Professional Fighters League (PFL) is set to stage its biggest fight card to date, as the historic “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view (PPV) event goes down TODAY (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Headlining the event will be a Heavyweight title fight as Francis Ngannou battles Renan Ferreira for the “Super Fight” championship belt, while Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco throw down for the women’s Featherweight “Super Fight” strap.
What’s Hot:
Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images
It’s a great time in the Heavyweight division across the entire mixed martial arts (MMA) landscape. Aside from current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 265-pound king, Jon Jones, getting ready to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 next month, Professional Fighters League (PFL) is set to crown a new Heavyweight king as Ngannou makes his highly-anticipated debut against current division champ, Ferreira, in one of two Super Fights championship bouts.
PFL
Ngannou hasn’t competed in MMA since defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in Jan. 2022, his last fight inside the Octagon. While he has been busy in boxing — losing back-to-back fights to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua — it will be interesting to see where he’s at with his all-around MMA game. On that note, he likely won’t use it all because big men like to throw bombs, and “The Predator’s” striking has only gotten better while preparing for his boxing career. And that striking will have to be on point because Ferreira is a real-life monster with power in his hands that will turn anyone’s lights out...just ask Ryan Bader.
Sure, Ferreira doesn’t have the biggest name or fanfare like a lot of the aforementioned Heavyweights, but he does have skills to pay the bills (literally). He has a record of 13-3-3 with 11 impressive knockouts on his resume. He won the 2023 PFL Heavyweight tournament with a technical knockout (TKO) win over Denis Goltsov, and followed up that performance by winning the “PFL Champion vs. Bellator Champion” Super Belt earlier this year with a 21-second knockout win over the aforementioned Ryan Bader (see it again here). Now he has the chance to win yet another 265-pound strap with a win over the man many feel is the hardest-hitting Heavyweight of all time. Ngannou is coming out of UFC, so some go as far as to say Ferreira will be the lineal Heavyweight champion since “The Predator” never truly lost the title. Let’s be honest, this fight can only end one way: with one man on his back looking up at the lights at the top of the arena. Both men hit hard, both prefer to stand-and-bang and both want to prove a point. That said, buckle your seatbelt because this will be a fun ride for as long as it lasts.
What’s Not:
PFL
The only minor issue I have with this event is the fact that the 135-pound showdown between Raufeon Stots and Marcos Breno is on the undercard, while Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen is taking up valuable real estate on the main card. Stots is a former Bellator champion and Breno a Bellator veteran. As for Kadimagomaev and Mohsen, their a bit less known. Mohsen is fighting out of Germany and is currently on a three-fight win streak, sporting an overall record of 13-4. As for Kadimagomaev, he is 11-1 and is riding a five-fight unbeaten streak as they both head into their PFL debuts against one another.
New Blood and ‘Prelims’:
Aside from Ngannou, Johnny Eblen, Cyborg, Stots, Paul Hughes and Fabian Edwards all making their PFL debuts — all of whom we know plenty of or will discuss further down the line — Taha Bendaoud will make his debut against Tariq Ismail. With a record of 3-0, Bendaoud is a baby in his MMA career, and he hasn’t been too active since making his debut in 2022. As for Ismail, he is coming off a win at PFL MENA 1 earlier this year, his second straight win.
Nacho Campos (5-0) will make his PFL debut against Ibragim Ibragimov (7-0) in a battle of undefeated fighters. Campos has four finishes — three in the first round — on his resume, while Ibragimov has three submissions and three knockouts to be proud off. This is a fun fight between two fast-rising contenders with their chance to shine on the big stage.
Makkasharip Zaynukov will make his PFL debut against Dedrek Sanders. Zaynukov brings his four-fight win streak into the Smart Cage for the first time after spending the majority of his career fighting in Russia. As for Sanders, he made a splash in his PFL debut by knocking out Sergio Cossio in the very first round earlier this year.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Believe it or not, Ngannou needs a win pretty badly here despite being on a six-fight win streak. Why? It’s simple: he is the new face of PFL and the promotion has put a lot of money behind him to help carry it into the future. Coming off two crushing defeats in boxing, a loss in his PFL debut would be catastrophic. Sure, he will still have a job and won’t be going anywhere with a defeat, but the higher-ups will be scratching their heads, wondering if they made the right decision to put so much financial and public relations support behind someone who throws up a dud in his first fight. Furthermore, there is no telling where Ngannou’s head space will be at should he come up short. He could very well go on another long MMA hiatus and try to cash as many big boxing checks before he decides to call it a career.
