Cameroon’s Francis Ngannou made a victorious go back to blended martial arts by knocking out Renan Ferreria in the preliminary of their heavyweight clash at the Professional Fighters League (PFL) occasion called “Battle Of The Giants” in the early hours of Sunday early morning.
After some early heavy kicks from both fighters, Ngannou, who had actually not combated in blended martial arts because January 2022, took the battle to the mat and ultimately supported his Brazilian challenger, landing a series of bludgeoning punches to end the battle with 88 seconds left in the preliminary.
A tearful Ngannou then committed his success to the memory of his 15-month-old boy Kobe, who passed away in April.
“I just did this battle since of him. I wished to defend him … I hope they can remember his name, because without Kobe, we would not be here this evening,” he stated in a post-fight interview in the cage.
The occasion braked with the PFL’s typical format of a routine season and playoffs to place on a series of “extremely battles” with belts at stake as Ngannou made his go back to the sport where he made his name after a venture into the world of boxing.
Ngannou’s increase from youth hardship in Cameroon to the peak of blended martial arts, where he won the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title in March 2021, made him an extremely popular figure and among the most desired complimentary representatives in battle sports when his UFC agreement ended.
He went on to participate in profitable boxing matches versus heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, both of which he lost, and his finalizing was a big coup for the PFL in its fight to take on the UFC.