Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira early preview and prediction

One of the biggest names and most polarizing figures in combat sports has an official return date back into MMA, as the PFL has made the expected fight between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira official for October 19. They will fight for the PFL Super Fight title.

The fight announcement confirms Ngannou's return to the cage, as his most recent contests have been two boxing losses against two of the best heavyweight boxers in the world, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. This announcement marks the MMA return, and PFL debut, of Ngannou who has been idle in MMA since his January 2022 win against Ciryl Gane. 

Ngannous debut inside the PFL cage is also significant for the promotion as they are finally getting an event headlined by their biggest free agent signing in organization history. After his UFC contract expired, Ngannou spent weeks on an MMA free-agency tour to various promotions before ultimately signing with PFL. The decision to sign with PFL was based on the promotion's willingness to offer him the money he was looking for, but most importantly, allow him the opportunity to pursue marquee boxing matches which the UFC firmly shot down.

Standing across the cage from Ngannou will be Ferreira, who is currently on a four-fight win streak in the PFL, and coming off a big win against former Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader. The six-foot-eight-inch Ferreira has been on a dominant tear, holding a career 13-3 record with seven victories coming by a first-round stoppage. 

Some may overlook Ferreira in this spot due to Ngannou's star power and resume. However, there are three major factors not to be overlooked heading into this fight, with the first being the long MMA layoff Ngannou has had. Since Ngannous's last fight, he has recovered from an ACL injury and shifted his competitive focus to two major boxing fights. Although he was staying active with boxing, there still may be some MMA rust that developed during his extended layoff from the sport.

The second factor to consider heading into this fight will be how Ngannou has recovered from his devastating knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in March of this year. Although there are many differences between a boxing and an MMA fight, a knockout is still a knockout and the brain still needs proper time to heal, while also leaving the risk of never being the same again.

A third factor is father time. With Ngannou a few weeks away from having his 38th birthday, time has shown that fighters in their late thirties can age overnight. When all factors are considered, taking on a slightly younger, more active, and massive challenger like Ferriera, who is going to try to take his head off, is sure to be a risky move and provide Ferriera with more of a chance to win than fans will probably expect.

Francis Ngannou's path to victory

Ferreira's size and power have made him a tricky opponent for fighters to figure out. At six-foot-eight inches with an 85-inch reach, opponents like him don't come around too often. Fortunately for Ngannou, one of his most recent adversaries, Tyson Fury, is billed with the same measurements. This should at least make Ngannou comfortable with decyphering the long range and finding an entry for his strikes.

Renan Ferreira's path to victory

In what will for sure be his biggest and most watched fight to date, Ferreira has the athletic tools and technical skills to come out victorious against Ngannou. Ferreira needs to stay calm, not be overwhelmed by the big moment, and stick to a game plan which should include using his explosive athleticism to deliver powerful kicks with his long legs to keep Ngannou at a distance.

While both have displayed massive power and quick finishing abilities, if ring rust and no knockout symptoms linger, Ngannou's experience should be the deciding factor in this bout. This fight also shouldn't be expected to go to the ground unless the larger Ferreira wants to implement some grappling in hopes of protecting his chin and slowing down Ngannou's powerful striking. Hopefully, we see at least a full round of action to get an idea of where Ngannou's MMA career stands and to see how legitimate Ferreira is against arguably someone who could still be considered as the best MMA heavyweight in the world.

Official prediction: Francis Ngannou by 2nd round KO/TKO