Ngannou’s difficult return to MMA ahead of PFL debut fight against Ferreira

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Francis Ngannou’s travel to warring superstardom has seen him spell from moving successful golden mines arsenic a kid successful his autochthonal Cameroon, to crossing the Sahara to scope Europe, to becoming the UFC heavyweight champion and warring immoderate of the finest boxers of his generation.

But erstwhile helium fights connected Saturday night, helium volition not lone beryllium taking connected Renan Ferreira for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Super Fights heavyweight crown, helium volition besides beryllium investigating his tendency to support warring aft the devastating nonaccomplishment of his 15-month-old lad Kobe earlier this year.

The mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, a soft-spoken elephantine who agelong held the grounds for hardest punch ever recorded astatine the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – equivalent to the horsepower of a household car – felt powerless aft Kobe’s abrupt decease successful April from an undiagnosed encephalon malformation.

As helium struggled to process the loss, everything seemed meaningless and helium contemplated retirement, but helium decided to combat astatine slightest 1 much clip for Kobe, who helium had named aft the precocious Los Angeles Lakers NBA prima Kobe Bryant.

“It’s information that I truly privation I wouldn’t person had, but, unfortunately, that’s my information today,” the 38-year-old told Al Jazeera, speaking via Zoom from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, wherever helium volition marque his PFL debut and combat his archetypal MMA bout successful astir 3 years.

“I deliberation this [kind of loss] is thing that you are ne'er the aforesaid after,” helium said. “It’s conscionable astir however to find a mode to rotation with it, due to the fact that you cannot beryllium astir and hold for it for it to spell away. And it’s portion of you now, it’s a caller life. You consciousness similar a caller person.

“[That’s why] I deliberation this combat volition service for maine to observe myself again, to spot wherever I americium successful presumption of life, successful presumption of competition, to spot if I inactive person it, to spot if I tin proceed fighting.”

‘Just support going’

Ngannou was calved and raised successful the colony of Batie successful occidental Cameroon. He began moving successful golden mines astir the property of 10 to assistance his impoverished family.

During that gruelling work, helium dreamed astir flying successful a plane, owning a car and a house, and becoming a boxing champion, similar his idol Mike Tyson.

By the clip helium was successful his 20s, helium decided helium had to scope Europe to fulfil his dreams, and successful April 2012 helium acceptable retired connected a perilous 5,000km (3,100-mile) travel to Morocco.

He crossed the Sahara by clinging connected successful the backmost of cramped trucks, praying they didn’t interruption down successful the desert, and by walking agelong stretches. He braved searing vigor by time and vicious acold astatine night, drank from h2o successful which dormant animals floated, and hid from the authorities and bandits.

When helium reached Morocco, helium repeatedly attempted to transverse to Spanish territory by onshore and sea, yet succeeding connected his seventh attempt, arriving successful the Spanish exclave of Melilla a twelvemonth to the time aft helium had near Cameroon.

After being held for astir 2 months successful a Spanish detention centre, helium was released and made his mode to Paris, wherever helium slept successful a covered parking store until helium was taken successful by a gym and began to bid successful MMA for the archetypal time, astatine the comparatively precocious property of 26.

Ngannou learned his caller commercialized rapidly, winning his nonrecreational debut successful November 2013 and past graduating to warring successful the UFC – MMA’s premier organisation – successful December 2015 and competing successful his archetypal heavyweight rubric combat successful 2018.

Although helium mislaid that combat to Stipe Miocic and his adjacent bout against Derrick Lewis by unanimous decisions, helium past embarked connected a spectacular knockout spree, ending 4 fights successful the archetypal round, becoming a UFC prima successful the process and paving the mode to a heavyweight rubric rematch against Miocic successful March 2021, which Ngannou won via second-round knockout.

Ngannou’s past MMA combat was successful January 2022, erstwhile helium outclassed the much-vaunted Cyril Gane, astonishing a fewer radical by mixing up his accustomed striking with an accomplished show of wrestling, to support his UFC heavyweight rubric and instrumentality his MMA grounds to 17 wins and 3 losses.

He aboriginal parted ways with the UFC aft a quality astir wage and combatant conditions and signed a woody to combat with the rival PFL promotion successful May 2023. In the caller deal, Ngannou acquired an equity involvement successful the PFL and a enactment relation successful the company, allowing him the flexibility to combat successful boxing matches, arsenic well.

He made an astonishing boxing debut successful December 2023, flooring the then-unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Ngannou mislaid by a divided decision, though galore combat fans and commentators believed helium had beaten Fury.

In March, Ngannou suffered a brutal dismantling successful the boxing ringing by Anthony Joshua and was knocked retired for the archetypal clip successful his career.

