Peter Murray confirms Francis Ngannou vs Deontay Wilder and Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz super fights in 2024 are in talks

PFL made waves in MMA with the acquisition of Bellator MMA, making them a fierce rival to UFC, the premier MMA promotion. PFL CEO Peter Murray provides further good news, with super fights in talks, which include the participation of Jake Paul.

Paul recently signed with PFL and is planning to make his debut in MMA by the end of 2024. In his last bout, he defeated UFC veteran Nate Diaz via a 10-round unanimous decision, bouncing back from his first professional boxing loss to Tommy Fury.

Peter Murray confirms Francis Ngannou vs Deontay Wilder are in talks

Francis Ngannou recently made headlines with a hard-fought split decision loss to Tyson Fury. Earlier Ngannou left the UFC before signing with the PFL which offered him the freedom to pursue his boxing endeavours.

Ngannou, known for his ferocious power much like Deontay Wilder in boxing. Interestingly, Wilder has made known his ambitions in MMA. PFL CEO Peter Murray recently confirmed that the promotion is in talks to make the coveted fight between Wilder and Ngannou.

“I’m going, I’m going to see Deontay next week, and we want the 4-ounce gloves on him, and with Francis in the cage”, said Murray in a recent interview with Happy Punch’s Donagh Corby. “That’s a fight we’d like to also make happen”, Murray further added about the potential of Nate Diaz and Jake Paul in MMA.

The bout between Ngannou and Wilder is expected to be a mixed-rules fight to suit Wilder. There is no official confirmation available of Ngannou’s return to MMA yet, but his bout with Fury earned him a top 10 ranking even though he lost via split decision. The acquisition of Bellator MMA has already strengthened the PFL roster, making it competitive with that of the UFC, both in quantity and quality.

Jake Paul is ready to face Nate Diaz in PFL

Jake Paul’s recent bout was against Nate Diaz in August of 2023 in a fight he won comfortably via decision. He badly hurt Diaz in the opening round which many thought could be the end of the bout. However, the highlight of the bout was Diaz sinking in a guillotine choke at the end of the fight which according to Paul would have rendered him unconscious if held for longer.

Immediately after his victory, Paul called for a rematch in MMA and even offered $15 million to take up the fight. However, Diaz did not respond positively to Paul’s offer and disregarded the PFL being second tier to the UFC, where he still is a big name.

PFL Chairman, Donn Davis, was recently interviewed by Ariel Helwani, on the MMA Hour. Davis confirmed that the PFL is ready to make the fight between Paul and Diaz happen. Moreover, he provided the timeline for the fight to be in the later part of 2024. This is due to Paul having a boxing bout with Andre August in December of 2023.

Moreover, Paul does not have any MMA experience and is in the process of training. He has requested a year to train in the discipline before stepping into the smart cage. Nevertheless, Paul has defeated acclaimed MMA fighters in boxing.

What do you think of the PFL’s ambitious plans to make an MMA bout between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz? Leave your comment below!