Francis Ngannou is feeling healthy and strong ahead of his return to MMA against Renan Ferreira at PFL: Battle of the Giants, but the clock is apparently ticking on his time in combat sports.
Ngannou (17-3) already mulled retirement once this year after the tragic death of his 15-month-old son, Kobe. He ultimately decided to return to honor the memory of his child and is all in as he prepares to compete in his first MMA fight in 991 days against Ferreira (13-3) on Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+ pay-per-view, DAZN).
Since officially parting ways with the UFC in January 2022, Ngannou has competed only in boxing. He fought Tyson Fury to a controversial split decision loss in October 2023 and then suffered a knockout against Anthony Joshua in March. He’s now back in the sport that made his name, and with fight camp essentially complete, Ngannou said he’s in good form.
