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UFC Veteran Skeptical Of Francis Ngannou’s Box Office Appeal For PFL

Francis Ngannou is poised to make his eagerly awaited PFL debut this Saturday after signing with the organization last year. He is set to face Renan Ferreira in a highly anticipated title bout for the heavyweight championship. This clash will headline the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants pay-perview, taking place at The Mayadeen […]

Continue Reading UFC Veteran Skeptical Of Francis Ngannou’s Box Office Appeal For PFL at MMA News.

This clash will headline the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants pay-perview, taking place at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The former UFC heavyweight champion departed the promotion following his title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022, driven by his long-standing dream to compete in boxing. He faced former heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the ring, but his foray into boxing didn’t go as planned.

The matchup between Ngannou and Ferreira has become one of the most discussed fights of the year, as it marks the return of “The Predator” to the MMA cage after more than two years away. However, former UFC welterweight Matt Brown believes that Ngannou has yet to reach the level of stardom necessary to generate a significant pay-per-view draw for the PFL.

During a recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer (via MMAFighting), “The Immortal” remarked that while Ngannou’s boxing matches were hailed as marquee events due to his bouts with two of the biggest names in the sport, his upcoming PFL fight may struggle to gain similar traction, primarily because his opponent lacks widespread recognition.

“He’s not that big of a star,” Brown said. “We watched him fight Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury because of him fighting those guys. He’s not a Conor McGregor, and we’re just going to watch him no matter who he fights. Even if Conor fought some lower-level guy, there would be a drop-off in pay-per-views, right?He’s got to have a ‘B’ side also that’s a ‘B’ side. Francis is fighting a ‘D’ side here. It’s not a ‘B’ side. It’s a ‘D’ side, and Francis just isn’t big enough of an ‘A’ side to draw. We don’t know how much he’s getting paid, but if it’s the amounts we would guess, it’s not going to cover his expense, I don’t think.”

PFL CEO Peter Murray has confidently proclaimed that the Battle of the Giants card will outshine both UFC 300 and UFC 306 in terms of popularity, setting it up to be the year’s premier MMA event. However, fans will have to wait until the weekend to see if the Ngannou-headlined spectacle lives up to the hype.

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Read More: Renan Ferreira vs. Francis Ngannou Doesn’t Feel Like A Title Fight To Coach – ‘Hasn’t Been Promoted’

Continue Reading UFC Veteran Skeptical Of Francis Ngannou’s Box Office Appeal For PFL at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou Teases Surprise Finish In MMA Return: ‘Been Working On Some Tricks…’

In his return to mixed martial arts this weekend, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou could be set to show new wrinkles in his game. Saturday marks a big night for “The Predator,” as he enters the cage for an MMA fight for the first time since a successful UFC title defense against Ciryl Gane […]

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Teases Surprise Finish In MMA Return: ‘Been Working On Some Tricks…’ at MMA News.

In his return to mixed martial arts this weekend, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou could be set to show new wrinkles in his game.

Saturday marks a big night for “The Predator,” as he enters the cage for an MMA fight for the first time since a successful UFC title defense against Ciryl Gane back in January 2022.

After departing MMA’s leading promotion and completing two bouts in the ring opposite boxing stars Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, Ngannou will put his sights back on the sport in which he made his name to make a long-awaited PFL debut.

The Cameroonian is slated to headline the upcoming pay-per-view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against 2023 PFL heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira. Given the Brazilian’s penchant for knockouts, which is more than shared by “The Predator,” most are expecting Ngannou’s return to the cage to conclude with a knockout.

But during an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, the ex-UFC champ suggested that is far from certain, with both a decision and a surprise submission on the table.

When it comes to the latter of those endings, the 38-year-old Batié native said he could have some “tricks” up his sleeve come fight night.

“He moves a lot and he has good grappling. I mean, he is a black belt,” Ngannou said. “Unless the fight goes longer — if the fight goes past two rounds, I think it’s likely going to end up (being) a decision. Otherwise, if it stays inside two rounds, I think it’s a knockout or why not a submission?

“You know, I’m not a black belt, but I’m not bad too,” Ngannou continued. “I’ve been working on some little tricks.”

Be it a KO, submission or hard-fought victory on the scorecards, Ngannou will hope to emerge from the Middle East with a better result than in his last trip to Riyadh, which saw him rendered unconscious by “AJ.”

Read More: Tom Aspinall On Why It’s ‘Hard’ To Put Ngannou In Best Heavyweight Debate: ‘The Guy He’s Fighting…’

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Teases Surprise Finish In MMA Return: ‘Been Working On Some Tricks…’ at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou Teases Surprise Finish In MMA Return: ‘Been Working On Some Tricks…’

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Teases Surprise Finish In MMA Return: ‘Been Working On Some Tricks…’ at MMA News.

In his return to mixed martial arts this weekend, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou could be set to show new wrinkles in his game.

Saturday marks a big night for “The Predator,” as he enters the cage for an MMA fight for the first time since a successful UFC title defense against Ciryl Gane back in January 2022.

When it comes to the latter of those endings, the 38-year-old Batié native said he could have some “tricks” up his sleeve come fight night.

“He moves a lot and he has good grappling. I mean, he is a black belt,” Ngannou said. “Unless the fight goes longer — if the fight goes past two rounds, I think it’s likely going to end up (being) a decision. Otherwise, if it stays inside two rounds, I think it’s a knockout or why not a submission?

“You know, I’m not a black belt, but I’m not bad too,” Ngannou continued. “I’ve been working on some little tricks.”

Read More: Tom Aspinall On Why It’s ‘Hard’ To Put Ngannou In Best Heavyweight Debate: ‘The Guy He’s Fighting…’

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou Teases Surprise Finish In MMA Return: ‘Been Working On Some Tricks…’ at MMA News.

PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year

Undoubtedly the biggest MMA event of the weekend sees the PFL host the most significant night in the history of the promotion to date. Battle Of The Giants sees the promotion’s biggest ever signing, the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, make his long awaited debut. His fight with Renan Ferreira is the real draw […]

Continue Reading PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year at MMA News.

His fight with Renan Ferreira is the real draw here because fans have waited a long time to see “The Predator” step back into MMA following his recent boxing contests. That being said, there’s other fights on this card that make it the PFL’s best event to date.

The main card in particular features several homerun match-ups from the promotion that really shows the strength of the roster and how much it has improved since the Bellator acquisition.

As they prepare for a massive night of fights in Riyadh, PFL CEO Peter Murray spoke about the card in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. In his opinion, Saturday’s event is the clear winner for the biggest and baddest event of 2024 in the MMA world.

He specifically referenced how it stacks up when you compare this weekend’s card to the likes of UFC 300 and UFC 306 which would also be in the same conversation. There was criticism from some fans of both of those events for not having the kinds of cards that would live up to the high expectations on paper.

In hindsight, it’s fair to say that both produced pretty special nights this year, even if some of the big fights at UFC 306 weren’t the most entertaining. Regardless, Murray believes that Battle Of The Giants stands tall not only next to any PFL event, but any MMA event that has taken place this year.

“This is the biggest event of absolutely the PFL company history and the biggest event of the year and, you know, I’m looking forward to stacking this up against, when you look at the cards from UFC 300, The Sphere, but like as it relates to the card, this fight, this event on October 19, biggest of the year, second to none.”

Continue Reading PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall Questions Francis Ngannou’s Status as an Elite Fighter: ‘These Aren’t the Best Guys in the World’

Tom Aspinall doesn’t seem to think Francis Ngannou should listed among the world’s best heavyweights. On Saturday, October 19,…

Tom Aspinall doesn’t seem to think Francis Ngannou should listed among the world’s best heavyweights.

On Saturday, October 19, ‘The Predator’ will make his long-awaited PFL debut as the promotion premieres its highly anticipated Super Fights pay-per-view series in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There, Ngannou will square off with the 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira.

‘Problema’ earned the opportunity to face Ngannou via a 21-second knockout of Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in February.

With the UFC offering a lackluster APEX card this weekend, all eyes will be on Ngannou’s return to mixed martial arts as he competes against ‘Problema’ for the recently unveiled Super Fights heavyweight world championship.

Tom Aspinall questions francis ngannou’s status as an elite heavyweight mixed martial artist

One fighter who will have his eyes on Saturday’s event is interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Speaking with Ariel Helwani on Monday, the UK star made it clear that he has nothing but respect for Ngannou and the adversity he’s overcome. However, Aspinall isn’t sure that Ngannou deserves to be in the conversation of elite heavyweight mixed martial artists.

His take is based on the fact that Ngannou is competing against fighters not quite on the UFC level.

“I have a lot of respect for Francis,” Aspinall said. “I have a lot of respect for him, and I really appreciate his story. I really appreciate what he’s done in the sport, but it’s hard to debate right now. The guy he’s fighting, he’s not elite. Do you know what I mean? And the guys he’ll be fighting in the future aren’t elite, and it’s as simple as that. These aren’t the best guys in the world.

“The guy he’s fighting fought a friend of mine and a training partner of mine, Ante Delija (two years ago), and Ante just destroyed him within a minute or two. Took him down, ground and pounded him and stopped him within the first minute, and now this guy’s fighting Francis Ngannou.

“So, the guy isn’t elite, his opponent. Yeah, he’s big. Yeah, he’s powerful. Yeah, he could knock you out, but he’s not an elite heavyweight. I’m not disrespecting him. The elite guys are not in the PFL. The elite guys are in the UFC. It’s difficult to say that (Ngannou) is the best heavyweight in the world when he isn’t fighting elite guys right now” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Thus far, Renan Ferreira is 13-3 in his MMA career with 11 of his victories coming by way of knockout. He is 7-1 under the PFL banner with three no-contests.

Since Ngannou’s last MMA fight against Ciryl Gane in January 2022, ‘Problema’ has competed eight times.

Is Dana White Plotting to ‘Steal the Spotlight’ from Francis Ngannou and the PFL This Weekend?

With the Professional Fighter League’s biggest event of the year just a few days away, the promotion’s founder thinks…

With the Professional Fighter League’s biggest event of the year just a few days away, the promotion’s founder thinks Dana White is plotting something to try and steal some of the event’s spotlight.

Airing live on pay-per-view, the ‘Battle of the Giants’ card will feature the long-awaited Smart Cage debut of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. The Predator’ will take on 2023 heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira who earned the opportunity via a 21-second knockout of Bellator titleholder Ryan Bader in February.

With the UFC set to deliver another lackluster card inside The APEX, all eyes will be on the patented Smart Cage as Ngannou vs. Ferreira and a clash between Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco headline a solid night of fights.

However, the promotion’s co-founder, Donn Davis, expects the UFC CEO to deliver a blockbuster announcement of some sort to try and steal their thunder.

“PFL Super Fight Week!” Davis wrote on X. “Francis Ngannou makes his highly anticipated return with PFL MMA! So what will Dana White announce to try to steal spotlight from THE biggest fight of 2024??”

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time White had tried to undercut another promotion’s efforts, but the UFC’s marquee matchup this week being between a couple of low-ranked middleweights, we can’t imagine there’s much White can do to take eyes away from Ngannou’s big night.

Which event will you be watching this weekend?

Check out the full PFL ‘Brace for impact’ PPV card below:

Saturday’s PFL fight card takes place at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The main card will air on ESPN+ PPV at 4:00 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+ at 1:30 p.m. ET.