The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
In the case of the PFL: Battle of the Giants main event Saturday, Francis Ngannou took height out of the occasion.
At Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Ngannou (18-3) pounded Renan Ferreira (13-4) into unconsciousness with ground-and-pound punches from back mount for a knockout stoppage at 3:32 of Round 1.
Ngannou, 38, took the fight to the ground early. From there, Ferreira shot up a triangle. Once Ngannou escaped, it was practically game over. The former UFC heavyweight champion who never lost his title blasted his opponent with big punches to end the fight.
FIRST. ROUND. FINISH!
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The bout was Ngannou’s first in MMA since his UFC departure in early 2023. He competed twice in boxing vs. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and lost both bouts. The first was by controversial split decision. The second was a knockout defeat.
Ferreira’s four-fight winning streak comes to an end. He emerged as the best option for Ngannou after knockout wins over Matheus Scheffel, Maurice Greene, Denis Goltsov, and Ryan Bader.
Full PFL: Battle of the Giants results include:
- Francis Ngannou def. Renan Ferreira via knockout (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 3:32
- Cris Cyborg def. Larissa Pacheco via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – for women’s featherweight superfights title
- Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – for Bellator middleweight title
- Zafar Mohsen def. Husein Kadimagomaev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Paul Hughes def. A.J. McKee via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Raufeon Stots def. Marcos Breno via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:01
- Makkasharip Zaynukov def. Dedrek Sanders via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Ibragim Ibragimov def. Nacho Campos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:51
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.
