Watching on from fighter row in the Middle East over the course of last weekend, former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou took in a stunning performance from Brazilian powerhouse, Renan Ferreira as the veteran toppled Ryan Bader inside just 21 seconds in Riyadh. And expected to fight the 34-year-old in his PFL debut, Ngannou has opened as a significant betting favorite to beat the Brazilian if they share the SmartCage.
Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight titleholder under the UFC banner, has been sidelined from professional mixed martial arts competition since the start of 2022. On that occasion, Francis Ngannou would hand then-interim champion, Ciryl Gane his first professional blemish in the form of a title unification loss in a decision success.