Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira: MMA fight time, undercard, ring walks

EXPLAINER

All the combat details arsenic Cameroon’s Ngannou returns to MMA to instrumentality connected Brazil’s Ferreira for the PFL heavyweight title.

Cameroonian combatant Francis Ngannou is acceptable to marque his long-awaited instrumentality to the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) circuit to situation the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira of Brazil.

Here’s everything you request to cognize astir the combat night:

When is the Ngannou vs Ferreira fight?

The combat is scheduled for Saturday, October 19.

When is the Ngannou-Ferreira ringing walk?

Ngannou and Ferreira volition statesman their ringing walks for the main combat astatine 11pm (20:00 GMT).

Where is the Ngannou vs Ferreira combat taking place?

The combat volition beryllium held astatine Mayadeen, an events venue successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

What are Ngannou and Ferreira warring for?

The PFL Super Fights heavyweight title belt.

Where and however tin I travel the Ngannou vs Ferreira combat live?

Al Jazeera volition person unrecorded substance and photograph sum of the combat from 15:00 GMT.

The combat volition beryllium streamed and broadcast unrecorded connected aggregate determination platforms that are charging pay-per-view fees.

What volition beryllium the duration of the MMA fight?

MMA fights alteration successful their fig of rounds and the duration of each round, with rubric fights mostly being the longest. In this case, the combat volition beryllium dispersed implicit 5 rounds of 5 minutes each. The full duration, if each 5 rounds are completed, volition beryllium 25 minutes.

What’s the MMA combat ringing called for Ngannou vs Perreira?

The customized cage for this combat volition beryllium called the PFL SmartCage.

The combat volition beryllium held successful the PFL’s customized MMA cage successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia [Courtesy of the PFL]

Who is Francis Ngannou?

The 38-year-old combatant began his vocation successful 2013 successful France earlier switching to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 2 years aboriginal and became the promotion’s heavyweight champion successful March 2021. He kept the rubric until 2023, erstwhile helium near the promotion.

Ngannou signed with the PFL successful May 2023, and the promotion agreed to fto him travel his boxing aspirations, which saw him instrumentality connected Tyson Fury successful Riyadh connected October 28, 2023, and Anthony Joshua, besides successful Riyadh, connected March 8, 2024.

The Cameroonian’s travel began astatine the property of 12 erstwhile helium worked successful a soil quarry. In his mid-20s, helium embarked connected a agelong and life-threatening travel from Cameroon to France – a travel helium erstwhile described arsenic “hell”.

Ngannou crossed the Sahara Desert and spent a twelvemonth successful Morocco earlier entering Spain done the Mediterranean Sea. Upon reaching Spain, helium was detained for entering irregularly and spent 2 months successful custody earlier regaining his state and yet making it to France.

In Paris, helium was stateless until helium recovered a fittingness centre wherever helium could slumber and commencement grooming arsenic a fighter.

Francis Ngannou’s past MMA combat came successful 2022 [Courtesy of the PFL]

Who is Renan Ferreira?

The Brazilian mixed martial arts combatant began his vocation successful the United States successful 2013 and joined the PFL successful 2023.

The 34-year-old won the PFL heavyweight rubric successful a combat against Denis Goltsov, whom helium bushed successful a second-round full knockout.

Ferreira, nicknamed “Problemo” has besides recorded a triumph implicit Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader successful a three-round non-title crossover combat connected February 24.

What’s Ngannou’s MMA combat record?

• Fights: 20
• Wins: 17
• Losses: 3
• By knockout: 12 wins, 0 losses
• By submission: 4 wins, 0 losses
• By decision: 1 win, 3 losses
• By disqualification: 0 wins, 1 loss

What’s Ferreira’s MMA combat record?

• Fights: 19
• Wins: 13
• Losses: 3
• By knockout: 11 wins, 1 loss
• By submission: 1 win, 1 loss
• By decision: 1 win, 0 losses
• By disqualification: 0 wins, 1 loss

Renan Ferreira is the reigning PFL heavyweight champion [Courtesy of the PFL]

What has Ngannou said astir the fight?

• On Ferreira: “Renan is astatine the apical of the enactment [of MMA fighters] but my full life, my biggest hostile has ever been me. On Saturday night, I americium going to get him, truthful helium should beryllium ready.”
• What to expect from the fight: “This is an MMA fight, truthful everything volition beryllium connected display. We’ve prepared everything, and everything volition beryllium connected display. Ferreira is preparing immoderate things due to the fact that helium is simply a jiu-jitsu achromatic belt, and helium is not undermining my punching power.”
• Plans for a knockout victory: “I americium going to combat strategically and according to however the combat presents itself. In my career, I went for a knockout, but it didn’t enactment retired for me. The times erstwhile I did people a knockout, it wasn’t thing that I had planned. I cognize I person 25 minutes, truthful I americium going to laic my crippled program down successful that 25 minutes and triumph the fight.”

What has Ferreira said astir the fight?

• On Ngannou: “Both of america came from humble beginnings. We had an unthinkable vocation to scope wherever we are close now. It is simply a large honour to beryllium warring 1 of the strongest men successful the world.”
• What to expect: “We are some implicit fighters. We tin onslaught and grapple arsenic well. I americium acceptable to combat wherever the combat goes.”

What are the pre-fight events?

The main combat volition beryllium preceded by 4 events:

• Women’s Featherweight: Cris “Cyborg” vs Larissa Pacheco
• Bellator Middleweight: Johnny Eblen vs Fabian Edwards
• Featherweight: Husein Kadimagomaev vs Zafar Mohsen
• Lightweight: AJ McKee vs Paul Hughes

Who is connected the undercards?

Five undercard fights volition physique up to the main lawsuit successful Riyadh:

• Bantamweight: Raufeon Stots vs Marcos Breno
• Lightweight: Makkasharip Zaynukov vs Dedrek Sanders
• Featherweight: Ibragim Ibragimov vs Nacho Campos
• Middleweight: Mostafa Nada vs Ahmed Sami
• Featherweight: Youssef Al Housani vs Taha Bendaoud

Has Ngannou near boxing for MMA?

No. The combatant has been pursuing some since leaving the UFC successful aboriginal 2023.