Francis Ngannou, Cris Cyborg set to make PFL debuts at October pay-per-view event
The PFL is building a big pay-per-view event featuring the debuts of [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] and [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag].
In the main event, Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 0-0 PFL) will make his long-awaited PFL debut against [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag]. The two big men will compete for the newly minted PFL super fights championship belt. And in the co-feature, Cyborg (27-2 MMA, 0-0 PFL), also making a big splash with a promotional debut, is set to face [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag].
The event takes place Oct. 19 and airs live on pay-per-view, the promotion announced Wednesday. No location or venue was included in the announcement.
Ngannou is set for his first MMA fight since exiting the UFC in January 2022. The last fight on his contract was a successful title defense in a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
After negotiations with the UFC failed, Ngannou signed with the PFL, who granted him the freedom to compete in boxing. "The Predator" landed two marquee boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. The fights were lucrative, but Ngannou lost bout bouts. He now returns to MMA, where he is a winner of six-straight fights, a streak that includes five finishes.
Ferreira (13-3 MMA, 7-1 PFL) was last in action in February at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, where he quickly defeated Ryan Bader in just 21 seconds. Prior to that outing, he captured the 2023 PFL heavyweight championship by stopping Denis Goltsov in Round 2.
Cyborg last competed in MMA at Bellator 300, stopping Cat Zingano in the first round to defend her featherweight title. Since then, Cyborg made two appearances in the boxing ring, recording stoppages against Kelsey Wickstrum in January and Aria Wild in June.
Back-to-back PFL champ Pacheco (23-4 MMA, 12-2 PFL) will compete for the first time in 2024. In 2022, Pacheco won a third meeting against Kayla Harrison in the finals to become the lightweight season winner. The following year, she returned to the featherweight division, defeating Marina Mokhnatkina in the finals to win the 2023 season.
The current PFL pay-per-view lineup on Oct. 19 includes:
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira
Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco
Related
Anthony Joshua def. Francis Ngannou at Knockout Chaos: Best photos from Riyadh
Renan Ferreira def. Ryan Bader at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions: Best photos
Larissa Pacheco def. Marina Mokhnatkina at 2023 PFL Championship: Best photos
Photos: Cris Cyborg through the years
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Francis Ngannou, Cris Cyborg set to make PFL debuts at October pay-per-view event
