It has been two years, eight months, and 1,001 days since the Lineal MMA Heavyweight Champion has competed in the sport. Francis Ngannou, “The Predator” makes his highly anticipated return to MMA and PFL debut this Saturday against 2023 PFL Heavyweight Champion Renan Ferreira. This main event headlines PFL’s Battle of the Giants pay-per-view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
For now, Ngannou has completed his side quest as a professional boxer and fought two of the best heavyweights in the past 10 years: Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. The last time we saw Ngannou compete in MMA was on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. At that event, Ngannou defeated Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision. The last time we saw Ngannou, Joshua viciously knocked him out in the second round in March. But don’t forget that Ngannou was on a warpath in MMA before taking a break from the sport. “The Predator” is on a six-fight win streak while knocking out five of his six opponents. Ngannou didn’t just beat anyone; he knocked out three former UFC champions.
But the last time we saw Ngannou in MMA was in the UFC Octagon. Now, he will compete inside the PFL SmartCage. Ngannou signed with the PFL in May 2023 but hasn’t fought for the promotion yet. Ferreira most recently knocked out Bellator Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader in February at the PFL vs. Bellator Champs event. Ferreira is on a four-win knockout streak but hasn’t faced an opponent on Ngannou’s level.
This event is titled “Battle of the Giants,” and this main event perfectly sums up that name. Typically, Ngannou has a significant size advantage against his previous opponents, but that isn’t true against Ferreira. “The Problem” has a four-inch edge in height (6’8″ vs. 6’4″) and a two-inch larger reach (85″ vs. 83″) than “The Predator.” Ngannou is the -325 favorite, while Ferreira is +260 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Ngannou successfully defended his title for the first time in his last fight in the UFC and never lost his belt. After lengthy negotiations with the promotion, he decided to leave his home of seven years and get the No. 1 thing he had been searching for. That is freedom. Ngannou didn’t just sign a contract with the PFL; he joined the company as a fighter and Chairman of the newly launched PFL Africa. He now has the freedom to entertain a fight in either boxing or MMA whenever he wants.
Ngannou’s life story has been filled with positives and negatives; recently, another tragedy occurred. In April, Ngannou announced that his one-year-old son Kobe passed away. From working in sand mines to becoming UFC champion and then tearing his ACL, and now dealing with the loss of his son, Ngannou has felt the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. But if anyone has proved they can overcome obstacles and hard times, it is Ngannou.
This fight card is stacked from the first fight of the Main Card to the Main Event. “Battle of the Giants” is easily one of the best cards PFL has put on during its six-year history. One of the most accomplished and skilled women’s fighters of all time, the Bellator Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg, is returning after a year away from the sport to fight PFL champion Larissa Pacheco. This bout is the co-main event of this PPV card.
Cyborg is the underdog at +114 in this fight, as Pacheco is the betting favorite at -135. Cyborg is on a seven-fight win streak and hasn’t lost a fight since Amanda Nunes defeated her at UFC 232 in December 2018. She joined Bellator in 2020, quickly beat Julia Budd for the title, and hasn’t lost since. This will be Cyborg’s 10th consecutive title fight in a row, dating back to her first UFC title victory in 2017. The last time we saw Cyborg, she beat Cat Zingano by KO/TKO in the first round. Cyborg is getting older, as she is 39, but she still competes at the highest level.
Pacheco is one of Cyborg’s most formidable opponents in a long time. She is a two-time PFL champion, defeating two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Kayla Harrison in 2022. Pacheco is an incredible striker, resulting in seven wins by KO/TKO during her 14 fights in the PFL. This bout will crown the best 145-pound women’s fighter in all of MMA.
The Undefeated Undisputed Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen defends his title for the third time against a familiar opponent, Fabian Edwards. Eblen knocked Edwards out in September 2023 at Bellator 299. Edwards is the brother of former UFC champion Leon Edwards, and most recently defeated Aaron Jeffery by unanimous decision in March. Eblen is a heavy favorite at -395 to successfully defend his title on DraftKings Sportsbook. Edwards is +310 but has won four of his last five fights.
In the opening fight of the main card, former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee is fighting rising star Paul Hughes. McKee, who is still only 29, is one of Bellator’s biggest stars and is 4-0 since moving to 155 pounds. Hughes debuted under the Bellator Champions Series banner at their event in his hometown of Dubin, Ireland, in June. Hughes knocked out Bobby King in the second round, and his debut couldn’t have gone more perfectly. Hughes, 27, is one of the best lightweight prospects in the world and has championship potential if he can get past the tough veteran in McKee.
McKee and Hughes want to fight the Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov next. This fight has significant stakes, as a potential title shot could be in the future. McKee is -180, while Hughes is a +150 underdog. Since McKee’s first loss to Patricio Pitbull in 2022, he has won four straight fights. In February 2024, McKee submitted Clay Collard in the first round.
The Early Card will air live on DraftKings Network at 12:30 p.m. ET. Check out my preview of the Early Card here.
Main Card
Heavyweight Super Fights Title
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira
Women’s Featherweight World Title
Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco
Bellator Middleweight Title
Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards
Featherweight Bout
Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen
Lightweight Bout
AJ McKee vs. Paul Hughes
Early Card
Bantamweight Bout
Raufeon Stots vs. Marcos Breno
Lightweight Bout
Makkasharip Zaynukov vs. Dedrek Sanders
Bantamweight Bout
Ibragim Ibragimov vs. Nacho Campos
Featherweight Bout
Tariq Ismail vs. Taha Bendaoud
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