Renan Ferreira only needed 21 seconds to put away Bellator MMA heavyweight champion Ryan Bader. Coming out for the…
Renan Ferreira only needed 21 seconds to put away Bellator MMA heavyweight champion Ryan Bader.
Coming out for the final matchup of the PFL vs. Bellator card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ‘Darth’ looked to close the distance quickly, but paid the ultimate price when Ferreira uncorked a massive right hand that sent Bader crashing to the canvas. Ferreira swarmed his opponent, unleashing a flurry of ground-and-pound strikes that left the referee with no choice, but to step in and call for the stoppage in the opening minute.
Official Result:Renan Ferreira def. Ryan Bader via TKO (right hand to ground and pound) at 0:25 of Round 1.
With the victory, Ferreira with now face Francis Ngannou when the former UFC heavyweight world champion makes his debut in the PFL Smart Cage later this year.
Check Out Highlights From Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader at PFL vs. Bellator:
Former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou is slated to make his first walk in mixed martial arts later…
Former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou is slated to make his first walk in mixed martial arts later this year, as well as his first outing under the banner of the PFL (Professional Fighters League) since last year’s signing, with a bout against the victor of this weekend’s superfight between Ryan Bader and Renan Ferreira set to meet the Cameroonian.
Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under the Dana White-led UFC banner, is also set to make his sophomore outing in the boxing ring next month in a return to the Middle East, taking on former two-time heavyweight titleholder, Anthony Joshua in the pair’s Saudi Arabia showdown.
The outing will mark Francis Ngannou’s return to competition, following a decision loss to unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury back in August of last year – with the former managing to even score devastating knockdown on the Morecambe native early into the 12 round back-and-forth.
Francis Ngannou is in line for his PFL bow
And with speculation continually mounting regarding Ngannou’s first outing under the Peter Murray-led PFL banner, confirmation from the organization tonight has revealed the Batié knockout artist will take on either Bader or the aforenoted, Ferreira – with the duo squaring off in a monstrous heavyweight title fight at a Bellator MMA vs. PFL event.
“BREAKING NEWS: HEAVY STAKES for Saturday Night,” PFL posted on their official X account. “@Francis_Ngannou will face the winner of the Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader bout. #PFLvsBellator”
Yet to feature in mixed martial arts since UFC 270 back in January 2022, Ngannou most recently successfully unified the promotion’s titles with a heavyweight win over the then-unbeaten, Ciryl Gane in a decision victory over the former interim champion.
Ngannou would depart the promotion in January of last year, before inking a multi-year deal with the PFL.
Do you expect Francis Ngannou to land similar successes in the PFL?
The Professional Fighters League announced Thursday that the winner of Saturday’s heavyweight bout between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader will go on to face…
The Professional Fighters League announced Thursday that the winner of Saturday’s heavyweight bout between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader will go on to face…
The PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A few short months…
The PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A few short months after the Professional Fighter League’s blockbuster announcement that it had acquired Bellator MMA, we now know when and where the highly anticipated event featuring PFL champions vs. Bellator champions will go down. According to a report from Ariel Helwani, the event will emanate from the Saudi Arabian capital next month with a slew of exciting fights.
In the main event of the evening, 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira will take on Bellator MMA heavyweight titleholder Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader. In the co-main event, 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay will face Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen in a 185-pound fight.
Also announced for the main card is 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo who will face Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull, and 2023 PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov will square off with Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson.
Rounding out the card will be a series of can’t-miss clashes, including former PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza vs. Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov in a heavyweight bout. Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee will go down in a lightweight scrap and fight fans will also be treated to a heavy-hitting affair as Thiago Santos meets Yoel Romero.
Also expected to feature on the card will be the return of women’s boxing ‘GWOAT’ Claressa Shields, and the pro mixed martial arts debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh.
Check out the full fight card below:
PFL vs. Bellator Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 3 p.m. ET):
With Bellator’s future currently up in the air, reigning heavyweight champion Ryan Bader was well aware that Saturday night’s Bellator 300 event could be his final opportunity to defend the title. Sadly, he won’t have that chance after his opponent, Linton Vassell, withdrew from the contest days before fight night. With rumors of the promotion […]
With Bellator’s future currently up in the air, reigning heavyweight champion Ryan Bader was well aware that Saturday night’s Bellator 300 event could be his final opportunity to defend the title. Sadly, he won’t have that chance after his opponent, Linton Vassell, withdrew from the contest days before fight night.
With rumors of the promotion being sold to a third party swirling, Bader is uncertain where he or other members of the Bellator roster currently stand.
“I’ve had some talks with my manager about ‘what ifs,’ but really nobody knows what’s happening,” Bader told MMA Fighting. “So what you can do, keep that on the outside and take care of your job. Put yourself in the best position moving forward with a merger or who knows what happens. Are we all free agents? Are we merging with PFL? We don’t know.
