Francis Ngannou will make his Professional Fighters League debut against the winner of Saturday's Ryan Bader vs. Renan Ferreira bout.
The 37-year-old joined the PFL last year and is scheduled to face Britain's Anthony Joshua on March 8 in Riyadh.
Ngannou lost to Tyson Fury in his boxing debut in October.
PFL president Peter Murray told BBC Sport earlier this month that Ngannou's MMA promotion debut would likely be “later this year.”
Bader, a 40-year-old American, and Ferreira, a 34-year-old Brazilian, are fighting in Saudi Arabia on Saturday at a PFL vs. Bellator Champions event.
“Francis is a true martial arts icon with a global fan base and appeal, and we, along with the rest of the MMA community, will be watching to see whether his first opponent will be Ferreira or Bader,” said Murray. ” he said.
The show in Riyadh, attended by Cameroon's Ngannou, will be the first time the two brands have come together since PFL acquired Bellator in a “transformative deal” in November.
The event continues to invest in sports such as boxing and soccer in Saudi Arabia, which has long been criticized for using sport to distract the conversation from its poor human rights record.
Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, has not fought in MMA since defending his title against Cyril Gane in January 2022.
He then missed a year due to a knee injury and was stripped of his title upon leaving the UFC, but later signed a contract with the PFL.
