In a statement, the league said it had “made the decision to part ways with Francis Ngannou,” adding that it has “great respect for Francis as both an athlete and a person”. Ngannou joined the PFL in 2023 after a high-profile departure from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as one of the most significant free-agent signings in MMA history.

Financially, the firm has delivered: 13.7x overall cash-on-cash returns across fintech investments over five years, 29x return on LemFi following a $53m Series B, 5x cash-out from OmniRetail Africa.

Four PFL Africa Champions will be crowned across the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, and Bantamweight divisions.