Francis Ngannou was coming back to MMA in fashion, as he defeated Renan Ferreira via first-round knockout during the PFL’s Battle of the Giants card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For the first time in more than two years, the Cameroonian made them remember his fearsome power, knocking out the Brazilian in a mere three minutes and 32 seconds.
The fight started rather cautiously with both heavyweights circling and feeling each other out. It was Ngannou, however, who quickly seized control after taking him down to the ground and dominating Ferreira from that position. Attaining the dominant position, the former UFC heavyweight champion let loose a torrent of powerful strikes that forced the referee to step in and stop the bout.
Clearly emotional, Ngannou dedicated the win to his late son, Kobe: “I went to fight for him. Without Kobe, we won’t be here tonight. “
The event attracted some big-star attendees, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane, both of whom took in Ngannou’s emphatic return to the cage. Long-time friend Ronaldo was shown at ringside, enthusiastically cheering on Ngannou.
It was a successful return for Ngannou after such a long break and returned him to the status of one of the scariest heavyweights in MMA.
