Francis Ngannou KNOCKS OUT Renan Ferreira at PFL Battle of the Giants

Francis Ngannou produced a stunning knockout victory upon his return to MMA as he took on Renan Ferreira in PFL’s Battle of the Giants main event. 

After months of build-up and anticipation for Ngannou’s MMA return, the two heavyweights finally met inside the SmartCage in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

And it didn’t take long for Ngannou to remind combat fans of his impressive abilities inside the cage as he dispatched of his Brazilian counterpart inside the first round.

After a tentative opening minute or so, the Cameroonian shot for a takedown and grappled with the Ferreira before establishing control on the ground.

It didn’t take long for the heavyweight star to begin landing huge shots upon Ferreira and, within three minutes and thirty-two seconds, the bout was waved off. 

Francis Ngannou (left) produced a stunning knockout victory upon his return to MMA as he took on Renan Ferreira (right) at PFL’s Battle of the Giants

The Cameroonian got the job done inside one round after brutal ground and pound on Ferreira

Ngannou was making his return to MMA after boxing fights against Anthony Joshua (pictured, left) and Tyson Fury over the last year

Ngannou made his long-awaited return to the cage after over two years away from the sport as he took on PFL’s 2023 Heavyweight champion Ferreira in Saudi Arabia.

Since his last MMA bout, the 38-year-old embarked on a journey which saw him make brief foray into boxing and sign with the UFC‘s rival promotion; the PFL.

Over the last year, the Cameroonian took on British stars Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua inside the squared circle – narrowly losing to the ‘Gypsy King’ before suffering a brutal KO to AJ.

However, that wasn’t enough to deter him from returning to the cage and making his debut for the PFL – who he signed with back in May 2023.

His arrival at the PFL came after an unceremonious exit from the UFC, where the at-the-time heavyweight champion failed to reach an agreement over a new deal with the promotion.

It proved to be a wise move for Ngannou, who has since accrued roughly £23m ($30m), according to reports, before stepping back inside the MMA cage.

Ferreira, on the other hand, found his way to the the PFL Super Fight stage after dominating the heavyweight division and being crowned the 2023 champion.

The 6’8″ Brazilian, since the start of 2023, won his last four fights by way of knockout – with his two most recent fights lasting a total of just 47 seconds.

More to follow…