Tag: Battle Of The Giants

PFL heavyweight Renan Ferreira has spoken publicly for the first time since falling to a devastating fate at the hands of Francis Ngannou in Riyadh.

In his return to Saudi Arabia eight months on from a rapid knockout of Ryan Bader at the PFL vs. Bellator event, Ferreira was the one on the wrong end of a quick conclusion in the main event.

The Brazilian headlined this past weekend’s Battle of the Giants pay-per-view at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, welcoming Ngannou back to mixed martial arts.

While “Problema” vowed to upset the odds and stall “The Predator’s” debut inside the SmartCage, he was quickly taken down and ground-and-pounded into unconsciousness.

With many seeing the stoppage as late, there was some concern over Ferreira’s condition in the immediate aftermath. Fortunately, he returned to his feet for the official result and has since released a statement on social media.

On his Instagram Stories, the 2023 PFL champ admitted to being ” a bit broken” by the disappointing result. He did, however, vow to bounce back stronger and thanked his supporters for their backing.

“Hey guys, Renan ‘Problema’ here, a bit broken,” Ferreira said in Portuguese. (h/t Danny Segura). “Yesterday wasn’t a good day at work, guys, but I’m very happy with all our dedication and everything that developed through our work. I’ve always had the mindset of never losing, for myself, to fight any lack of dedication and commitment, and thank God I have a clean conscience. I worked very hard there, showed up well to the fight, and was happy to return.

“Unfortunately, my opponent was superior. He managed to impose a game where that I couldn’t defend the takedowns, which led to very hard ground-and-pound to get through. And that’s it, life goes on, we’ll be back. I want to thank everyone for all the love and support, we’re always together. Hugs.”

While Ferreira looks ahead to his opportunity to return to winning ways next time out, all eyes are on Ngannou and his plans in MMA.

Though his desire to lace the boxing gloves is seemingly far from fulfilled, the Cameroonian’s emphatic comeback to the sport in which he made his name has no doubt only increased the fans’ appetite for some major matchups in the cage.

• Read More: Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, & Others React As Cris Cyborg Adds PFL Gold To Her Résumé

After everything that he has been through this year, Francis Ngannou’s MMA return was a triumphant one as he stopped Renan Ferreira in the first round.

The main event of PFL Battle Of The Giants ended up on the ground early on after the former UFC champion secured the takedown.

His Brazilian opponent was able to threaten with a triangle choke, but once “The Predator” made his way out, he positioned himself to unload strikes.

Several unanswered ground and pound strikes — too many, in fact — laid Ferreira flat out on the canvas, leaving an emotional Ngannou to share a touching embrace with his coaches.

Ngannou spoke in his post-fight interview about how he was confident that he wouldn’t have lost a step during his time away but dealing with his emotions on fight week following the tragic passing of his son earlier this year was very difficult for him to overcome.

MMA Fans React To Successful MMA Return Of Francis Ngannou In PFL PPV Headliner

MMA fans and fighters on social media reacted to the emotional scenes as the Cameroonian did what he does best and delivered a scary knockout.

The post-fight comments also spoke about the stoppage of the fight, with Ferreira seemingly being knocked out only for him to be hit with several more big shots before referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in.

• Read More: PFL Battle Of The Giants: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira Results & Highlights

The build-up toward Francis Ngannou’s MMA return and Professional Fighters League (PFL) debut has picked up with the official trailer for the upcoming pay-per-view event.

For the first time since January 2022, Ngannou will make the walk for a mixed martial arts contest on October 19 in Saudi Arabia. There, the former UFC champion will collide with Renan Ferreira in the main event of the “Battle of the Giants” card.

Since defending the UFC gold against Ciryl Gane over two years ago, Ngannou’s combat sports outings have come inside the ring, where he threw down with two heavyweight greats in Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

While he took “The Gypsy King” to the limit, he was brutally knocked out by “AJ” earlier this year, and his sights are now back on the cage for the time being.

PFL Releases ‘Official Trailer’ For Ngannou vs. Ferreira

Ahead of Ngannou’s debut in the SmartCage, which comes 17 months on from his signing with the PFL, an “official trailer” has been released.

The cinematic video has a Godzilla vs. Kong look to it, with Ngannou and Ferreira taking out a city amid their “Battle of the Giants.”

While all eyes will be on “The Predator” as he returns to MMA action in the main event, a number of intriguing bouts are set for the undercard.

That includes another major debut, with Bellator Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg colliding with two-weight PFL title winner Larissa Pacheco in the co-headliner.

Gold will also be on the line on the main card, as Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards run it back following the postponement of their scheduled rematch in London last month.

• Read More: Francis Ngannou’s Coach Details Tom Aspinall Collaboration In Preparation For Renan Ferreira Fight