By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
After two years, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight king Francis Ngannou made his mixed martial arts (MMA) return during the main event of the PFL: Battle of the Giants on October 20, 2024, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Despite the long layoff, Ngannou performed as if he never left the sport after scoring a jaw-dropping knockout victory over Renan Ferreira of Brazil in the first round.
Equipped with the much-needed ring mastery due to his imposing size and evolved style, Ngannou sized Ferreira in the first 15 seconds with his thunderous jabs that kept the Brazilian on the back foot.
After hitting Ferreira several times, Ngannou scored the first takedown of the fight and immediately attempted a triangle choke.
Ferreira sprawled away from danger and got out of the dangerous situation, only to be put in a more problematic scene when he got clipped by Ngannou from behind.
The Cameroonian striker then hooked Ferreira’s legs with his knees and set up his strikes with several left-handed hooks and followed it up with thunderous hammer fists.
After 15 seconds of hell that Ferreira experienced while Ngannou was on top, the official match referee stepped in and decided to stop the match.
This is Ngannou’s first win in MMA since leaving the sport in 2022. A few months after parting ways with UFC, he officially announced that he would seek to leave his mark in boxing.
However, his plans didn’t kick off pretty well in boxing, as he is yet to nab a win and will look to bounce back after suffering a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua.
“I knew I didn’t miss a step in MMA. I wasn’t worried about it, because as soon as I walked in the gym for MMA, I knew that everything was still there. It was just about me being able to manage my emotions,” said Ngannou during his post-fight interview.
