Ngannou retains – Francis Ngannou returned to MMA after more than a year and a half and knocked out Philipe Lins in the first round at MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano in Inglewood. With no official belt at stake, he still retained the sport’s lineal heavyweight title, sealing the wi
Francis Ngannou came back to mixed martial arts in a way that left little room for doubt, stopping Philipe Lins in the opening round with a left hook late in the first frame.
The heavyweight headliner at MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano took place Saturday night in Inglewood, Calif., at the Intuit Dome. While no official belt was on the line, Ngannou retained the sport’s lineal heavyweight title by putting Lins to sleep.
The matchup carried a stark physical gap before the first bell.. The 257-pound Ngannou entered with a 37-pound advantage over a Lins who weighed 220 pounds at Friday’s weigh-ins. a difference that was noticeable throughout the fight.. For Ngannou. 39. it was also a reminder of the kind of finishing violence that defined his UFC run—one that. according to his record. never saw him lose his undisputed heavyweight title via knockout. submission or decision.. That title was vacated in 2022 after a contract dispute with the UFC, before the two sides eventually parted ways.
Saturday’s fight was also a return after more than a year and a half away from MMA competition.. Ngannou. a former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion who debuted in the UFC in 2015. built a resume in his earlier career that included 11 stoppage wins and knockouts of champions Stipe Miocic. Cain Velasquez. Junior dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski. along with wins over Alistair Overeem. Curtis Blaydes and Ciryl Gane.. Since leaving the UFC, his path has shifted across leagues and boxing rings.
He signed with the Professional Fighters League in May 2023. but fought under the PFL banner only once: stopping Renan Ferreira by TKO within one round with ground-and-pound strikes at an October 2024 event.. He was later named chairman of PFL Africa when that series was launched in May 2025. yet PFL announced in March that it was parting ways with the heavyweight star.
There has been no shortage of high-profile competition in the meantime.. Ngannou participated in two lucrative boxing bouts. going the distance and losing a close decision to Tyson Fury in October 2023—while also knocking Fury down at one point—before being viciously knocked out by Anthony Joshua in March 2024 in his second pro boxing match.
Lins’ career has also been shaped by the ups and downs of switching divisions and organizations.. The 40-year-old Brazilian was a PFL heavyweight tournament winner in 2018. but went 0-2 in the UFC heavyweight division when he joined in 2020. losing to Arlovski and Canada’s Tanner Boser before moving down to 205 pounds.. In the UFC’s light-heavyweight division. he was on a 4-0 run when he was released in 2024. and he hadn’t competed in MMA since a decision win over Ion Cutelaba two years ago.
On the same night, the card leaned into familiar names and big names beyond heavyweight.. It was headlined by ex-UFC champion Ronda Rousey facing women’s combat sports pioneer Gina Carano. and it also featured a welterweight matchup between former UFC superstar Nate Diaz and MMA fighter turned bareknuckle boxing star Mike Perry.. An additional layer of history hung around the broadcast. with Junior dos Santos on the undercard against Olympic taekwondo bronze medallist Robelis Despaigne. and with both Cain Velasquez and Jon Jones featured on the show.
Ngannou’s name kept resurfacing around the idea of a dream fight.. An Ngannou vs.. Jones matchup never materialized while both were on the UFC roster. and earlier this week Ngannou was asked about a potential fight with Jones—who has been wishy-washy about his retirement since last fighting in November 2024.. Ngannou said. “I think if the condition was right. we could fight each other. ” adding. “He would be the most exciting fight in my career.. I think that’s the only thing that will be holding me around for a long time hoping. maybe after my 50s. hoping that that fight could have happened.”
The story of Saturday’s main event is built from a sequence of returns and departures: Ngannou left the UFC after a 2022 contract dispute. signed with the PFL in May 2023 before fighting only once under its banner in October 2024. was named chairman of PFL Africa in May 2025. then saw PFL announce in March that it was parting ways with him—before he stepped back into the Octagon and immediately resumed the power that defined his undisputed heavyweight era.
Francis Ngannou Philipe Lins lineal heavyweight title MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano Inglewood Intuit Dome PFL Tyson Fury Anthony Joshua Jon Jones