Francis Ngannou faces Renan Ferreira for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Super Fight heavyweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They are expected to make their ring walks about 22:30 GMT.
Former UFC star Ngannou (17-0-0) is making his PFL debut, and the 38-year-old Cameroonian is also fighting in mixed martial arts (MMA) for the first time since January 2022 when he defended his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane.
What has Ferreira said about the fight?
On Ngannou: “Both of us came from humble beginnings. We had an incredible career to reach where we are right now. It is a great honour to be fighting one of the strongest men in the world.”
What to expect: “We are both complete fighters. We can strike and grapple as well. I am ready to fight wherever the fight goes.”
On Ferreira: “Renan is at the top of the line [of MMA fighters], but my entire life, my biggest opponent has always been me. On Saturday night, I am going to get him, so he should be ready.”
What to expect from the fight: “This is an MMA fight, so everything will be on display. We’ve prepared everything, and everything will be on display. Ferreira is preparing some things because he is a jiujitsu black belt, and he is not undermining my punching power.”
Plans for a knockout victory: “I am going to fight strategically and according to how the fight presents itself. In my career, [sometimes] I went for a knockout, but it didn’t work out for me. The times when I did score a knockout, it wasn’t something that I had planned. I know I have 25 minutes, so I am going to lay my game plan down in that 25 minutes and win the fight.”
Ngannou has had an incredible journey to fighting superstardom that has seen him go from toiling in gold mines as a child in his native Cameroon, to crossing the Sahara to reach Europe, to becoming the UFC heavyweight champion and fighting some of the finest boxers of his generation.
