Cooper Albers previews Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins at Netflix’s MVP MMA event.
He’s back.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, one of the most feared competitors in combat history, makes his long-awaited return to MMA Saturday night. He’ll square off with fellow Octagon veteran Felipe Lins in the five-round, co-main event of Netflix’s first-ever MMA event — promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions — inside the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
Ngannou (18–3, 13 KOs, 4 SUB) last stepped into the cage at PFL’s “Battle of the Giants” in October 2024, securing a dominant first-round stoppage of Renan Ferreira. Lins (18–5, 9 KOs, 4 SUB) most recently scored a unanimous decision victory over Ion Cutelaba at UFC 299 in March 2024.
Ngannou enters as an enormous -1450 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Lins sits as a +850 underdog. The total is set at O/U 1.5 rounds.
Few men who have ever walked this Earth could inflict more damage with their fists than Francis Ngannou. The 6-foot-4, 250-plus-pound monolith’s punch, as once described by UFC president Dana White, is the equivalent of 96 horsepower — equal to “getting hit by a Ford escort going as fast as it can.”
Ngannou, 39, hasn’t lost an MMA bout since 2018 and enters Saturday night on a seven-fight winning streak. Throughout his career, he’s sent the likes of Alistair Overeem, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Stipe Miocic — among several others — packing to the shadow realm.
After leaving the UFC in 2022 with the belt around his waist, Ngannou made a successful PFL debut against Renan Ferreira in October 2024, while also trying his hand in boxing. Pitted against the toughest heavyweights in the world, the Cameroonian nearly bested long-reigning king Tyson Fury. On Saturday night, Ngannou will look to reaffirm his status as the most dangerous man on the planet.
Felipe Lins enters on an impressive winning streak of his own. The 40-year-old Brazilian, dubbed “Monstro,” won his last four bouts in the UFC, spanning from 2022 to 2024. The only problem? None of it was at heavyweight.
In fact, the longtime light-heavyweight hasn’t won a bout at MMA’s hardest-hitting division since he stopped Josh Copeland for the inaugural PFL heavyweight championship in 2018 — nearly eight years ago. Lins also heads into Saturday night with a compromised chin: four of his five pro losses have come by knockout or TKO, including three first-round stoppages. While nothing is impossible in fighting, he’ll attempt to accomplish the next-closest thing against Ngannou.
A fight like this can only end one way. Ngannou — arguably the most imposing force in the sport’s history — is faster, stronger, and far more accomplished than the grizzled Lins. Famous for bulldozing his opponents in the opening round, expect the same result from the “lineal MMA heavyweight champion” in his highly anticipated return to the cage.
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