English is not his first language, but it was hardly a surprise that Francis Ngannou handled himself brilliantly in his first public appearance since the PFL announced that he'd make his debut in the smart cage against Renan Ferreira on Oct. 19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou has always been a brilliant communicator, even in 2015 when he joined the UFC with only a limited grasp of English.
Not surprisingly, he handled questions about the UFC and its president, Dana White, with aplomb. He easily dismissed the question about the debate over who's the best heavyweight in the world.
"The idea of chasing, 'Who is the best heavyweight,' all over social media is not something that I'm very excited about," Ngannou said during a news conference at The Wharf in Washington, D.C.
Similarly, he handled questions about not fighting Jon Jones in the UFC, about boxing and about his name being scrubbed from a UFC video with grace. In addition to being a world-class athlete, Ngannou is an incredibly wise and astute young man who has always carried himself with dignity and class. That he'd deal with those questions deftly was never in doubt.
But as he prepares to fight as a mixed martial artist for the first time since defeating Ciryl Game on Jan. 22, 2022, at UFC 270 in Anaheim, Calif., he mused briefly about retirement.
After leaving the UFC to sign with the PFL on May 16, 2023, Ngannou boxed twice, losing a split decision to then-heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a non-title bout on Oct. 28, 2023, before getting knocked out in the second by former unified champion Anthony Joshua in Riyadh on March 8.
One of the reasons Ngannou left the UFC for the PFL was because UFC management wouldn't allow him to box and PFL management had agreed. But after taking those two fights, life got in the way and nothing would ever be the same for the hard-hitting big man from Cameroon.
In late April, Ngannou announced the passing of his 15-month-old son, Kobe. It was a tragic and horrible post, the kind of thing that zaps into laser focus what really matters in this world. What really matters is not business rivalries or sporting rivalries or even an altered video in which one's name is scrubbed.
This big, powerful man, who scored some of the scariest knockouts in history and who faced down some of the baddest men ever to compete in combat sports, was brought to his knees by a power greater than any of us.
He had initially planned to fight Ferreira in June, but that was too soon after Kobe's passing. Asked about his goals now that he's returned to MMA, Ngannou delivered an answer that everyone, people from all walks of life, could relate to easily.
"Right now, it's not just about being back in MMA, it's about being back in activity in combat sports in general," Ngannou said. "It's about being back in what I love. And then, I always have a purpose. I always have a reason why I'm doing. I always look for the reason why I'm doing something. Lately, things have been a little tough. I even questioned if I should continue or if I should just hang up the gloves and stop. But then I realized that could be a purpose for me."
He paused briefly, and when he resumed, his voice was thick with emotion. He's a pro, and he quickly regained his composure, but it was painful to hear him speak his next few words.
"I didn't have the chance to fight for my son, man," he said, his voice quivering. "So this is it."
It was at that moment that it was so obvious that none of the other stuff -- Did he duck Jon Jones or did Jon Jones duck him? Was he bitter at the UFC for the failed contract talks? Was he upset his name was erased from Israel Adesanya's emotional tribute to him and friend Kamaru Usman? -- mattered a whit.
Losing Kobe put that into perspective for Ngannou, and for those paying attention. He understands now more than ever what is significance in life and can let the petty grievances of the past slip through his fingers like the grains of sand grabbed from the beach.
He'll get to honor his son on Oct. 19 in Riyadh when he competes with Ferreira. Who knows how that fight will go? It will have been 33 months on that night since he last fought MMA. It will only have been seven months since he was brutally and violently knocked out by Joshua.
Ferreira has nothing to lose and everything to gain. If he loses to Ngannou, it's no big deal because he's expected to lose. But if he wins, he cashes a lottery ticket. He's a 6-foot-8 monster with big-time punching power and submission skills. He's liable to land something and upset all the PFL's plans. Ngannou is a -290 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Ferreira is +235. With the time off from MMA and coming off a vicious KO, let alone the tragic death of his son, who knows what will be on Ngannou's mind when the bell sounds on Oct. 19?
The one thing we know for sure is that Francis Zavier Ngannou has always expressed himself through his performance in sport.
On Oct. 19, he's going to make the statement to the world that whenever one is knocked down, no matter how hard or difficult the circumstances, life will go on and it's most important to just get up and fight on.
He'll do it for Kobe.