Tonight, Cameroon’s Francis Ngannou makes a long-awaited return to the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) ring to battle against Brazil’s Renan Ferreira in what has been named the “Battle of the Giants”.
Known for his powerful punch, 38-year-old Ngannou seeks to challenge Ferreira, the current champion of the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
The fight kicks off at 9 pm Cameroon time, that is 20:00 GMT, at the Mayadeen events venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This will be Ngannou’s first fight since he suffered a second-round knock out against British Professional Boxer, Anthony Joshua, on March 8, 2024.
His first boxing adventure was against Tyson Fury on October 28, 2023, which ended in a controversial defeat.
Before venturing into boxing in 2023, Ngannou was the UFC heavyweight champion, a title he had held since 2021.
He is also known as the most destructive puncher in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
On the other hand is Renan Ferreira, a 34-year-old Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter, who has been in the PFL since 2023.
Nicknamed “Problemo”, Ferreira earned the PFL heavyweight title after beating Denis Goltsov in a second-round knockout on November 24, 2023.
His last fight was on February 24, 2024, when he defeated Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, in a three-round crossover fight.
Both Ngannou and Ferreira are formidable opponents, with impressive MMA records.
Ngannou has recorded 20 fights, with 17 wins and three losses, while Ferreira has a total of 19 MMA fights, with 13 wins and three losses as well.
In an interview preceding the fight, Ngannou said his biggest opponent is himself and that Ferreira should get ready because he is “going to get him”.
On what to expect from the fight, he said, “This is an MMA fight, so everything will be on display. We’ve prepared everything, and everything will be on display. Ferreira is preparing some things because he is a jiu-jitsu black belt, and he is not undermining my punching power.”
Ngannou plans to “fight strategically and according to how the fight presents itself.”
Talking about Ngannou, Ferreira said it is “a great honour” for him to fight “one of the strongest men in the world”.
“We are both complete fighters. We can strike and grapple as well. I am ready to fight wherever the fight goes,” he said, responding to a question on what to expect from the fight.
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