UFC veteran downplays 'Ngannou Effect' at PFL: 'He's not even that big of a star'

Francis Ngannou debut in the PFL this Saturday (19). Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/@francisngannou

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Dana White wasn't the only big name associated with the UFC to disdain the debut of Francis Ngannou in the PFL, which takes place this Saturday (19), in a belt dispute against Renan Problem in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A veteran of the welterweight division (up to 77,1 kg) and the second athlete with the most knockouts in the Ultimate, Matt Brown does not believe that the 'Ngannou Effect' is relevant enough to worry the Ultimate or even to give the expected return to the rival organization.

“He’s not that big of a star. We saw him fight Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury because he's facing these guys. It's not a Conor McGregor that we would watch regardless of who he faced. Even if Conor fought someone low-level, there would be a drop in pay-per-views, right? He needs to have a 'B' side. Francis is fighting a 'D' side here. He's not a 'B' side. Francis is not a big enough 'A' side to make a splash. We don't know how much he's getting paid, but if it's the amount he says it's not going to make a profit,” Brown said on the podcast 'The Fighter Vs. The Writer'.

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In Matt Brown's opinion, Ngannou has great relevance and respect from people in the MMA universe, but he is not capable of crossing borders and impacting the general public like names like Conor McGregor e Ronda Rousey did.

“A lot of these organizers need to understand that we are very much part of the MMA world, so these guys are stars for us. We have a lot of respect for them. We have a lot of respect for Francis Ngannou, for what he's done and who he is. But if you're running an event and you're selling pay-per-view, you have to step back and look at the reality of the general public. Conor crossed that line, Ronda crossed that line, Randy Coutoure somehow broke that line, Chuck Liddell too. Francis Ngannou, with all due respect, did not cross that line. If I arrive at a bar now talking about Francis Ngannou, they won’t know who it is,” he said.

Finally, the veteran stated that he believed that a fight between Francis Ngannou and someone completely unknown to the general public as Renan Problem is unlikely to attract the pay-per-view sales expected by the PFL.

“How many people care? We all saw him face Tyson Fury. Many of us saw him face Anthony Joshua. How many people, really, will pay a pay-per-view to see him face Renan ferreira? "