Francis Ngannou ‘barely noticed Jake Paul was there’ as he stared into the eyes of Renan Ferreira ahead of their massive collision for the PFL heavyweight championship.
On October 19, ‘The Predator’ will make his eagerly-anticipated return to the cage against a 6ft8 giant at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Last Thursday, the pair met at a press conference, hosted by Paul, to promote the card, appropriately named ‘Battle of the Giants’.
READ MORE: ‘I was once dodging grenades every day on the front line – now I’m world-renowned boxer’
READ MORE: Controversial Jiu Jitsu fighter who kissed female opponent chokes her out in mixed bout
Join the Daily Star’s WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and lots more
The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us!
Through the app, we’ll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…along with the latest breaking news of course.
To join our community, all you have to do to join is click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in!
No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
In his career to date, the YouTuber has shared the boxing ring with many a talented MMA fighter. However, from a size perspective, Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren pale in comparison to Ngannou and Ferreira.
With a look of terror on his face, Paul stood in the middle of the heavyweight icons as they stared into each other’s eyes, desperate to seize even the slightest mental edge.
What do you think of Jake Paul trying to separate the pair? Let us know in the comments section
Ngannou has solidified his place as one of the most terrifying athletes in combat sports history. With punching power equivalent to being hit by a Ford Escort moving at full pace, the Cameroonian has proven beyond doubt that he has the ability to switch the lights off with one shot.
Remarkably, however, he looked significantly smaller than Ferreira, which consequently meant that between the pair of sporting titans on stage, a 6ft2 Paul looked so undersized that Ngannou didn’t realise he was there.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Star Sport, he laughed: “Jake Paul is not in our weight class. We barely noticed that he was there, besides the moment that we walked in and shook his hand and greeted him.
“But face-to-face looking into each other’s eyes, looking up, I wasn’t seeing Jake Paul at all, he wasn’t in my eyeline.”
Despite the fact he’ll be the shorter man in the cage on October 19, the African icon isn’t scared. Last year, he dropped Tyson Fury in the boxing ring, exhibiting the necessary skills to hurt a larger fighter. However, he’s more than aware that Ferreira is bringing a completely new challenge to the table.
The legend explained: “They might have the same profile, but Tyson Fury was in boxing, and this is MMA with different elements involved in the game. There’s moving well and a kick that can come.
“Ferreira has some good knees that are not involved in boxing. I think it’s completely different. If I had to compare him to one of my opponents, it would be Ciryl Gane rather than Tyson Fury.”
Born in poverty and working in the sand mines, Ngannou was willing to do whatever it took to build a better life for himself.
With this considered, while attempting to make it to France, he was jailed for two months in Spain. When he eventually arrived in Paris, he was left homeless and without the company of his beloved family back home.
But in a testament to his monumental self-belief, against all odds, he applied himself to MMA and managed to make his wildest dreams come true. And now, he’s desperate to help fighters in his homeland do the same.
Ngannou believes his work with PFL Africa will give aspiring combat athletes an opportunity to thrive in the sport that he holds so close to his heart.
The 37-year-old explained: “The goal of PFL Africa is to give a chance to those who we are not seeing right now and are in the shadows. They are in Africa fighting in local events. The promotions might not have had a video to share. Those are the targets we want in PFL Africa.
“Meanwhile, I had the opportunity to see one of them from my foundation, he stands out with his improvement and dedication. We are going to get him prepared for PFL Africa, but he will fight on my card in Riyadh.”