Francis Ngannou in focus after Vadim Nemkov backs Fedor Emelianenko to beat him in boxing

Francis Ngannou has returned to the centre of combat sports talk after PFL heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov said his mentor, Fedor Emelianenko, has a strong chance of beating the former UFC champion in a boxing ring. Separately, UFC CEO Dana White has rejected any idea of a Ngannou fight with Jon Jones, calling Ngannou someone he is no longer in business with.

Nemkov backs Emelianenko in a hypothetical boxing bout

Speaking to MMA Fighting through a translator, Nemkov said Emelianenko, who turned 50, remains fast, explosive and hard to hit. He said Emelianenko moves well in the ring and would have strong chances against Ngannou if the two boxed. "I think Fedor will win," Nemkov said.

Emelianenko has not fought since losing to Ryan Bader for the Bellator championship. In a recent interview, he ruled out a return to MMA but reportedly said a boxing bout with Ngannou would be a "real dream". Nemkov said MVP, the promotion Ngannou has fought for recently, should consider offering such a fight, which he believes fans would enjoy. No such bout has been announced.

Ngannou stopped Philipe Lins in May on the first MVP MMA card, following boxing bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Nemkov has also said Emelianenko continues to spar with him in the gym as he prepares for his next fight.

Nemkov's title defence against Bilostennyi

Nemkov is set to defend his PFL heavyweight title against Sergey Bilostennyi on Saturday in Dubai. The bout is the final championship fight under the PFL name before the company continues as MVP MMA in 2027. Nemkov said he had already been planning how to fight Bilostennyi when he cornered Valentin Moldavsky, who was beaten by Bilostennyi in May 2025.

Bilostennyi has won four of his last five fights since leaving Bellator for PFL, including stoppages of Karl Williams and Renan Ferreira. Nemkov called him "very worthy of a title shot", but said his aim is a finish. He said he trains for five rounds but is always looking to end the fight early.

Dana White rules out Ngannou vs. Jones

The debate over Ngannou's future opponents also surfaced at UFC 334 fight week in New York. Ciryl Gane had said Ngannou would knock out Jon Jones in a hypothetical bout. Asked about that pick, White dismissed the matchup outright, saying the UFC had tried to make a Jones fight with Ngannou happen but could not get it done.

White described Ngannou as a "bad guy" and said he was glad to no longer work with him. Gane, who faces Josh Hokit at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, lost to Ngannou by unanimous decision at UFC 270 and to Jones by submission at UFC 285.

What we know so far

The Emelianenko versus Ngannou boxing match remains a hypothetical discussed by Nemkov, with no agreement or date reported. Ngannou's next bout has not been confirmed in the reports. For now, the attention is on Nemkov's title defence in Dubai on Saturday and on White's firm rejection of a Jones matchup.