Slaying The Predator: Philipe Lins Vows to Portray ‘Masterpiece’ versus Francis Ngannou

Brazilian heavyweight Philipe Lins was sitting at home in Coconut Creek, Florida, USA. It had almost been two years since his last UFC fight in March 2024, where the 40-year-old earned his fourth win in a row with a unanimous decision win over Ion Cutelaba.

Three weeks later on March 21st, his contract with the UFC came to an end with no extension or renewal on the table.

So as Lins was enjoying the Floridian sunshine, his phone began to ring. However, it wasn’t the UFC like he may have expected. It wasn’t his previous home of the PFL, either, where he was a heavyweight tournament champion in 2018.

To his amazement, his manager was on the other end of the line, enquiring on Netflix’s behalf to see if he’d fancy a return bout on Saturday, 16th May’s MVP MMA event – more prominently known as the first MMA show to air on the world’s biggest streaming service, headlined by Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.

This wasn’t just any fight, either. His manager was offering him the biggest opportunity of his career. Like Rocky Balboa getting the chance to lock up with Apollo Creed, Lins got the offer to face the very best heavyweight fighter in the world today: Francis “The Predator” Ngannou.

“Right away, I say yes,” Lins revealed.

He was just as surprised as some of the fans rushing to Google his name when it was officially announced. The time on the sideline had put fighting swiftly out of focus. Family matters were at the forefront of his mind, being a husband and a father to his children taking centrestage.

It’s seldom in this sport to be an obscure name and receive such an opportunity. Out of sight, out of mind. Today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s chip paper, as the old saying goes.

Critics suggest that maybe it was the lack of available unsigned heavyweights that caused them to look at Lins. Or maybe his acumen allows him to pose a decent threat to Ngannou, who competes in only his second MMA contest since 2024 after succumbing to Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in the boxing ring.

No matter how he drew the assignment, it weighs no impact on Lins’ mentality ahead of Saturday’s clash at Inglewood, California’s Intuit Dome.

“I want this. This call surprised me, I didn’t expect it to come my way after two years out, but I am not shying away,” Lins said. “Fighting one of the greatest MMA heavyweights ever is a huge honour. It’s a moment I can look back on and say I accomplished something. It’s a huge opportunity.

“This fight is going to be the first huge fight of my career. He’s one of the greatest of all time. I’ll admit, it makes me a little anxious, but that’s normal.”

Given Francis Ngannou’s punching power, it’s easy to write off the competition. The Cameroonian-French crusher has blasted the heads off of MMA greats like Alistair Overeem and Stipe Miocic en route to becoming the biggest and baddest name in the game.

From that explosive body of work, you’d expect Ngannou to enter the frame as the betting favourite at the bookies, and remain that throughout. They call him “The Predator” for a reason, after all. But Lins isn’t shying away from that reality, either. Rather humbly, he knows he’s not expected to come out victorious.

There’s a certain mental switch you must flick to enter a contest knowing people are waiting to see you separated from your senses. Much like when Arnold Schwarzenegger’s machine-gun-fuelled Dutch character found himself in an unlikely battle he didn’t expect to walk away unscathed in 1989’s The Predator, Lins is adopting the same mantra.

“Everyone’s going to bet on Francis. For me, it doesn’t matter. But a lot of people are going to lose money, that’s for sure. I think in all of my fights, I’m the underdog. It’s a good position to be in. It means the pressure is off, there’s much more to gain,” the BJJ black belt stated.

Remaining in a zen-like status, he’s bracing himself for the very best version of Ngannou to emerge in front of the largest audience MMA has seen on Netflix. And in turn, Lins expects to make the most profound mark of his MMA career on the biggest night of his life.

“Everyone knows Francis, his power, his size. He’s done amazing things in MMA and boxing. I’m an experienced fighter, though. I have great skills. If I put in everything that I have in the right way, I can beat him. This will be my masterpiece.”