Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, recently made his debut in the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants event, facing Renan Ferreira in a Superfight for the heavyweight championship. The event took place at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking Ngannou’s return to mixed martial arts since January 2022.
After parting ways with the UFC in early 2023 due to contract disputes, Ngannou signed with the PFL. However, his debut was delayed as he competed in boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, resulting in defeats.
Entering the fight on a four-fight winning streak, Ferreira, the 2023 PFL heavyweight champion and holder of the “PFL vs. Bellator Champion of Champions” Super Belt, aimed to disrupt Ngannou’s PFL debut.
In the fight, Ngannou started with an outside leg kick, countered by Ferreira with a leg kick. Ngannou maintained distance on the outside while Ferreira controlled the center of the cage. After landing a leg kick, Ngannou executed a takedown on Ferreira, who attempted to secure an arm and later a triangle choke. Ngannou escaped, landing hammer fists and left hands until Ferreira was rendered unconscious on the canvas.
The knockout stoppage occurred at 3:32 of the first round.
