Yahoo Sports Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira live updates: How to watch 'Battle of the Giants'
Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira will enter the cage Saturday with proper billing.
"Battle of the Giants," trumpets the Professional Fighters League (PFL), which will pit Ngannou, the 6-4, 256-pound Cameroonian, against Ferreira, the 6-8, 261-pound Brazilian, in the main event of the PFL Super Fights in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Both men have jaw-dropping power.
Ferreria, 34, is 13-3 with 11 KOs. Ngannou, 38, is 17-3 with 12 knockouts. But numbers fail to account for another important storyline. This clash marks Ngannou’s first MMA fight since January 2022, after which he left UFC because of a contract dispute and ventured into pro boxing.
He stunned the world of combat sports in October 2023 when knocked down and nearly beat Tyson Fury in his pro boxing debut. But he got brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua in their March fight.
The following month, Ngannou announced his 15-month-old son died.
Still grieving, Ngannou told USA TODAY Sports he decided to fight again in part because of his son’s death. Whether it was too soon will become clearer Saturday during his giant PFL debut.
Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail by submission, 2nd round
Bendaoud’s face was bloody and swollen after the fight, but it didn’t keep him from pulling off a surprise move to win the featherweight bout.
Ismail dominated the first round after securing a takedown. It was more of the same in the second round, only this time Ismail pounded Bendaoud’s face as the blood flowed.
But as Ismail leaned in for more strikes, Bendaoud surprised him with a triangle choke and with his legs squeezed him like a boa constrictor before Ismail tapped out with 1:09 left in the second round.
Bendaoud, a 29-year-old from Morocco, improved to 4-0. Ismael, a 34-year-old from Sudan, fell to 8-2.
When is Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira?
Saturday, Oct. 19.
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira time
Preliminary card starts at 1:30 p.m. ET. Main card starts at 4 ET.
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira how to watch
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira main card
Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco, women’s featherweight
Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards, middleweight
Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen, featherweight
AJ McKee vs. Paul Hughes, lightweight
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira preliminary card
Raufeon Stots vs. Marcos Breno, bantamweight
Makkasharip Zaynukov s. Dedrek Sanders, lightweight
Ibragim Ibragimov vs. Nacho Campos, featherweight
Tariq Ismail vs. Taha Bendaoud, featherweight
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira location
The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Francis Ngannou boxing record
Ngannou is 0-2 in boxing. He is 17-3-1 in MMA with 12 KOs and 4 submissions.
Francis Ngannou wife
Ngannou, who has two children, has protected the details of his private life.
How did Francis Ngannou son pass away
In April, Ngannou announced his son Kobe had died at the age of 15 months. Ngannou said doctors failed to diagnose a brain malformation that resulted in Kobe’s death.
Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco time
This fight is the co-main and will start directly before Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferriera
Renan Ferreira record
13-3 in MMA with 11 KOs and one submission
Cris Cyborg record
27-2 with 21 KOs and one submission
Larissa Pacheco record
23-4 with 11 KOs and 8 submissions
Francis Ngannou height & weight
6-4, 256 pounds
Renan Ferreira height & weight
6-8, 261 pounds
How old is Francis Ngannou?
38
How old is Renan Ferreira?
34
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira live updates: Round by round analysis
