Francis Ngannou admits kickboxing icon was planned foe for his MMA return, not Philipe Lins

Rico Verhoeven’s decision to go in a different direction may have cost Francis Ngannou a bigger fight for his May MMA return. Ngannou is set to take on Philipe Lins in the co-main event of Most Valuable Promotions’ debut MMA card, which was confirmed on Monday.