“Call me Professor Ngannou”- Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou teaches case study of his career after UFC at Harvard Business School

Francis Ngannou's career choices explored in an academic case study, showcasing his savvy business acumen in combat sports.

“Call me Professor Ngannou”- Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou teaches case study of his career after UFC at Harvard Business School

Francis Ngannou teaches case study of his career at Harvad Business School (Image via: Instagram)

Francis Ngannou left the UFC for the PFL in a move that shocked the combat sports fraternity. He again shocked the world as he bagged a boxing match with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Now, he has again shocked the world as he bagged another high-profile boxing match with Anthony Joshua.

Recently, Ngannou shared yet another milestone of his career. Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse published a case study of Ngannou in December. Ngannou went to Harvard to teach the students of the case study. He shared pictures of the session on his Instagram. This is what he captioned in the post.

Thank you @harvardhbs @anitaelberse for creating this case study and for having us. I guess now can call me Professor Ngannou.
Francis Ngannou via Instagram
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The case study explained the pros and cons of Ngannou re-signing with the UFC and signing with PFL. While the UFC was bigger and more established, the PFL offered flexibility and support like none other. Many criticized Ngannou’s decision at the time. However, the case study by Elberse proved that he made the right move when looking from a business perspective.

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Ngannnou’s upcoming bout is against Anthony Joshua, and he is a big betting underdog in the fight. However, many felt that Ngannou was not much of an underdog, considering his performance against Fury. Nonetheless, he will make at least $20 million for the fight; Joshua will make $50 million.

Francis Ngannou could fight for undisputed boxing titles in just his third fight

Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi Arabian minister, is the mastermind behind high-profile combat sports events in Saudi Arabia. He recently expressed his interest to see the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk take on the winner of Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua. Big fights happen in Riyadh, and even with the rematch clause between Fury and Usyk, Ngannou can become the undisputed boxing champion.

Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou (Via X)

Fury and Usyk headline ‘Ring of Fire’ in February 2024, whereas ‘Knockout Chaos’ is headlined by Joshua and Ngannou in March 2024. If Ngannou defeats Johsua, he could potentially fight for the undisputed titles in his next fight. Alalshikh is a fan of Ngannou and has openly expressed his interest in seeing someone stop Ngannou.

Ngannou’s purse for the fight against Tyson Fury was nearly $10 million. His purse against Joshua is more than $20 million. With just two fights in boxing, Ngannou has made exponentially more than he made in his MMA career. With the PFL and Bellator merging and Ngannou with them, the UFC has a tougher competition than before. Nonetheless, the UFC has scheduled blockbuster fights for early 2024 and even has the return of Conor McGregor up their sleeve.

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