Finally, Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg will make their PFL debuts.
On Oct. 19, two of the best fighters in MMA history will have their first matches in the promotion. Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, will face 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira in the main event. Ferreira is currently ESPN’s No. 6-ranked heavyweight.
Cyborg, the current Bellator featherweight champion and former UFC, Invicta and Strikeforce featherweight champion, will take on former two-division (lightweight and featherweight) PFL champion Larissa Pacheco.
Both fights will determine who claims the newly created PFL Super Fights Championship belts.
Andreas Hale, Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim offer their thoughts on the upcoming debuts of Ngannou and Cyborg. Plus, betting expert Ian Parker explains his early leanings on the two fights.
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After 30 months away from MMA, can Ngannou still be elite?
Okamoto: Absolutely, and no one in the world can say otherwise. Just to be sure, we’re talking about the same Francis Ngannou who successfully immigrated from Cameroon to France, didn’t start combat sports until his 20s, won a UFC championship against the greatest heavyweight of all time in Stipe Miocic, successfully defended the UFC belt on one leg when he concealed a knee injury, and then boxed (and in the eyes of many, beat) the best heavyweight boxer of his generation in Tyson Fury in his first-ever professional match.
I wouldn’t say there’s much of anything Ngannou can’t do now. The odds are against him now due to his age, his time off, and the tragic personal loss he suffered this year. But again, at this point, who wants to step out and doubt this man? I don’t.
How do Ngannou and Ferreira match up?
Hale: There are so many questions surrounding Ngannou heading into this fight. He’s coming off of a brutal knockout to Anthony…
