After 2 years of staying away from the MMA cage, Francis Ngannou has raised the excitement of the fighting community, with the promise of an unforgettable showdown against Renan Ferreira at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants. Landing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Ngannou will fight for the PFL heavyweight gold in his debut fight. 

While ‘Problema’ has a record of defeating his opponents within the first few minutes, ‘The Predator’ has been knocking his opponents with great finesse. But who has the edge in the main event at The Mayadeen? Let’s put on our analyzing caps and get right into it!

PFL Battle of the Giants: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira stats

Francis Ngannou is indeed one of the strongest fighters the world has ever seen. With a professional MMA record of 17 victories and 3 losses, ‘The Predator’ dominated the heavyweight realm. The Cameroonian fighter is known for knocking out his opponents with great finesse. After all, he has amassed about 65% of his wins via KO and another 28% by submissions. Back in 2022, Ngannou decided to vacate his UFC heavyweight throne and move out of the MMA promotion, only to sign up with PFL.

Despite being in the organization for a couple of years, the former UFC heavyweight champion tried his luck in the boxing realm. He fought Tyson Fury in 2023 but lost via a split decision. Then he opted to fight Anthony Joshua in March 2024. But that too, ended up in an unfortunate loss via a second-round KO. Now, the Cameroonian is back on track with a debut fight under the banner of PFL. 

On the other hand, Renan Ferreira has been sporting a professional record of 13 wins and 3 defeats. Like his opponent, the Brazilian mixed martial artist is also well-known for finishing his fights. He has won 11 of his fights via KO. However, the ‘Problema’s ground game doesn’t really look as good as Ngannou’s. 

Ferreira has already tasted the fruits of becoming a PFL heavyweight champion when he defeated Denis Goltsov in 2023. Now, the 34-year-old seems ready to take on the former UFC heavyweight champion for the vacant PFL championship title. Needless to say, he will need all of his experience to claim a win against Ngannou. 

But how would the fight proceed? Let’s make some speculations about it, shall we?

Ngannou vs. Ferreira breakdown and prediction

Ngannou and Ferreira both have a tendency to dominate their fights with their fists. But it’s the Cameroonian fighter who the fight fans call the hardest puncher of all time. Despite the close competition in the striking realm, it’s the former UFC champion who gets an edge. But when it comes to submissions, the story turned upside down. 

Taking down their opponents isn’t something that either of the fighters are known for. But it’s impossible to avert one’s eyes from the records that highlight Ngannou’s skills. The way he dominated the Octagon against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 proved how strong of a grappler he was. He also secured a first-round submission victory over Anthony Hamilton in 2016 by executing a successful kimura hold. But BJJ is something that comes easy to Ferreira. But in this aspect as well, it’s Ngannou who has received more votes. 

Being 3 years younger than Ngannou, with 3-4 inches of higher reach, Ferreira can assert his dominance over ‘The Predator’ during their match. While this is indeed a heavyweight bout, which has nothing but uncertainty revolving around it, the people have chosen Ngannou as the winner of the bout, and it might be a finishing move. But all we need to do now is wait and watch the story unfold.

What are your predictions regarding PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.