Heavyweight superstar already knows who will welcome him back to the cage

FRANCIS NGANNOU is set to return to the cage THIS YEAR – depending on how his mega-money business in the boxing ring plays out.

The ex-UFC champion last year put his cage career on hold to cross over to the boxing ring.

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou ahead of their boxing boutCredit: Getty

But he did so after signing for UFC’s rivals the Professional Fighters League, who gave Ngannou the green light to box.

The Cameroonian takes on Anthony Joshua tomorrow night in Saudi Arabia just five months after making his ring debut against Tyson Fury.

And while training in Riyadh, he watched from ringside as Renan Ferreira knocked out Ryan Bader.

It earned Ferreira the right to welcome back Ngannou to the cage with the PFL once he is done with British superstar AJ.

PFL founder Donn Davis told SunSport: “Francis is our partner, we always work with his schedule.

“He wants to become the Bo Jackson of combat sports; champion in boxing, champion in MMA, so we’ll work with his schedule.

“It could go earlier or it could go later but he will face “La Problema” – who destroyed Bader who is a savvy Bellator veteran.

“Destroyed him in 21 seconds and he was really out in eight. That’s the next fight for Francis whether it’s in the summer or whether it’s the end of the year.

“We’ll work with that boxing schedule with whatever happens 48 hours from now when he probably knocks out Joshua.”

Ngannou, 37, dropped Fury, 35, on his boxing debut but suffered a controversial split-decision loss.

Fury now faces Oleksandr Usyk, 37, for the undisputed crown on May 18 having pulled out of their initial February 17 date with a cut.

The winner between Joshua, 34, and Ngannou, 37, have been promised a shot at the unified champ.

But whatever the results in the ring, Ngannou WILL be back in the cage within the next year.

Davis added: “If not this year, two months after. We’ll call it Feburary 2025.

“In the next 12 months, 100 per cent Francis is a PFL cage fighting Ferreira.”

PFL owner Donn Davis with Francis Ngannou