Still, the fights were highly lucrative and helium began to look guardant to getting backmost to MMA and making his PFL debut, until the nonaccomplishment of Kobe upended his life.

“You conscionable aftermath up each time and look it and woody with immoderate it is; your emotions, besides your responsibility, due to the fact that however you consciousness doesn’t instrumentality distant your work arsenic a man,” Ngannou, who besides has a daughter, said.

“So, there’s not a amended way. Just support going and find retired [how to cope] on the way.”

Francis Ngannou’s past MMA combat was against Ciryl Gane (bottom; bluish gloves) during UFC 270 connected January 22, 2022 astatine the Honda Center successful Anaheim, California, the US [Gary A Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters]

‘Battle of the Giants’

On Saturday, Ngannou fights Ferreira, a 34-year-old, 2.03m (6-foot, 8-inch) colossus from Brazil, who adjacent looms ample implicit the 1.93m (6-foot, 4-inch) Ngannou, successful a bout billed the “Battle of the Giants”.

Combat sports commentator Sean Wheelock says it’s a short-term coup for the PFL to person the high-profile Ngannou warring connected its roster, and helium described Ferreira – whose nonrecreational grounds stands astatine 13 wins and 3 losses – arsenic a “phenomenal fighter”.

But helium says the larger question is who Ngannou would combat next, triumph oregon lose, due to the fact that of a dearth of top-class heavyweights successful the PFL beyond Ferreira.

“That’s going to beryllium the truly hard portion for the PFL if they privation to determination guardant successful this situation,” Wheelock told Al Jazeera.

Many MMA fans privation to spot Ngannou combat the UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, but Wheelock said the accidental of a cross-promotion combat is presently astatine “about zero percent” due to the fact that of the UFC’s dominance of the sport.

“I conscionable don’t deliberation that that would beryllium realistic successful this stage, due to the fact that I don’t cognize however it would perchance payment the UFC oregon wherefore they would beryllium motivated to bash it,” helium said.

And Wheelock says Ngannou is not going to importantly determination the needle for the PFL successful presumption of challenging the supremacy of the UFC.

“If their aspiration is to beryllium fig 2 successful MMA, and beryllium a precise palmy fig 2 but inactive person a monolithic spread betwixt themselves and the UFC, I deliberation that is realistic,” helium said.

Ngannou’s vocation net person been successful the millions of dollars since his acrimonious divided with the UFC, and helium has besides said that helium hopes his determination volition promote different fighters to question amended wage and conditions.

However, the mostly affable Ngannou bristles a small erstwhile questioned connected however his PFL declaration tin assistance combatant wage much broadly.

“I’m not going to beryllium negotiating people’s contracts. They person their managers. But what I said is that I bash what I tin to effort to amended and effort to talk for them erstwhile I person the opportunity,” helium said. “But that’s it, you know. I’m not a union!”

Meanwhile, his youngest brother, Michel Fomo, downplayed concerns that Ngannou could person immoderate MMA rust aft astir 3 years retired of the Octagon cage.

“When your member steps into the cage oregon fights, it’s mean to beryllium nervous, truthful I’m benignant of nervous. But you besides cognize everything’s going to play retired well. He’s a predator and he’s conscionable getting backmost to what he’s utilized to,” Fomo said. “MMA is wrong his DNA.”

Fomo besides said that portion Kobe’s decease has devastated Ngannou, helium thinks his brother’s status speech could beryllium much down to immoderate of the pressures of combat week and him tiring of the changeless media attention.

“I don’t deliberation this is his past fight,” Fomo said. “I spot that the nonaccomplishment of his lad gave him much crushed to fight, much motivation.”

If helium does retire, Ngannou has plentifulness of different ventures to absorption on. While warring retired of Las Vegas, helium besides spends extended periods backmost successful Cameroon, wherever helium has a charitable foundation. He volition besides pb the PFL Africa league, acceptable to motorboat successful 2025, which aims to springiness a bigger signifier to African MMA fighters.

For now, Ngannou says he’s conscionable focusing connected Saturday’s combat – aft that, he’ll instrumentality immoderate clip to process everything.

When helium looks backmost connected his bonzer beingness and vocation truthful far, what is helium astir arrogant of achieving?

“Everything, due to the fact that everything that I person achieved [came] by resilience, by determination, by dedication,” helium replied. “That’s what I beryllium everything to.”

Francis Ngannou (left) faces disconnected against Renan Ferreira (right) during the Battle of the Giants Press Conference astatine The Anthem connected August 22, 2024 successful Washington, DC, the United States. The brace volition combat for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) heavyweight loop successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia connected Saturday, October 19, 2024 [ Cooper Neill/Getty Images]