Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou ended his two-and-a-half-year-long absence from MMA with a performance that showed he is still one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport.
Coming back after so many major moments in his life – making the bold move of leaving the top MMA organization while still champ, inking a highly lucrative PFL deal, crossing over to boxing, and dealing with devastating loss – Ngannou showed that through all of those experiences, he is still the same fighter.
Ngannou put away 2023 PFL Heavyweight Champion Renan Ferreira in just one round on Saturday night, finishing him with damaging ground and pound shots. The long-awaited return for Ngannou headlined a PFL pay-per-view card from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It didn’t take long for Ngannou to get the fight to the ground, putting Ferreira on the canvas with a takedown just a minute into the fight. Ferreira tried to catch Ngannou with a quick submission from his back, throwing up a triangle choke. However, Ngannou was able to escape the attempt and move into half control in the process.
Ngannou started to sting Ferreira with punches from half guard. The former UFC star moved to the back of Ferreira three minutes into the fight, allowing him to further wail away with hard shots. A long series of left hooks from Ngannou landed clean on Ferreira, putting him out cold three-and-a-half minutes into the bout and forcing the referee to end the fight.
Emotions poured out of Ngannou immediately after the fight, sobbing along with his supportive team. Afterward, the high-level MMA talent mentioned the weight he has carried this year due to his 14-month-old son, Kobe, passing away in April.
“I can’t just think about anything [other] than my son Kobe,” he said during his post-fight interview. “I only took this fight for him … I hope they can remember his name. Because without Kobe, we wouldn’t be here tonight. I wouldn’t have [a] fight.”
The fight marked Ngannou’s first MMA bout since early 2022 when he appeared for the last time as a UFC fighter. Seeking freedom from his deal with the UFC, Ngannou waited out the remainder of his contract with the top MMA organization until 2023, leaving after defending his heavyweight title once.
While multi-million dollar opportunities in MMA are few and far in-between, Ngannou scored a massive deal following the end of his UFC run. In signing a contract with the PFL, he was guaranteed massive paydays in MMA and the freedom to appear in boxing bouts.
Ngannou was quick to pursue high-level matchups in the boxing ring in the first year of his new chapter. In October 2023, he went 10 rounds against then-champion Tyson Fury. While he predictably lost, Ngannou over-delivered against Fury by earning an early knockdown and pushing the fight to a split decision outcome.
Ngannou turned his focus back to MMA following a second-round finish loss to Anthony Joshua earlier this year.
PFL gave Ngannou one of their best heavyweights for his return bout. Ferreira earned a shot against the former champ by stopping Ryan Bader in just 21 seconds earlier this year via finish. Before then, he won the 2023 heavyweight PFL season after a trio of stoppage victories.
Ngannou didn’t specify what would be next for him following a successful victory in Saudi Arabia.
“My next move in combat sports all depends on me and how I feel … Otherwise, I always thought I still have a lot to give in combat sports. Hopefully, I keep thinking that way, I keep that thought alive.”
Here are the quick results for PFL’s latest card:
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 11:00PM AST) (PPV)
Bout 9: Francis Ngannou def. Renan Ferreira via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:32) (PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 8: Cris Cyborg def. Larissa Pacheco via Decision, Unanimous (PFL Super Fights Featherweight Championship)
Bout 7: Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards via Decision, Unanimous (Bellator Middleweight Championship)
Bout 6: Zafar Mohsen def. Husein Kadimagomaev via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Paul Hughes def. AJ McKee Jr. via Decision, Split
Preliminary Card (12:30PM EDT / 7:30PM AST) (ESPN+)
Bout 4: Raufeon Stots def. Marcos Breno via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 3:01)
Bout 3: Makkasharip Zaynukov def. Dedrek Sanders via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Ibragim Ibragimov def. Nacho Campos via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 2, 3:51)
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