A massive heavyweight showdown headlines Saturday’s PFL: ‘Battle of the Giants’ (DAZN/ESPN+ pay-per-view). It takes place at The Mayadeen and sees the return of MMA storm Francis Ngannou. He takes on 2023 PFL champion Renan Ferreira in the pay-per-view top bill. Both Ngannou’s salary and his rival’s payout for the first-ever promotional super fight could be one for ages.
Ngannou left the MMA sphere a while back as an ex-UFC lineal heavyweight. Not having lost the stake to his gold to the likes of Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, and Tom Aspinall, he is a giant in the combat game. While some of such names put an asterisk on his status, many still consider the Cameroonian a heavyweight G.O.A.T.
The stock into one Renan Ferreira, where he goes from here, and how much fight salary/potential bonus he earns will thus depend on how the Brazilian can rise to the challenge. Here is a look into how much Ngannou and he can earn for their scrap.
Salary of Francis Ngannou for ‘Battle of Giants’
During his appearance for ShadowLion’s new “Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru Usman & Henry Cejudo” Podcast, Ngannou told Kamaru Usman about making $600,000 for his last UFC outing. A 2022 unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane to defend the promotion’s heavyweight title, after which the fighter left the promotion due to unfulfilled contractual rehashes for a super fight against Jones.
Hence, his previous fight salaries and potential bonuses are no clear indicators of his current bank. Per Steven Marrocco of MMAFighting for SBN (SBNation Network) and Brian Mazique of Forbes, his drawing power was in full force as an independent contractor when he opted for rights for free agency. Ngannou accordingly $10 million vs. ex-Lineal WBC heavyweight Tyson Fury. He also earned in the neighborhood of $20 million vs Anthony Joshua.
Away from the shackles, he was thus the biggest free agency signing into the PFL foray. When he signed with the PFL in 2023, part of the deal was that each of his opponents would receive a $2 million purse. Now, PFL: ‘Battle of the Giants’ pay-per-view will see him earn a payout of nearly $10 million! A pure PPV spotlight, his fight salary will be bordering around $3 million. Meanwhile, the PPV revenue share and potential bonus make up for $7m.
Salary of Renan Ferreira for ‘Battle of Giants’
Renan Ferreira is on the brink of the biggest payday of his mixed martial arts career. Consequently, he has Francis ‘The Predator’ Ngannou to thank for it. He owes the Cameroonian for a couple of million dollar payday for PFL’s return to pay-per-view for the first of its Super Fights series.
Renan Ferreira to also make his biggest payout yet at ‘Battle of the Giants’ (Source: X/boxemag.com)Renan Ferreira (13-3 MMA, 7-1 PFL) solidified his super fight spot with quite the feat. Beginning with the 2023 PFL Championships with a second-round knockout of Denis Goltsov. ‘Problema’ then starched Bellator HW Ryan Bader in under a minute in the Champ vs. Champ event. However, he opted to forego a possible $1 million prize for the 2024 PFL heavyweight tournament bracket. Ferreira waited for his chance at Francis Ngannou’s debut and the massive contractual payout.
By skipping the tournament, Ferreira removes the risk of losing a fight and possibly Ngannou. It also significantly reduces the chance of wear and tear in the PFL tournament format. He is now ready for the challenge and a big purse. PFL: ‘Battle of the Giants’ pay-per-view sees his guaranteed $760k fight salary bump to a slated base salary of $2 million. His potential bonus and PPV sale payout will hedge around another $750k to $1m margin.
‘Problema’ has previously crossed the $1.5 million mark based on potential PPV bonuses. Prior to this fight, Ferreira earned $400,000 for his fight with opponent Bader. ‘Battle of the Giants’ will be the biggest test to date for these heavyweight ‘Giants’. All in all, the duo would be trying to match the money with the mettle with some heavy-handed intentions.
