Francis Ngannou will return to mixed martial arts after a 19-month absence when he faces Brazil’s Philipe Lins on 16 May.

The five-round heavyweight bout will be part of Most Valuable Promotions’ (MVP) inaugural MMA fight card, headlined by Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano in Los Angeles.

Former UFC champion Ngannou has not fought in MMA since October 2024, when the Cameroonian stopped Renan Ferreira in the first round to win the PFL Super Fights heavyweight championship.

“While the world was busy talking, I was busy evolving,” said Ngannou.

“Silence shouldn’t be mistaken for absence – it’s the sound of a predator closing the distance.

“Stepping back into the cage isn’t just a return – it’s a reclamation. My return to MMA demanded a stage that matched the scale of my ambition, and partnering with MVP to bring this event to Netflix ensures the entire world is watching.”

Ngannou’s exit from the UFC in January 2023 was a massive moment in MMA as one of the sport’s biggest stars opted to walk away from the world’s biggest promotion.

The 39 year-old joined the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in May 2023, but fought just once for the MMA promotion.

His status rocketed when he came close to beating Tyson Fury in a boxing contest in October 2023, and he went on to face Anthony Joshua in 2024, which ended in a knockout defeat.

He parted ways with the PFL this week and it was announced on Monday that he had joined Jake Paul’s MVP.

“Francis Ngannou is unequivocally the best heavyweight MMA fighter in the world and his addition creates star power on one card like never before seen in the sport,” said Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, the co-founders of MVP.

Lins, 40, is a former PFL heavyweight tournament champion and UFC veteran who has not fought since exiting the UFC on a four-fight win streak in March 2024.