Francis Ngannou Returning to MMA with PFL Debut Against Renan Ferreira

On October 19, history will be made as Francis Ngannou returns to mixed martial arts in the PFL Super Fight Championships. He will face off against Professional Fighters League Heavyweight Champion Renan “Problema” Ferreira. Ngannou has not competed in MMA since January 2022 at UFC 270.

After two high-level boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, Ngannou will be re-entering the octagon he has dominated in the past. He will have his hands full with Ferreira, who stands at 6’8″ with elite agility. Ferreira, currently 13-3 in his career, has continued to improve and was crowned champion after his latest victory—a 21-second win over Ryan Bader.

This pay-per-view event will also be co-headlined by Cris Cyborg, who is set to face Larissa Pacheco. Champions will be crowned in both events at a location to be announced in the coming weeks. Cyborg, a veteran in mixed martial arts, mentioned in an interview with Forbes how young Pacheco was when she started fighting.

“When I was starting fighting, she (Pacheco) was nine years old. I believe it is going to be a great fight. She is a tough girl.”

Ngannou also praised his October competitor.

“I have been studying him for years. In fact, I’ve been telling people to watch this guy. He’s quite unique, he’s athletic, fast. His size doesn’t impress me as much as his skill.”

This will be a star-studded event as we continue to wait for the rest of the lineup to be announced, which could see even more debuts in this co-headlined main event.