Francis Ngannou finally made his long-awaited return to MMA against Renan Ferreira. The Brazilian earned his spot for the PFL Super Fight with three wins in 2023 and a finish over Ryan Bader earlier this year. The two headlined the pay-per-view headliner in tonightโsย PFL: โBattle of the Giantsโ (DAZN/ESPN+)ย at The Mayadeen in Riyadh.
There was serious attention to whether or not this would be a grinding performance on Ngannouโs legacy comeback. No fighter has ever finished โThe Predatorโ by strikes under MMA rules. However, Renan โProblemaโ Ferreira posed his own set of problems with 11 of his 13 pro victories by KO/TKO. The Brazilian fighterย starching Bellator heavyweightย Ryan Baderย in under a minute made him the top star.
So it was a clear challenge to take the space away from the PFL heavyweight tournament crown and a $1 million prize winner. Francis Ngannou put some money in the bag with a hard leg kick and mid-range shots.ย Ferreira (13-4) responded with his own, studying him at range. Ngannou teed off a hard takedown and went on the mount over the Team Nogueira MMA heavyweight.
FIRST. ROUND. FINISH!
[ #PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | BUY NOW | | ] pic.twitter.com/Zuyv8eN81H
โ PFL (@PFLMMA) October 19, 2024
The King without a Crown once again GETS GOLD!#PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact pic.twitter.com/Nu2TNHGCke
โ PFL (@PFLMMA) October 19, 2024
Ferreira threw up a stylistic triangle choke, but Ngannou shook it out. He even piled the arm for some Kimura attempts but to no avail. Ngannou would soon posture up and start raining a barrage of punches until Ferreira gave his back; Ngannou loaded more and more punches. Ngannou pummeling Renan Ferreira unconsciousness via KO (punches) โ 3:32 into R1 has gotten many viral responses.
Fight fans react to Francis Ngannouโs first-frame win and emotional breakdown
Francis โThe Predatorโ Ngannou stepped into the steep curve of MMA after almost three years. But he didnโt seem to have missed a step. Well into the media promos for PFL: โBattle of the Giantsโ, Ngannou said he knew the challenges the towering 6โ8โณ, 85โณ reach โProbelmaโ posed. However, every problem has a solution, and he proved it for Renan Ferreira.
The 38-year-old from Cameroon spiked his submission attempt and unloaded a vicious ground-and-pound to win the PFL Battle of the Giants Super Fight gold. However, it was his post-fight demeanor that caught the eye even more. This year, Ngannou faced the tragic deathย of his 15-month-old son, Kobe.
Holding it in for so long, the fighter broke down, crouching against the PFL Smart cage. After recovering, even the not-so-long-ago unconsciousness, Ferreira felt prompted to touch gloves and sign some consolation. Here are a few top reactions to it:
Francis Ngannou is really emotional after winning for Kobe, his 15 month old son who passed away this year โค๏ธ
โ ACD MMA (@acdmma_) October 19, 2024
Y’all must’ve forgot!
Francis Ngannou wins by 1st round KO! pic.twitter.com/N5ZbCCwc40
โ Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 19, 2024
He did it for Kobe โค๏ธ pic.twitter.com/iTRUIEfRMc
โ Rel (@FCB_Rel) October 19, 2024
Happy for Francis. Watching him cry after the KO win was deep. He’s been through a lot, absolutely awesome seeing him grab the dub.
Lineal Heavyweight champion.
โ Kyle Anthony’s UFC Betting (@KyleAnthonyUFC) October 19, 2024
Did it for his Kid
โ Willis Bermingham (@willisberm) October 19, 2024
I canโt imagine how hard this fight camp must have been for Ngannou.
This was a man on mission though. Executed the gameplan perfectly. #PFL
โ StopMakingSense (@StopNoticingIt) October 19, 2024
Bro killed the guy who shit talked his dead son and then calmly sat down next to him and cried. Scariest man in the world, 100% perfect emotional control. 10/10 performance.
โ kevin (@kevindgtl) October 19, 2024
Francis Ngannou looked sharp tonight but those strikes to the back of the head are nuts
โ Charlie Quinn (@CharlieQuinnMMA) October 19, 2024
The return of the heavyweight champ
โ wattsgas (@wattsgas34) October 19, 2024
Dan Miragliotta watching him die pic.twitter.com/2X6W5mNf1Q
โ HARD FACTOR (@HardFactorNews) October 19, 2024
Was watching it likepic.twitter.com/DLs8vfwgg4
โ Knockout of the day (@KOofTheDAY) October 19, 2024
FRANCIS NGANNOU AKA NGANNOUMEDOV HAS RETURNED#PFLSuperFights pic.twitter.com/BeuzTWUvzH
โ ACD MMA (@acdmma_) October 19, 2024
Shot to the back of the head 3 times , he was Gona win anyway but that is scary
โ HassFire (@FireHass) October 19, 2024
NGANNOU!!!!!! Pure dominance wow ๐คฏ
โ แดสแด แดสแดแดแดแด๊ฐแดแด๊ฑ (๐ง,๐พ) (@orderoutofkos) October 19, 2024
Dana fumbled so hard lmaooo
โ tonio (@ANTONIOEESPARZA) October 19, 2024
Francis Ngannouโs sudden sharp takedown subsequently was quite a switch-up. But it was his wild left wings to the back of the noggin that got the job done. The fans have accordingly lauded the return of the 265-pound king who finished the challenger with crass intentions and just sat, breaking down.
Overall, itโs a good day with Ngannou keeping his resolve about doing this for Kobe. He will chair the PFL Africa Regional League in 2025 in his memory. The only loss comes to detractor Conor McGregor, who put around $500,000 reasons to pick against and possibly UFC CEO Dana White. If Ferreira beat the odds, the bet wouldโve paid out $1,675,000. Now, it sees the return of the MMA king with his crown.
