Francis Ngannou Making PFL Debut in October–But It Won’t Be Easy

Ngannou’s return date to the cage is set

Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.

Francis Ngannou return date set for October 19

PFL will be returning to pay-per-view in October for a loaded fight card, which features the promotional debut of Francis Ngannou.

Ngannou will fight against Renan Ferreira for the PFL Super Fights Championship. While it could (and will) be spun differently if Ferreira wins, this is a fight that the PFL needs Ngannou to win.

What does it mean to be the “Baddest Man On The Planet”@MikeTyson knows exactly what it takes 👀#PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | Available on @espnmma + PPV in US and on @daznmma Worldwide pic.twitter.com/vxMYlx6Y0j

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 7, 2024

The last time Ngannou fought, he successfully defended the UFC heavyweight title in an impressive showing against Ciryl Gane. That fight took place in January of 2022, which equates to roughly an eternity ago in MMA.

Ngannou is one-of-a-kind in MMA. Since he exited the UFC with their heavyweight belt, the more wins he collects in the PFL, the more spectacular the feat it becomes.

But that won’t come easily.

Ferreira, who was last seen putting Ryan Bader to sleep in February, is a legitimate challenge. He has exceptional power, and he is a threat to knockout Ngannou, who was more focused on his boxing career over the past year than he was on MMA. Plus, Ngannou suffered tragedy when he lost his 15-month-old son, causing never-ending heartbreak.

Perhaps training for this fight will be just what Ngannou needs. However, it could also be the calm before the storm if Ferreira–who is seeking a career-altering victory–knocks him out in his return.

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Umar Nurmagomedov too much for Cory Sandhagen

Umar Nurmagomedov was flat out better than Cory Sandhagen on Saturday in their UFC bout in Abu Dhabi.

But would the results have been different a year ago in Nashville?

The difference in the bout on Saturday was not the wrestling, which roughly evened out. It was Nurmagomedov’s striking, where he was far more effective than Sandhagen.

Yet I question what would have happened a year ago. We’ll never know, as Nurmagomedov withdrew from the fight due to an injury. This was when Sandhagen was in the most dominant stretch of his career, and he instead fought Rob Font. Despite tearing his triceps in the opening round, Sandhagen completely overwhelmed Font.

A year later, the fight finally took place. Nurmagomedov and his team are extremely sharp, and he clearly used that extra time to make sure he was prepared for Sandhagen.

The victory was significant, as it places Nurmagomedov in an upcoming bantamweight title bout. It will be a long, uphill climb for Sandhagen to eventually meet him there.

But again, I still can’t stop wondering what would have happened had they fought last year.