In the span of one month, four of the best Heavyweight mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters on the planet will throw down in two separate organizations, leaving two final combatants remaining in the 265-pound G.O.A.T. debate.
At UFC 309 on Nov. 16, current UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, will face off against former division kingpin, Stipe Miocic, in a five-round title fight in New York.
Before that epic clash of styles gets underway, Francis Ngannou will make his highly-anticipated debut with Professional Fighters League (PFL) on Sat. night (Oct. 19) at the promotion’s “Battle of Giants” pay-per-view (PPV) event, taking on current division champion, Renan Ferreira, for the Super Fight championship belt in Riyadh.
The talk around the MMA water cooler suggests Ngannou vs. Ferreira will determine the “Baddest Man on the Planet” because “The Predator” never lost the UFC Heavyweight strap before parting ways with the promotion back in 2022.
“This weekend, the undisputed lineal heavyweight champion of the world is returning to the sport where he reigned supreme,” Loren Mack, Senior VP, told MMAmania.com. “Francis Ngannou is undoubtedly the best heavyweight on the planet and he is the lineal heavyweight champion; he never lost his title.
“He now has a chance to defend it in a battle for the lineal heavyweight title against a man who has done everything possible to earn this shot against him. This Saturday, Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira is truly a Battle of the Giants.”
“The Predator” left UFC in Jan. 2023 after contract negotiations stalled, then went on to ink a landmark deal with PFL. The promotion not only paid him more, but also gave the Cameroonian a chance to dabble in the world of boxing, leading to a couple of massive showdowns against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, both of which he lost.
Ngannou, 38, was hoping to score a title fight against Jones but that fight never materialized — and the exact reasons are still a bit murky. For now, “The Predator” will shift his attention to Ferreira, a proven “Problema” for many combatants who have tested his brain-scrambling power (sample here).
As for Jones, he’s gone on record to say that his title fight against Miocic — which will be his seventeenth straight championship fight — will be his last. That leaves the door open to another 265-pound titleholder, Tom Aspinall, to start making his case to be included in the conversation with the aforementioned behemoths.
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