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Philipe Lins

Heavyweight fighter Philipe Lins reacted to a brutal knockout loss against Francis Ngannou at MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano.

Lins was a gigantic underdog against Ngannou, and it showed as he was completely overmatched from the start of the fight. Ngannou marched Lins down as soon as the opening bell rang, and hunted his head the entire fight before eventually landing the fight-ending blow late in the first round.

Ngannou was awarded a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his knockout win, though he ended up gifting it to Lins after the event was over. Given that Ngannou made $1.5 million in disclosed pay, he was obviously feeling generous and wanted to share his wealth with Lins, who had very few people giving him any sort of chance to win this fight.

Philipe Lins Reacts to Brutal KO Loss

Taking to his social media the day after suffering a bad knockout defeat, Lins reacted to Ngannou knocking him out in the first round.

“What I living the last two month is life time experience! What such honor been part of this! The result not was me and my team expected but always looking ahead. Thank you MVP was amazing this days with you guys, can’t wait for the next ones! @netflix @nakisabidarian @mostvaluablepromotions @aliabdelaziz,” Lins wrote on his Instagram.

This was the Brazilian’s first MMA fight since the promotion released him in 2024. Lins was let go by the UFC despite winning four straight fights, which rarely happens. But the promotion decided that they wanted to move on, and they let him go. Over two years later, Lins ended up in MVP MMA and fought Ngannou. He earned $100,000 in flat pay for his appearance, plus another $100,000 with Ngannou’s bonus. So despite getting flatlined in the fight, he still took home a cool $200,000, which is obviously a nice payday any way you slice it.

What’s Next for Philipe Lins?

As for what’s next for Lins, it will be interesting to see if MVP MMA wants him back for another appearance if they do end up promoting another mixed martial arts event. Lins is turning 41 this year, so he is certainly on the older side for a fighter, but at the same time, he is a very experienced fighter and has a recognizable name, so the promotion could bring him back.

If he doesn’t fight again for MVP MMA, he will probably take his time to see what other offers he gets from other combat sports promotions. Remember, Lins is a former PFL tournament winner, so he once won $1 million in 2018 for winning that promotion’s heavyweight tournament. If he was good with his money over the years, then he should be in decent shape financially right now.

While the UFC is unlikely to ever bring Lins back, it’s possible the PFL could take another shot at him, or he could also try another striking-based promotion like Karate Combat or BKFC. Despite losing badly to Ngannou, he seems to have enjoyed his time in MVP MMA, so retirement seems unlikely for Lins despite being 40 and coming off this brutal KO loss.