Cameroon’s Fancis Ngannou marked his return to mixed martial arts (MMA) with a dominant first-round win over Brazilian Renan Ferreira to become the first-ever PFL Super Fights Heavyweight World Champion on Saturday.
The fight, dubbed “Battle of the Giants,” was held at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Ngannou secured a knockout stoppage at 3:32 of round one to claim victory over Ferreira and hand the Brazilian the fourth loss of his career.
𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑨𝑫𝑫𝑬𝑺𝑻 𝑴𝑨𝑵 𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑽𝑬@francis_ngannou returns with a BANG! First-ever PFL Super Fights Heavyweight World Champion!#PFLSuperFights #BraceForImpact pic.twitter.com/85emOZMqY4
— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 19, 2024
Overwhelmed with emotions, Ngannou dedicated the win to his son, Kobe, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
“I don’t know. I can’t think about anything [other] than my son Kobe. I only took this fight because of him,” he told DAZN.
“I went to fight for him. I hope they can remember his name because without Kobe, we wouldn’t be here tonight. I wouldn’t have fought.”
The Cameroonian, whose last MMA bout was in 2022 after he departed the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as their heavyweight world champion, switched to boxing, where he lost his last two fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, respectively.
However, the 38-year-old meant business in Riyadh, as he quickly secured a takedown early on against the 261-pound Ferreira, whose 6ft 8in frame is four inches taller than Ngannou, who weighed in at 256lb for the fight.
Although Ferreira fought back with a submission attempt, Ngannou escaped it before launching heavy punches on the back of the 34-year-old’s head, with the referee forced to stop the fight.
“That was an option,” Ngannou replied when asked about why he chose to take Ferreira to ground. “I am a mixed martial artist. I am multi-dimensional.
“That was definitely an option. Since the opportunity was there, I was here to take everything that came my way. Here we are.”
𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐍𝐄 😤@francis_ngannou JUST DID THAT 💥 #PFLSuperFights | Battle of the Giants: Ngannou vs. Ferreira | Live now | Buy now at https://t.co/PGE9z4U2X5 pic.twitter.com/ogppris5nq
— DAZN Sport (@DAZN_Sport) October 19, 2024
Reviewing his performance in the fight and his return to MMA after a two-year absence, he said: “I knew I didn’t miss a step. I wasn’t worried about it because as soon as I walked in the gym I knew everything was still there. It was just me being able to manage my emotions. Deal with life separately, not mix things up. That’s what I have been working on.
“We’re here and we finally get a result. Thank you to my team, my family and everyone who has been here,” he stated. “Some of them have been away from their family for two months to support me in my crazy dream, which has no limits. Sometimes I don’t even know if my dream has sense. Thank you, guys.”
This marked the 18th win of Ngannou’s professional career, and the former UFC heavyweight champion ended Ferreira’s four-fight winning streak, which included a devastating first round knockout win over former two-division Bellator champion Ryan Bader.
On what is next on his mind, the new PFL heavyweight champion added: “I think my next move in combat sports all depends on me, how I feel. I always think I have a lot to give and I keep thinking that way.”
