Francis Ngannou returns to MMA on Saturday in his Professional Fighters League debut. Ngannou is the headliner for the organization’s first major PPV show in Saudi Arabia.
The event is called Battle of the Giants, and that tagline is more fitting when you see the two men faceoff.
Ngannou’s opponent is reigning PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira, and he’s one of the few fighters with a clear size advantage over the former UFC champion.
Combat sports journalist Ben Davis posted this image of Ngannou and Ferreira, and fans reacted to the Brazilian’s size.
In five hours, the image Davis posted had been viewed 1.1 million times, and the subsequent repost from Spinnin Backfist had been viewed another 826,000 times.
One commenter wrote: “Ferreira is MASSIVE. I remember watching his fight vs Bader when he won the title initially… and he literally TOWERS over the top of the octagon. It’ll be fun to see how this fight plays out!”
Another commenter wrote: “It’s crazy that he makes Francis look small.”
A commenter looking at the fight from a betting perspective wrote: “I’m taking Renan to win, his odds are just juicy, keep in mind Ngannou hasn’t fought mma in about 3 years.”
Ferreira is listed as 6-foot-8, and he weighs 261.5 pounds. The height and weight are both legitimate. I’m 6-foot-5, and I’ve interviewed Ferreira in person, and he’s every inch as tall as the numbers indicate.
He was visibly taller than me. Ferreira is more than just a big guy. He might be the most athletic heavyweight in the world. He’s acrobatic, explosive, and mighty. Ferreira is 13-3 with finishes in 12 of his wins.
Since June 2023, he has been on a tear with four consecutive wins, all by KO.
Here is a look at some of his most extensive knockouts.
Taking on Ferreira in his return fight is daring on Ngannou’s part. He hasn’t competed in MMA since he successfully defended his UFC heavyweight title via unanimous decision over Cyril Gane in 2022.
Since then, Ngannou has had two high-profile boxing matches. He lost a controversial split decision to Tyson Fury in October 2023. Ngannou followed that up, losing via devastating second-round KO to Anthony Joshua in March.
Shortly after, Ngannou dealt with tragedy in his personal life as his 18-month-old son passed away. He’s had to overcome a lot to get to this point, and the challenge ahead of him is formidable.
While there are other intriguing fights on Saturday’s card, like Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco, AJ McKie vs. Paul Hughes, and Johnny Eblen’s rematch with Fabian Edwards, the main event is the biggest MMA fight of the week.
Here is a look at the complete card.
- Heavyweight PFL Superfight Championship: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira
- Women’s Featherweight Superfight Championship: Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco
- Bellator Middleweight Championship: Johnny Eblen (c) vs. Fabian Edwards
- Men’s Featherweight: Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen
- Lightweight: AJ McKee vs. Paul Hughes
- Bantamweight: Raufeon Stots vs. Marcos Breno
- Lightweight: Dedrek Sanders vs. Makkasharip Zaynukov
- Men’s featherweight: Ibragim Ibragimov vs. Nacho Campos
- Middleweight: Mostafa Rashed Nada vs. Ahmed Sami
- Men’s featherweight: Tariq Ismail vs. Taha Bendaoud
Stay tuned for post-event Battle of the Giants coverage and fan reaction to what figures to be an explosive main event.
Read the full article here