On October 19, 2024 in Saudi Arabia, Francis Ngannou will return to mixed martial arts (MMA), more than two years after his last fight won against the Frenchman Ciryl Gane, for the heavyweight title of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This time, it is the belt of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) that the Cameroonian is aiming for, against the Brazilian Renan Ferreira. A complex challenge for the superstar who has devoted a large part of the last two years to English boxing and his fights against the British Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Francis Ngannou has especially experienced a tragedy with the death of his 15-month-old son. Interview.
RFI: Francis Ngannou, you are facing Brazilian Renan Ferreira on October 19, 2024 at the PFL. What do you think of this opponent?
Francis Ngannou: I think he’s a very good opponent, very talented, maybe a little less experienced than me, but very talented.
It’s been over two years since you last competed in a professional MMA fight. You’ve had two professional boxing fights in the meantime. Are you happy to be back in mixed martial arts (MMA)?
Yes, I’m happy. Afterwards, finding MMA again, I wouldn’t say it like that. Even if in the meantime, I did boxing, I never really left MMA, we never really left each other.
The PFL will be in Africa in 2025 with a first MMA gala on the continent. Do you already know in which country, on what date?
How much longer do you plan to continue the fighting?
- RFI
