MMA Knockout

PFL Announces Debuts Of Ex-UFC Champs Francis Ngannou & Cris Cyborg

The PFL finally has a pay-per-view offering featuring two MMA megastars.

Zain Bando

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francis ngannou next fight.jpg /

As anticipated, the PFL Super Fight PPV event is finally official for Oct. 19, headlined by a heavyweight title fight between former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (17-3 MMA), the last lineal champion in divisional history, facing PFL champion Renan Ferreira (13-3, 3 NC MMA). The bout marks Ngannou's PFL debut, as he left the UFC two years ago due to a contract dispute with the promotion.

Since then, Ngannou has tried his hand at professional boxing, going 0-2 against the likes of Tyson Fury in Oct. 2023 and Anthony Joshua last spring. Ngannou hinted at a return to MMA on "The Joe Rogan Podcast," as he is also part of PFL Africa's long-term growth plans.

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“Renan is a great fighter; I have been watching him for years," Ngannou said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I have been studying him for years, in fact I’ve been telling people to watch this guy. He’s quite unique, he’s athletic, fast, his size doesn’t impress me as much as his skill.”

The promotion anticipates great demand for the event, as it is scheduled to take place from Saudi Arabia and air live on ESPN+ PPV in the United States and DAZN Worldwide everywhere else.

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“The Professional Fighters League is excited to announce the highly anticipated return of superstar, undisputed Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou, to MMA in The Battle of the Giants against the most-feared Heavyweight, 6-foot-8 2023 PFL Heavyweight Champion Renan Ferreira in the biggest world title fight of the year," PFL CEO Pete Murray said.

Cris Cyborg, Larissa Pacheco To Finally Fight

The event is dubbed as "Battle of The Giants: Brace For Impact," but it also brings together some high-profile women's MMA fanfare when Cris Cyborg (27-2, 1 NC MMA) attempts to lay claim and put a stamp on her legacy when she finally fights two-division champion Larissa Pacheco (23-4 MMA), who has won 10 in a row and has a plethora of huge wins, including a 2023 upset of newly minted UFC women's bantamweight Kayla Harrison, who enjoyed years of success under the PFL banner.

The rest of the card has yet to be officially finalized, but MMAKO is your No. 1 source for updates as they happen in and around the combat sports vertical.

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Zain Bando

ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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