Cameroon’s Francis Ngannou made a triumphant return to mixed martial arts by knocking out Renan Ferreria in the first round of their burdensomeweight clash at the Professional Fighters League (PFL) event dubbed “Battle Of The Giants” in the punctual hours of Sunday morning.
After some punctual burdensome boots from both fighters, Ngannou, who had not fought in mixed martial arts since January 2022, took the fight to the mat and eventupartner got behind his Brazilian opponent, landing a series of bludgeoning punches to finish the fight with 88 seconds left in the first round.
A tearful Ngannou then promised his triumph to the memory of his 15-month-elderly son Kobe, who died in April.
“I only did this fight becaemploy of him. I wanted to fight for him … I hope they can reaccumulate his name, becaemploy without Kobe, we wouldn’t be here tonight,” he shelp in a post-fight interwatch in the cage.
The event broke with the PFL‘s common establishat of a standard season and carry outoffs to put on a series of “super fights” with belts at sconsent as Ngannou made his return to the sport where he made his name after a foray into the world of boxing.
Ngannou’s elevate from childhood pcleary in Cameroon to the pinnacle of mixed martial arts, where he won the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) burdensomeweight title in March 2021, made him a hugely famous figure and one of the most sought-after free agents in combat sports when his UFC restricted expired.
He went on to consent part in lucrative boxing alignes agetst burdensomeweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, both of which he lost, and his signing was a huge coup for the PFL in its battle to contend with the UFC.