It wasn’t Francis Ngannou’s personal life that Renan Ferreira was talking about. Nevertheless, the crass commentary could have just as easily hit that nerve. The heavyweights meet at the PFL Super Fights: ‘Battle of the Giants’ pay-per-view main event in October. Ahead of this, ‘Problema’ Ferreira has put clarity on his problematic intentions to be Ngannou’s biggest challenge yet.
That’s a very normal statement to read. But it isn’t when one considers that Francis Ngannou tragically lost his 15-month-old son, Kobe, in April. PFL’s ‘Battle of the Giants’ presser happened inside The Anthem in Washington, DC. Renan Ferreira caused a stir when he claimed he’d be the biggest problem of Ngannou’s “tough year.” Fans immediately took to scalding the heavyweight for his crass commentary.
Hey, everyone. Today we had the press conference and I saw a few things came out in the press that were completely distorted when speaking about Francis, saying that I was the biggest problem for him this year, but I was referring to the fight…What I said has no connection to his personal life… I’m a father, I have kids as well, and I will never touch such a delicate subject. I wouldn’t go that low.
Renan Ferreira via IG reels (@renan_problema_mma)
Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, suffered a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in boxing earlier this year. This was in close proximity to the tragedy. Before that, he suffered yet another loss to ex-WBC champion Tyson Fury despite an electric debut. Hence, some questioned if the Brazilian was referring to Ngannou’s personal life or if he was referring to losing to Joshua.
I just want to make something clear. @francisngannou is a great man & i respect him. When i said that i was going to be his biggest
this year i was talking about Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury, not about his family. I am a father myself
— RenanProblemaMMA (@MmaProblema) August 23, 2024
Later, ‘Problema’ himself clarified the situation further on X again. It’s been a rough but financially rewarding year for Ngannou outside the UFC. Despite his strong comments, Renan Ferreira says he didn’t intend to add to it. While he had a physically charged faceoff with the opponent, Francis Ngannou did not comment. As such, the French-Cameroonian is looking forward to his PFL debut next.
Despite the controversy, Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira ranks above Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall in HW fights
With the UFC’s top HW division in disarray, it appears the true heavyweight champion will be crowned elsewhere. With the top table consisting of Jon Jones and Stipe Mioicic, both contemplating retiring, it’s only Tom Aspinall at the top. As such, the mettle of the true heavyweight is up for grabs, and the next best premier promotion thinks they fit the bill just right.
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira “real” heavyweight clash (Source: X/bleacherreport.com)Team Nogueira’s Renan Ferreira has said it, and so has PFL bossman Peter Murray. PFL pits ‘Problema’ against Francis Ngannou, the lineal UFC heavyweight champion who never lost his belt before leaving the banner. With the logjam atop the UFC heavyweight division, PFL’s Murray is adamant this fight is the real mark of a heavyweight showdown.
This is the biggest heavyweight fight in MMA of the year, It’s in Riyadh, it has all the makings and the co-main event with Cris Cyborg against Larissa Pacheco who is a two-time PFL champion so it’s a big night…[Jon vs. Aspinall] is their business but I think it speaks volumes. Francis is the heavyweight MMA champion of the world and we’re now going to see what he has. I don’t think he’s lost a step but we’ll see.
Peter Murray in a BloodyElbow Exlusive interview
The winner of this fight, which kicks off their pay-per-view “Super Fight” series, could be MMA’s greatest heavyweight. Ferreira (13-3 MMA, 7-1 PFL) cemented himself as the opponent for Ngannou’s highly anticipated PFL debut by winning the PFL HW title in 2023. He then blew out Bellator heavyweight titleholder Ryan Bader in February.
Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 0-2 boxing), competed twice in boxing since his departure from UFC. He will make his first MMA appearance since defeating Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision at UFC 270 in January 2022. As such, this truly has the markings of a blockbuster heavyweight clash.
