Ahead of their monstrous showdown in October in the Middle East, PFL heavyweight star, Renan Ferreira has walked back comments made to incoming foe, former undisputed UFC heavyweight titleholder, Francis Ngannou — regarding the sad passing of his young son, Kobe earlier this year.
Ferreira — who will welcome Batie knockout artist, Ngannou to the PFL (Professional Fighters League), most recently featured in a ‘Super Belt’ matchup against Bellator MMA star, Ryan Bader in Saudi Arabia — stopping him with a massive first round knockout win — setting up his big fight with Ngannou.
Sidelined from mixed martial arts for the last two years, Ngannou most recently featured against former interim UFC heavyweight champion, Ciryl Gane — successfully unifying the divisional crowns with a unanimous decision win in Anaheim, California.
However, overnight, the two shared the stage at a press event to promote their heavyweight clash, with Renan Ferreira reportedly claiming that even though Ngannou had experienced the death of his young son this year, their fight would be a worse experience for him — leading to mass criticizm across social media.
Renan Ferreira addresses comments made to Francis Ngannou
And in the wake of his comments and criticizm online, Ferreira has now explained his comments aimed at Ngannou, claiming he was referring to the experience of combat, and not the fact he had lost his child.
“I just want to make something clear,” Renan Ferreira posted on his official X account. “@francisngannou is a great man & I respect him. When I said that I was going to be his biggest [challenge] this year, I was talking about Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury, not about his family. I am a father myself.”
Commenting on his late son’s passing earlier this year, Ngannou told how he planned to honor him with his performance against Ferreira when they share the SmartCage in the Middle East later this annum.
“FIghting for me is a lifestyle,” Francis Ngannou told assembled media ahead of his PFL MMA debut. “I questioned myself if I should continue or retire, but I didn’t want my son to be the reason for me to do that.”
“It becomes a new purpose for me,” Francis Ngannou explained. “I decided to make a positive out of his 15 months of living. To find strength out of him, as a motivation, to keep going instead of quitting. I think this is the best way