Mixed martial arts enthusiasts had plenty of thoughts after former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s MMA comeback was made official.
Fans of the Cameroonian powerhouse have had to wait over two years for an announcement regarding his next outing in the sport, having not competed since a successful UFC title defense against Ciryl Gane in January 2022.
The rest of that calendar year saw Ngannou recovering from a serious knee injury, and 2023 began with his exit from the MMA leader off the back of a lengthy contractual dispute.
He later found a new MMA home in the form of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), who granted “The Predator” his freedom to venture to boxing. A close fight with Tyson Fury and violent defeat to Anthony Joshua later, Ngannou is finally set to grace a cage once again.
The PFL revealed its next pay-per-view event for October 19 in a press release on Wednesday, headlined by Ngannou’s return against 2023 heavyweight title winner Renan Ferreira for a PFL Super Fight belt.
Co-headlining the major lineup will be another ex-UFC champ in Cris Cyborg, as the Bellator featherweight queen meets two-time PFL titleholder Larissa Pacheco.
MMA Fans React To Ngannou vs. Ferreira PPV Main Event: ‘We Want Cédric Doumbé On This Card!’
Unsurprisingly, MMA fans were quick to flock to social media to react to confirmation of Ngannou’s long-awaited PFL debut.
While some predicted a brutally successful return to action for “The Predator,” others questioned if his chin will hold up against the heavy hands of Ferreira following a devastating setback at the hands of Joshua in the ring earlier this year.
