It sounds like fans won’t be seeing former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou back inside the cage anytime soon.

Since Ngannou left the UFC in early 2023 following a lengthy contractual dispute, the heavyweight king has competed just once in mixed martial arts.

‘The Predator’ initially made the most of the freedom granted to him by the PFL to pursue a career in boxing. After Ngannou pushed Tyson Fury to the limit in his debut, he was brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua in his second fight.

That result was followed by Ngannou’s long-awaited PFL debut last October, but it seems like there are no plans for the Cameroonian to return to the cage in 2025.

Francis Ngannou says the PFL has ‘no opponent’ for him

Ngannou dominantly beat Renan Ferreira at the PFL’s ‘Battle of the Giants’ event, getting his tenure in the promotion off to a strong start.

That fight was immediately followed by questions over who ‘The Predator’ could face next, and almost a year later, it seems the PFL has still not come up with an answer.

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ngannou dealt a blow to those eagerly awaiting his next MMA appearance.

“No,” Ngannou said when asked if discussions have taken place over him fighting in the PFL this year.

“I started to reach out, sent some emails for a fight to see what is on the line. But since there is nothing yet. I don’t think they have an opponent for me.

“So we will wait,” Ngannou added. “We still have time.

“I know they brought up (Vadim) Nemkov, but things didn’t play out. I was expecting to maybe have the champion, the champion of the tournament. But I still don’t know how it’s looking.”

Those comments come a few weeks after Ngannou shut down talk of a UFC comeback, which was sparked when coach Eric Nicksick expressed a desire to see his man back inside the Octagon.

Francis Ngannou does not have the same problem in boxing

Fortunately for Ngannou, not all of his combat sports doors are currently closed.

While his PFL future remains uncertain, ‘The Predator’ has his sights on another high-profile matchup in the boxing ring, as he pursues his first victory in the sport that first captured his attention.

Ngannou wants to fight Deontay Wilder next, and he told Helwani that talks will soon get underway for the blockbuster heavyweight clash.

“We haven’t engaged personally, but it’s going to be soon,” Ngannou said.

“We are setting some things up.”