Francis Ngannou's lead MMA coach, Eric Nicksick, would like to see the former UFC heavyweight champion get back in the cage soon but admits it doesn't seem to be a priority.

Ngannou (18-3 MMA, 0-2 boxing), who is still under contract with the PFL banner for his MMA career, appears to be focused on another boxing match going forward, perhaps against Deontay Wilder. Whether it happens remains to be seen, but as far as what's on the horizon, Xtreme Couture head coach Nicksick revealed he's heard nothing aside from that.

"We talk regularly, but we just talk as buddies," Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio of Ngannou. "I know the Wilder rumor has been kicking around. I talked to him a couple of days ago, but it was more about just life and family. I'll see him next week. I head out to Paris with Brad Tavares next week, and then I'll be able to spend a couple of days with Francis out there and get caught up on a lot of this stuff and see where he's at training-wise and what his next plan is. It sounds to me like he wants that Wilder fight, and I haven't heard much more about the MMA side at all, to be honest with you."

Things could change in an instant, and currently nothing for Ngannou has been announced or confirmed. "The Predator" had admitted he's eager to record a boxing victory after losing a controversial decision to Tyson Fury in his debut then being knocked out by Anthony Joshua in his second appearance.

For Nicksick, however, he would like to see more MMA fights down the line. He put in countless hours with Ngannou helping him develop a skillset for the sport, and although he achieved the highest points of success with title fight wins in UFC and PFL, it still hasn't been totally satisfying for the coach.

Nicksick thinks Ngannou, 38, is still capable of beating anyone in the MMA heavyweight division, but at this stage, he is unsure what the future holds.

"Of course (I would like him to return to MMA)," Nicksick said. "That's my specialty on the side of things. I still feel like we have a lot more we can do on the MMA side. It's tough because, when I look at our relationship as a whole, when he lived in Vegas during the COVID-era and fighting for the UFC, we spent so much time together training and building that MMA skillset that he has.

"It sucks because I felt we were growing so much and doing so many things, and all of a sudden you feel like you got the rug pulled out from under you. I don't know if that's the right term to use. He shifted his focus more over to boxing, and for me on the MMA side of things, I miss that growth and maturation that we had."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Francis Ngannou's coach gives grim update on MMA future

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