Both PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira and Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader got a win, and a significant one at that, on Thursday, two days before they meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the main event of the PFL versus Bellator champions card.
That's because former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who is training in Riyadh for a March 8 boxing match against Anthony Joshua, said on SportsCenter on Thursday that he expects to fight the Ferreira-Bader win in his first MMA fight under the PFL banner.
Ngannou, who was released by the UFC upon mutual agreement 13 months ago, signed with the PFL on May 16. Though he hasn't fought for the organization -- he boxed WBC champion Tyson Fury in Riyadh on Oct. 28 and dropped a closer-than-expected split decision -- he said on SportsCenter Thursday he expects he'll return to the PFL and face the Ferreira-Bader winner sometime later this year.
Asked why he felt the winner was the right opponent for him in his MMA return, Ngannou pointed to Saturday's bout.
"First of all, they both are champions," he said. "[The winner is] going to be champ-champ, so I think there wasn't a better way to find an opponent for me, since I'm a champion myself."
Ngannou spent roughly seven full years in the UFC, going 12-2 to improve his overall MMA record to 17-3. A native of Cameroon, he moved to France and dreamed of one day being the boxing heavyweight champion, and he idolized ex-undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
His UFC run ended when UFC management wouldn't allow him to box and couldn't then come to terms with him on a contract extension. They were trying to get him to defend his title against long-time light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Eventually, the UFC agreed not to exercise its right to match offers and Ngannou became free.
So now, the stakes for Ferreira-Bader have been raised. Not only will the winner be the No. 1 heavyweight outside of the UFC, but he'll get to make his next defense against Ngannou. At DraftKings sports book, Ferreira is a slight favorite, at -118. Bader is -102, so it's essentially a pick 'em fight.
Ferreira is a hulk of a man, standing 6 foot 8 with a massive 85-inch reach and weighing 260 pounds. He can be on one side of the cage and take a step-and-a-half and be on the other, so there is no safe place during a bout with him.
The 40-year-old Bader, who also once held the Bellator light heavyweight belt, is more linebacker-sized at 6 feet 2 inches and 235 pounds and despite being a hulking guy himself is dwarfed standing next to Ferreira.
Bader has faced much better opposition and knocked the legendary Fedor Emelianenko into retirement in his last bout when he kayoed him at 2:30 of the first.
Ferreira, who is 12-3 overall MMA, is 6-1 in the PFL and is the 2023 tournament champion. He has 11 finishes (10 knockouts, one submission) among his victories. He concedes that Bader is more experienced but doesn't expect that to be an issue for him.
"It doesn't change the way I see the fight," Ferreria said on the PFL's fight week Vlog. "I have great respect for his journey, for the extraordinary athlete that he is, but I feel that I am in a good place. I am evolving a lot. I'm feeling prepared to fight anyone."
The experience advantage is usually critical, though it's hard to assess how much impact it will have on Saturday. There is a lot of hoopla surrounding the fight and the one thing that is certain is that Bader won't be negatively impacted by it. He's a veteran who has that been-there, done-that attitude.
He said he's acclimating well to the time zone and is prepared to put on a great show.
"Nothing will surprise me, nothing's new to me," Bader said. "It's just a focus where I have a tunnel vision going from the locker room to the cage. [The fight] is all that matters and going out and doing your job. There is nothing else."
Given the notoriety Ngannou had from the UFC and then in his boxing matches against Fury and Joshua, he's going to be the star attraction and generate more money for a bout than probably any other PFL or Bellator fighter could.
And that is the real win for the winner of Ferreira-Bader on Saturday.