MMA fans, we have a target date for Francis Ngannou's Octagon return ... with the UFC's heavyweight champ telling TMZ Sports he expects to be back by early 2023, at the latest!
Of course, Francis last fought in January ... when he beat interim champ, undefeated fighter Ciryl Gane to unify the belts.
In March, about 6 weeks after the unanimous decision win, Ngannou was forced to undergo surgery to repair serious damage to his knee, including ACL reconstruction and MCL repair, which were sustained before and during the fight.