Interest Level: 9.5/10
PFL
After months of pleading, Cris Cyborg will finally get her first opportunity to show off her stuff inside the Smart Cage against PFL’s current women’s Featherweight champion, Larissa Pacheco (preview here). Cyborg is riding a seven-fight win streak, which includes a record five straight title defenses of her Bellator 145-pound strap, and has the chance to earn her fifth title in as many promotions, an unheard of feat that will likely never be duplicated. The fearsome striker hopes to not only add another belt to her mantle, but another vicious knockout to her highlight reel to further cement her status as the best female fighter of all time. As for Pacheco, she is looking to lock down her own legendary status with a win over the multiple-time champion. She already has an impressive win over Kayla Harrison, so adding Cyborg as a notch on her belt will be huge for her career. This one could end early, folks, because Pacheco is not afraid to stand and bang.
PFL
Bellator MMA’s middleweight champion, Johnny Eblen, and Fabian Edwards will run it back in a rematch a year in the making. Eblen (15-0) initially defeated Edwards (13-3) via technical knockout (TKO) at Bellator 299 in Sept. 2023. Since then, he has gone on to defeat PFL’s Light Heavyweight champion, Impa Kasanganay, while Edwards earned the championship rematch by defeating Aaron Jeffery earlier this month. The two were set to run it back at Bellator London earlier this year before the fight was postponed and rescheduled for this event. With a win, Eblen continues his ascension as one of the best 185-pound fighters on the planet, while Edwards wants to earn his first-ever world title in order to call himself champion like his brother, former UFC Welterweight king, Leon Edwards.
PFL
A.J. McKee continues his march toward a Lightweight title fight as he is set to take on PFL’s hottest acquisition, Paul Hughes, who made his debut under the Bellator banner by defeating Bobby King via second-round technical knockout (TKO) at Bellator Dublin earlier this year. Hughes was a highly-touted prospect coming out of Cage Warriors, and PFL was able to beat UFC to signing him to a deal. Now, he has the chance to earn one of the biggest wins of his career and get on the fast track to a title fight by defeating one of the most skilled fighters in the game. McKee is riding a four-fight win streak and was last seen defeating Clay Collard at the “PFL vs. Bellator” event earlier this year via first-round submission (see it here).
That was “The Mercenary’s” fourth straight win since making the jump up to 155 pounds following his loss to Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 277, which cost him the Featherweight title. The winner of this fight could very well lock down a championship showdown against division king, Usman Nurmagomedov, in 2025. For McKee, it would be his opportunity to win another title in another division, while Hughes can kick his blossoming career into high gear sooner, rather than later.
Enjoy the fights!
Full ‘Battle of the Giants’ Fight Card:
PFL “Battle of the Giants” Main Card on ESPN+:
265 lbs.: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira for heavyweight superfight title
145 lbs.: Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco for women’s featherweight superfight title
185 lbs.: Champ Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards for Bellator middleweight title
145 lbs.: Husein Kadimagomaevvs. Zafar Mohsen
155 lbs.: A.J. McKee vs. Paul HughesPFL “Battle of the Giants” Prelims Card on ESPN+:
135 lbs.: Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
155 lbs.: Dedrek Sanders vs. Makkasharip Zaynukov
145 lbs.: Nacho Campos vs. Ibragim Ibragimov
145 lbs.: Taha Bendaoud vs. Tariq Ismail
LIVE! Stream ‘Battle of Giants’ On PPV
BRACE FOR IMPACT! Former UFC Heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, makes his highly-anticipated return to mixed martial arts (MMA), facing the monstrous (6’8”) 2023 PFL Heavyweight champion, Renan “Problema” Ferreira, for the newly-minted PFL Super Fights Heavyweight championship belt on Sat., Oct. 19, 2024, from inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In the “Battle of the Giants” co-main event, the greatest women’s MMA fighter of all-time, Cris Cyborg, squares off against PFL two-division champion, Larissa Pacheco. In addition, reigning Middleweight kingpin, Johnny Eblen, will run it back with Fabian Edwards, while former Bellator Featherweight roost-ruler, AJ McKee, welcomes surging Irish prospect, Paul Hughes, to the upper echelon of the talent-stacked Lightweight division. “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ (stream it live in Europe and Canada on DAZN PPV). The “Prelims” portion will begin at 1:30 pm ET and will air on ESPN+ (as well as DAZN).
Don’t miss a single second of epic face-punching action!