“You can think of all different scenarios, but none of them may be true. What we have to do is keep our heads down and think about the fight in front of us, and put ourselves in the best position to get your contract picked up, or if you’re a free agent, a new contract. Being the heavyweight champion has a little bit of weight going into that.”
Ryan Bader Looks at a Potential Legacy Fight with Francis Ngannou
The prevailing theory thus far has Bellator being absorbed by the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that is looking to make a strong push in the next few years courtesy of an aggressive expansion in Europe and Africa. Not to mention the acquisition of former UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou.
Currently, Ngannou is gearing up for a big-money boxing match with Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on October 28. Once that bout is in the books, ‘The Predator’ is expected to turn his attention back toward MMA, making his PFL debut in early 2024. No official opponent has been announced for his premiere performance inside the Smart Cage, but whoever earns the opportunity will walk away with a fat sack of cash, win or lose.
“[Ngannou] has a minimum [of $2 million dollars], and that’s anybody that fights him gets $2 million,” Bader said. “You go in there as a champion and negotiate your terms too, that’s a nice little payday and something you work toward. Something like that’s definitely on the line, so maybe this is happening at the right time for the right reason.
“Obviously we’ve got to see how things shake out, but it seems to be happening at the right moment. It’s one of the things I’m talking about. If this merger or whatever comes to happen, that’s a big money fight and it’s something that’s very, very interesting.”
Ryan Bader is unsure about Bellator’s future, but eyes "very, very interesting" Francis Ngannou fight
Ryan Bader first broke onto the MMA scene after winning the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2008. Over the next eight years, ‘Darth’ would compete against a who’s who of light heavyweight talent inside the Octagon, including Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Rashad Evans, Glover Teixeira, and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.
However, it wasn’t until he ventured to Bellator in 2017 that Bader would hit his strike, capturing both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles. In February, ‘Darth’ successfully defended the heavyweight strap against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 290. A fight that could end up being his last for the promotion.
“I’ve hit a lot of those plateaus and peaks as far as winning the heavyweight grand prix while holding the light heavyweight belt. You can’t really top that,” Bader said. “[I beat] Fedor [Emelianenko], and being heavyweight champ for so long — so yeah, a lot of it is you want to make [money], and I’ve been making great money, and I want to continue making great money or even more money.
“I’m 40 years old. I’m not going to be fighting here forever. I’m not going to be fighting four or five more years. So yeah, that’s a big motivator, too. Go out and get these paychecks, but deep down the [competitor] in me wants to go out and win, and win titles, and do that kind of stuff also. They go hand in hand.”
Off the back of his monumental signing with the PFL (Professional Fighters League) earlier this month, former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has been tipped to potentially face a host of heavyweight talents and champions the world over – by former UFC welterweight title challenger, Dan Hardy. Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under […]
Off the back of his monumental signing with the PFL (Professional Fighters League) earlier this month, former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has been tipped to potentially face a host of heavyweight talents and champions the world over – by former UFC welterweight title challenger, Dan Hardy.
Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, departed the promotion back in January of this year following the completion of his contractual obligations with the organization last December, electing against signing a new contract with the Dana White-led promotion.
Francis Ngannou departed the UFC in less than ceremonious circumstances
Expected to make his return to active competition in mixed martial arts next year with the PFL, Batié native, Francis Ngannou is expected to pursue a professional boxing debut later this year before a return to mixed martial arts competition.
Yet to book a debut opponent, Francis Ngannou has been touted as potential opponents for ONE Championship heavyweights, the current Bellator heavyweight titleholder, as well as talents under the scrutiny of the PFL.
“I’m excited at the possibilities,” Dan Hardy told The Sportsman during a recent interview. “I think there are a few options. There are other heavyweights out there in other promotions. Over in ONE Championship, we’ve got Arjan Bhullar, and Anatoly Malykhin, who would be great fights. Ryan Bader over in Bellator I think could be an interesting one. Someone else that’s very athletic and brings speed and wrestling ability to the division.”
“But, Ante Delija feels like a very good pick as well,” Hardy continued. “We’ve got some good heavyweights; [Bruno] Cappelozza. There are good heavyweights on the PFL roster right now that I feel, with maybe another two or three fights, they’ll be in a position to step forward.” (Transcribed by MMA News)
Last featuring professionally back in January of last year atop a UFC 270 card in Anaheim, California – Ngannou successfully unified the heavyweight titles with a unanimous decision victory against former interim gold holder, Ciryl Gane.
#PFLvsBellator
Former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou is slated to make his first walk in mixed martial arts later…
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The PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A few short months…
With Bellator’s future currently up in the air, reigning heavyweight champion Ryan Bader was well aware that Saturday night’s Bellator 300 event could be his final opportunity to defend the title. Sadly, he won’t have that chance after his opponent, Linton Vassell, withdrew from the contest days before fight night. With rumors of the promotion […]
Off the back of his monumental signing with the PFL (Professional Fighters League) earlier this month, former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has been tipped to potentially face a host of heavyweight talents and champions the world over – by former UFC welterweight title challenger, Dan Hardy. Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under […]