RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Dan Hardy makes a case for Renan Ferreira being the best heavyweight in MMA if he can emphatically beat Francis Ngannou.
Ferreira (13-3) meets former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou (17-3) in Saturday’s PFL: Battle of the Giants (DAZN/ESPN+) main event at The Mayadeen.
PFL has been promoting Ngannou vs. Ferreira as a fight to determine “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” but with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall looking unbeatable as of late and heavyweight champion Jon Jones widely considered the greatest fighter of all time, many disagree with that narrative.
Hardy believes an argument can be made for Ferreira if he’s able to look levels above Ngannou.
“If Renan comes through his weekend looking like a world beater, I think a lot of people are going to look at him and go, ‘You know what, he’s 6-foot-8, he’s trained at ATT (American Top Team), he’s dangerous in striking, he’s got great grappling and takedown defense since he’s moved there, I can make an argument for him,'” Hardy told MMA Junkie. “Jon Jones, for me, is still not a proven heavyweight. Stipe is way past his peak. I love Stipe, but he’s way past his peak. So, I don’t think Jones benefits a great deal from beating Stipe at this point.
“The benefit from the UFC’s perspective is that the very, very casual fans still feel like Stipe is at the top of the game. … For me, the Jones-Stipe fight, it doesn’t hold a great deal of interest. Jones-Aspinall, that’s the fight I want to see, and I think that determines the best heavyweight in the UFC. I think this fight determines the best heavyweight outside of the UFC. If ever there was a day where we could see the winner of these two fights face each other, I mean that would be a real treat for the fans.”
Despite the PFL’s promotion surrounding Ngannou vs. Ferreira, Hardy has a different opinion on who’s currently the No. 1 heavyweight in MMA.
“We know that Francis is an elite-level heavyweight, and I very much feel like Renan is, even though a lot of people may not consider him to be right now,” Hardy said. “Ryan Bader is no joke, and that was what, 40 seconds?
“And I feel like the improvements I’ve seen in Renan Ferreira’s game in the last couple of fights in particular, it gives me the confidence that he’s going to be able to hold his own against much better heavyweights. Tom Aspinall, for me, is probably the best heavyweight in the world right now, outside of the conversation with these two guys.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.
