The Cameroonian Francis Ngannou left the Brazilian Renan Ferreira no chance by sweeping away his opponent in the first round of the ” Battle of the Giants » of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), organized on the night of October 19 to 20 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nearly three years after his last MMA fight, the former UFC heavyweight champion successfully returned to the cage and became the organization’s new heavyweight champion.
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Francis Ngannou has once again struck a blow. For his return to the octagon, almost three years after his last MMA fight and his resounding departure from the UFC, the Cameroonian was crowned the new heavyweight champion of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) by winning his fight against the Brazilian Renan Ferreira.
THE ” Predator » (38 years old, 1.93 m, 116.5 kg) made short work of the “ Problema » Brazilian (34 years old, 2.03 m, 118.6 kg), with a profile similar to his and with an insane reach of 2.16 m. For the first time, it was Ngannou who seemed less imposing in the cage against his opponent, who certainly has one of the most impressive builds in all organizations combined and with undeniable striking power. Because of his 13 victories, Ferreira has 11 by knockout, including 8 in the first round.
But despite his long absence away from the cage, Ngannou showed from the first moments that he had lost none of his power. After an exchange of powerful kicks between the two golgoths during the first seconds of the fight to gauge each other, the Cameroonian quickly took his opponent to the ground, where the Brazilian never really shone.
After an attempted stranglehold with the legs from which Ngannou quickly freed himself, the Brazilian was locked on the ground and the trap closed on him. Francis Ngannou then continued blows to the face of Ferreira, helpless, until the latter came to rest on the ground almost inert and forced the referee to stop the fight with a TKO in the first round.
With this great comeback and this flamboyant victory, the Cameroonian demonstrates that he has lost none of his splendor or his ferocity in the cage. A demonstration which contrasts with the emotion he let burst after his victory, surrounded by his coach Dewey Cooper, also in tears, and the rest of his staff in the cage.
More information to come…