MMA rules, as he smashed Renan Fereira to a first-round TKO in the PFL cage. However, that was way back in late 2024, and his long absence has left fans wondering about his future.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Ngannou’s head coach Eric Nicksick shed some light on what’s next for the former champ. The biggest revelation was that Ngannou is apparently chomping at the bit to fight again. He is also apparently already in fantastic shape, despite his hiatus from competition.

Francis Ngannou aims to fight again soon—and his coach wants a UFC return

“We talk all the time and he was out in Dubai, he’s back in Cameroon, he’s coming back to Vegas here soon,” the Ngannou coach said. “Francis always holds his cards close to the chest and I just know Francis. He’s a guy that he’s going to call me up on a Sunday and say, ‘Hey, we’re fighting Friday.’ It’s one of those things with him. We talked recently and that’s basically what he said. He goes, ‘Hey, Bubba, I want to come back and get back into MMA.’ I told him, ‘We need to get back before a fight is booked and start getting your body to where we’re comfortable,’ and he’s actually in really, really good shape.

“He’s the lightest I’ve ever seen him,” Nicksick continued. “He called and FaceTimed, I saw his face right away and it was like chiseled. Usually, he’s like a little bit more plump and he’s been eating and stuff like that, but his knee is feeling good, so he’s getting his roadwork. He’s training every day and his weight was down. I was like, ‘Yo, we got something coming up?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, I’m working on a few things.’ So hopefully, we see him back in the cage in 2026. And then the sky’s the limit for him, man.”

In terms of his next opponent, Ngannou has options.

If Nicksick has his way, his next fight will be back in the UFC—though he left the promotion on extremely hostile terms.

If a UFC return isn’t possible, Nicksick is also open to a fight between Ngannou and PFL star Vadim Nemkov.

“On a personal level, I’d love to be able to see him compete in the UFC just because of the level of competition that he would go against,” the coach said. “But if he fights Nemkov, sh*t, he looked great in his last fight, too. So he’s a guy that we’ve got to take serious. So whatever opponent rises, we’ll be ready for.”

Who do you want to see Francis Ngannou fight next?