The maiden Professional Fighters League (PFL) vs. Bellator: Champs unveiled quite a few thrilling matches. Around 11 fights spanned both the main and early cards. Available on the pay-per-view and non-pay-per-view services of ESPN and DAZN, each clash proved as exciting as the other. However, there appeared to be a clash that got even some of the biggest names in the fighting business to the edge of their seats.
The mixed martial arts event follows PFL’s acquisition of the Bellator franchise in November last year. One of the heavyweight fights took place between reigning PFL heavyweight champion Thalles Renan Ferreira and Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader. The fight got over within the first 21 seconds of the opening round. The hair-raising finish understandably witnessed some wild reactions.
Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou Acknowledge an Inimitable Win
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The three-round non-title fight with Ryan Bader took a turn for the worse when a right overhand from Ferreira made the connect. It saw the Bellator heavyweight champion touching the canvas. The Brazilian mixed martial arts champion didn’t allow Bader time to breathe and launched vicious combinations. Soon, his situation became clear to the referee, who quickly intervened and stopped the fight. Statistically, it is the fourth consecutive knockout victory for Ferreira, with three fights ending in the first round.
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Understandably charged, Jake Paul shared his response through an Instagram story. Taking the snapshot that his betting app ‘Betr’ had initially shared through the official handle, ‘The Problem Child’ wrote, “Wow.” The ‘Betr’ post had a photo as well as a clip of the knockout portion. Tagging both DAZN and PFL, they wrote, “WHAT AN END TO PFL VS. BELLATOR?”
The snap was split into two. The portion above the midpoint depicted the time when Ferreira had been hammering Bader, and the referee rushed in between. “Insane PFL KO in 20 seconds,” they wrote. But probably what might attract the attention of many would be the portion below. It showed a laughing Francis Ngannou, with Mike Tyson sitting on his left. “Francis Ngannou reacts,” the caption read.
Incidentally, PFLMMA shared the former UFC heavyweight champion’s reaction separately.
The Octagonal Twist
Laughing out loud as everyone around him exclaimed and clapped over the knockout, ‘The Predator’ could be heard saying, “Yeah, it was a fast one.” Probably a reporter standing nearby asked, “Francis, how did Renan look? ….How did he look?” The Cameroonian-French fighter replied, “Nice, it’s good, impressive.”
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Francis Ngannou will face Anthony Joshua during his second boxing bout next month. However, the mixed martial artist who signed up with PFL recently shared that he might possibly take the winner of the Ferreira-Bader fight during his comeback bout. On the other hand, the Brazilian champion hasn’t hidden his interest in taking on ‘The Predator’ and reportedly called him out for a fight.
Jake Paul had also signed a multi-year deal with PFL in January last year. Though during an interview he made it clear that his focus would remain on boxing, reportedly he has been receiving training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to prep him for his mixed martial arts debut.
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What’s your take? Do you think Renan Ferreira is ready to take on Francis Ngannou?