Francis Ngannou Returns to MMA against Renan Ferreira

“Francis, where are you? Let’s do this”. Renan Ferreira called out Ngannou after picking up the victory over Bader

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, Cameroon – Francis Ngannou will fight Renan Ferreira in his MMA return after the Brazilian knocked out Ryan Bader in just 21 seconds. Ferreira and Bader were fighting in the main event of PFL vs Bellator’s Championships event in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for the chance to serve as Ngannou’s next opponent in the cage.

Ngannou left the UFC and relinquished the promotion's heavyweight title in early 2023, before signing for the Professional Fighters League (PFL), a rival company. Since signing with the PFL, Ngannou has not featured in an MMA fight but instead has been involved with boxing.

The Predator has a second boxing bout coming up on March 8 against Briton Anthony Joshua after almost defeating another Briton Tyson Fury in his fight boxing debut. Ngannou last fought in MMA in January 2022, outpointing former teammate Ciryl Gane to retain the UFC heavyweight title.

Ngannou was cage-side for the fight in Riyadh and Ferreira called out the Cameroonian in his post-fight interview. “I am the real champion out here, I am the record breaker and record-setter," Renan Ferreira said.

“Francis, where are you? Let’s do this. I’ve always been ready to fight against the very best in the world; it can be against Francis in the boxing ring or the cage, wherever he wants to do it. I already am one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, I've proved this inside of the SmartCage and I’m going to continue proving it.”

Ngannou was seen leaving the Kingdom Arena whilst Ferreira was giving his post-fight interview, butchering plans of a face-off between the future opponents.

The fight between Ngannou and Joshua is hugely significant for several factors. For one, a victory for Ngannou against Joshua on March 8 can earn him a rematch against Fury and the undisputed world titles could be on the line if the Brit beats Oleksandr Usyk on May 18.·