Francis Ngannou will return to mixed martial arts for the first time in 33 months on Oct. 19 when he takes on 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira in the main event of a PFL Super Fights League pay-per-view card. The fight will be held using the complete unified rules of MMA, which means elbows, which are not permitted in the PFL season, will be allowed.
The co-main event, which will also be a five-rounder, will pit former UFC and Bellator champion Cris Cyborg against PFL champion Larissa in a five-rounder for the newly created PFL Super Fights Championship women's featherweight belt.
Ngannou signed with the PFL on May 16, 2023, after going through a lengthy free agency process. He boxed twice, losing a split decision to then-WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on Oct. 28 and then getting knocked out in the second by former unified champion Anthony Joshua on March 8. Ngannou hasn't competed in MMA since Jan. 22, 2022, when he defeated Cyril Gane in the main event of UFC 270 in Anaheim, Calif., to retain the UFC heavyweight title.
The Ngannou-Ferreira bout will be sold by DAZN and ESPN+.
PFL
The 6-foot-8 Ferreira has won four in a row, the most recent being a first-round KO of then-Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the Feb. 24 PFL versus Bellator champions card.
Ngannou was cageside for the fight.
“Renan is a great fighter; I have been watching him for years,” Ngannou said in a statement. “I have been studying him for years, in fact I’ve been telling people to watch this guy. He’s quite unique. He’s athletic, fast. Hs size doesn’t impress me as much as his skill.”
Ngannou's coach, Eric Nicksick of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, said Ngannou has been training MMA in between his boxing matches, so he is not as worried about his inactivity as he otherwise might be.
Ferreira is a good striker, so the fight might turn out to be a stand-up battle, but Nicksick said Ngannou has been developing a more well-rounded game.
"The last time we saw Francis in MMA, we were showing some other developments within his MMA arsenal," Nicksick said. "I think you're going to see a continuation of those improvements. He's not just a guy who can go out and knock somebody's head off but he's becoming somebody who can beat you in all facets of the game. That's going to be an important part to implement against a guy as good as Renan Ferreria."