Almost three years after his last MMA fight, heavyweight star Francis Ngannou only needed 3 min 32 seconds to destroy Brazilian Renan Ferreira on Saturday in Riyadh, where he was making his return to a cage, under the banner of PFL.
Very moved after his victory, the Cameroonian immediately dedicated his victory to his son, who died last April at the age of 15 months.
“I can’t think about anything other than my son Kobe. I wanted to fight for him. I’m glad I did this for my son. I hope that his name will be remembered because without him we would not be here today,” he declared with tears in his eyes and sobs in his voice.
Ngannou, who left the UFC last year with a bang, wins the championship belt of the new category Superfight of its new organization.
After barely more than a minute of fighting, Ngannou managed to take his opponent to the ground where, glued to the cage, he pummeled him full of rage. The referee had no choice but to stop the hostilities, to the cheers of the public committed to the Cameroonian’s cause.
After a highly publicized move to boxing, his teenage dream, Ngannou made his return to the sport in Riyadh that made him a star.
The fight was shrouded in uncertainty, with Ngannou having been away from MMA cages for nearly three years. He also suffered two defeats in English boxing, including one with a monumental knockout against Anthony Joshua.
But at 38 years old, he proves to the world of MMA that he remains the “Predator”.
Canada
