Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou proved Saturday that he is still the same explosive heavyweight finisher despite years outside of the cage, returning with an emphatic first-round finish win against Renan Ferreira.
Appearing for the first time since a series of major events in his life and career – including the dramatic end of his UFC run, a landmark deal to join the PFL roster, a pair of mainstream boxing appearances and the tragic loss of his son Kobe – Ngannou showed that he is still the same fighter who became known for his killer instinct in the heavyweight division. He made quick work of opponent Ferreira, putting him away in three-and-a-half minutes as part of a pay-per-view card from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou scored a takedown a minute into the fight, allowing him to control the bout after somewhat of a feeling-out process in the opening moments. After escaping a brief triangle attempt from Ferreira, Ngannou moved into half guard and started to connect with ground and pound. He eventually got on the back of Ferreira, continuing to hammer away with hard shots to the head.
NGANNOU TKOs FERREIRA IN ROUND 1
A very late stoppage, however #PFLSuperFights pic.twitter.com/KARhcdY6nL
— Steven Rae (@stevenrae_) October 19, 2024
The powerful fists of Ngannou hurt Ferreira by this point, with one of his hooks to the head putting the Brazilian champ out cold. After a few more shots landed, the referee stepped in and put an end to the fight.
The win was Ngannou’s first MMA appearance since early 2022 when he overcame Ciryl Gane in a five-round result to retain his status as UFC Heavyweight Champion. He departed the promotion last year after wanting to experience more freedom in his career, months later inking a lucrative PFL deal which promised millions per fight and allowed him to pursue opportunities in boxing as well.
Before coming back to his home sport, Ngannou went after high-profile boxing matches which promised huge paydays. In late 2023, he scored a knockdown against then-top heavyweight Tyson Fury before not being favored in a split decision. After giving one of boxing’s top names a tough challenge – a huge surprise given the massive underdog odds he was placed at for the fight- Ngannou faced off against Anthony Joshua in March. That bout wasn’t nearly as close, with Joshua dropping Ngannou numerous times before stopping the bout in just the second round.
Just weeks after the fight, Ngannou suffered his toughest loss yet: The tragic passing of his 15-month-old son, Kobe. His son’s sudden death has fuelled the Cameroonian fighter’s return, mentioning after his win on Saturday how the fight was dedicated to him.
“I can’t just think about anything [other] than my son Kobe,” Ngannou said during his post-fight interview. “I took the 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.”
Emotions poured out of Ngannou immediately after the fight came to an end, letting everything go after weeks of preparation and focus on his highly anticipated return.
Ngannou was coming back to MMA with one of PFL’s best heavyweights matched against him. 34-year-old “Problema” Ferreira was granted a shot against Ngannou after winning PFL’s 2023 heavyweight season and stopping Bellator champ Ryan Bader in just 21 seconds earlier this year.
With another win under his belt, Ngannou has now pieced together seven consecutive wins in MMA. He remains the heavyweight division’s lineal champ, considering he left the UFC without ever losing a fight.
As for what’s next in combat sports, Ngannou didn’t specify what he wanted to do. However, it seems clear that he’s not done with competing just yet.
“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.”
Cris Cyborg overcomes Larissa Pacheco in featherweight ‘Super Fight’
Former UFC titleholder and long-time Bellator Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg prevailed in a featherweight “Super Fight,” going five rounds to end the multi-year winning streak of two-time PFL champ Larissa Pacheco.
In what arguably was the biggest challenge for Cyborg since exiting the UFC roster in 2018, she led the contest and took four out of the five rounds but also absorbed a significant amount of damage along the way.
Cyborg had a strong start to the fight, scoring the bigger shots against Pacheco in stand-up exchanges. In the opening round, she landed a clean head kick early as the duo stood up from a ground position. A series of takedowns from Cyborg in the frame allowed her to control the fight and get ahead early. In the next round, Cyborg similarly was able to score with better strikes before taking the fight down and scoring on the ground.
After likely losing the first and second frames, Pacheco bounced back. She was able to get the fight to the ground, putting Cyborg on the canvas after catching a leg kick and scoring a hard right hand.
While Cyborg looked quite fatigued by the championship rounds, short bursts of energy allowed her to keep landing and snag some late insurance rounds on scorecards. After 25 minutes, it was clear that she did enough to win the high-profile bout.
A meeting between Cyborg and Pacheco was the biggest omission from the “PFL vs. Bellator” champion-versus-champion card earlier this year. They have both dominated their respective promotions for a long time, making the co-main event easily one of the biggest women’s MMA bouts outside of the UFC to happen in recent years.
Cyborg has held the Bellator Featherweight Championship five times since earning the belt in early 2020. Saturday marked her return to MMA after a year outside of the cage, although she has remained active in combat sports with a pair of boxing appearances since then.
Pacheco had a run of 10 consecutive wins heading into this weekend, including performances that made her the 2022 lightweight and 2023 featherweight PFL champion.
Johnny Eblen maintains Bellator middleweight title in one-sided decision
Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen moved his undefeated record to an impressive 16 wins as part of Saturday’s main card, going the distance to defeat rival Fabian Edwards for the second time.
Eblen’s superior wrestling – something that he has been known to utilize as a pro – mixed in with an ability to win the early stand-up exchanges earned him an early lead on scorecards.
Edwards had his own moments as well. He connected with counter-striking shots early on and attempted to make a comeback late in the fight. He most notably had a strong final round to the fight, becoming more aggressive in his attacks against the champ. Eblen noted afterwards that he “faded a little bit” by the final round, allowing Edwards to take over.
The victory for Eblen wasn’t show-stealing, and for a large part of the bout left the Riyadh crowd sitting on their hands. But, it most importantly kept Eblen undefeated and further entrenched his status as one of the best non-UFC middleweights in the world.
Eblen has now defended his middleweight title three times since initially earning it in 2022. He previously beat Edwards last year as well, overcoming him via third-round stoppage in their first meeting.
Edwards secured a second crack at Eblen after getting past Aaron Jeffery in a #1 contenders match earlier this year. The title bout was originally scheduled to take place on a Bellator card last month but was moved due to undisclosed reasons.
Main Card (PPV)
- Francis Ngannou def. Renan Ferriera via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:32) (PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Championship)
- Cris Cyborg def. Larissa Pacheco via Decision, Unanimous (PFL Super Fights Featherweight Champion)
- Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards via Decision, Unanimous (Bellator Middleweight Championship)
- Zafar Mohsen def. Husein Kadimagomaev via Decision, Unanimous
- Paul Hughes def. AJ McKee Jr. via Decision, Split
Preliminary Card (ESPN+)
- Raufeon Stots def. Marcos Breno via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 3:01)
- Makkasharip Zaynukov def. Dedrek Sanders via Decision, Unanimous
- Ibragim Ibragimov def. Nacho Campos via Decision, Unanimous
- Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 2, 3:51)
