The Wait Is Over…
Is the PFL even worthy of his presence?…
We last saw Francis Ngannou when he got brutally knocked out by Antony Joshua. It wasn’t pretty, and it was also the Cameroonian’s second straight defeat in a boxing ring. The latest MMA rumors, however, are finally delivering the news we wanted…
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Ngannou will return home to professional mixed martial arts, where he once dominated the heavyweight landscape.
Francis Ngannou is officially making his return to MMA vs. Renan Ferreira on October 19th for the PFL heavyweight title 😤 pic.twitter.com/N4VCbpPdyy
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) August 7, 2024
Ngannou’s PFL Debut
Without a boxing glove in sight, Ngannou is preparing his cage return. In pro-MMA, he’s a former UFC heavyweight champion, where he held a promotional record of 12-2, with ten vicious knockouts added to the highlight reel.
After exiting the UFC following contract disputes, Ngannou signed with the Professional Fighters League. Sadly, it’s been three grueling years in which MMA news fans have had to wait for this week’s announcement, but on October 19, 2024, the wait is over, and ‘The Predator’ will make his PFL debut versus Renan Ferreira.
Naturally, we have a plethora of questions: At 37, is Ngannou still capable of competing at the highest level? Will a savage knockout at the hands of AJ affect his confidence? Is the PFL even worthy of his presence?
🚨 BREAKING! Francis Ngannou will return to MMA and fight Renan Ferreira on October 19th
(via. @PFLMMA) #PFL #MMA pic.twitter.com/tGON3qbDjs
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 7, 2024
Regarding competition, though, it’s arguable that Ferreira is the only worthy competitor for Ngannou’s promotional debut, as the Brazilian battered everyone in sight during PFL’s 2023 heavyweight tournament and also slept Bellator’s heavyweight champ, Ryan Bader, in just 21 seconds.
If you thought the UFC’s heavyweight division was thin on talent, you should look at PFL. Ferreira does have a 13-3-0 pro record with an 85% KO clip, but the competition level isn’t comparable to that of Ngannou, so it’ll be interesting to see how these two match up.
In a rare instance, Ngannou will be the smaller man, crazy, I know. Brazil’s Ferreira stands at 6-foot-8-inches and has only left the first round in one of his previous nine pro bouts since 2021. Contrastingly, the Cameroonian has only fought in MMA twice during the same time frame, so we’re going to see a battle of experience versus activity.
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira, Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco booked for PFL event on Oct. 19. 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/jAXKuNmI1E
— Full Violence ™ (@Full_Violence) August 7, 2024
One Last Run for Ngannou?
Despite dropping Tyson Fury and sending the world into shock as they watched Ngannou come close to finishing ‘The Gypsy King’ in his boxing debut, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see him compete in the ring again because Anthony Joshua proved that their levels to this sh*t and stopped the former UFC champ via knockout.
For a moment, Ngannou did become one of the most talked about personalities in boxing, but MMA is where this man thrives. He instantly made an impact in the sport in 2015 with a one-punch KO in his debut, and six years later, in 2021, another one-punch spectacle saw him claim the heavyweight strap from Stipe Miocic.
Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou II (2021)
📸 @jeffbottari pic.twitter.com/xcxuSoKfdn
— Fight Pics That Go Hard (@fightpicsgohard) October 19, 2022
His October return to MMA is eagerly anticipated, and it’s expected to boost the PFL’s ratings as they attempt to challenge the UFC.
Cameroon’s first and only heavyweight champion is the biggest name in the PFL by a significant margin, but they’ve been forced to wait for his pugilist venture to end.
It’s unknown whether Ngannou will ever box again, but at age 37, we can probably assume that it is a career in the ring or that the cage is nearing its end.
Francis Ngannou returns to MMA! He will fight vs Renan Ferreira on October 19th for the PFL Heavyweight title pic.twitter.com/noUA2UW3Ah
— BetUS Sportsbook & Casino (@BetUS_Official) August 7, 2024
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