Julian Kiewietz
Cameroon-born combat sports star Francis Ngannou pulled on millions of people’s heartstrings this weekend when he claimed another world championship title.
Fighting in the Professional Fighter’s League’s Battle of the Giants pay-per-view card in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Ngannou delivered a first-round technical knockout stoppage over the dangerous Brazilian Renan Ferreira to earn the PFL Super Fight heavyweight title.
This fight came off the back of a family tragedy as the former UFC Heavyweight champion lost his 15-month-old son, Kobe, in April to a brain malformation that doctors failed to pick up.
After parting ways with the UFC due to contract negotiations going south for Ngannou, “The Predator” signed with one of the fastest-growing MMA brands, the PFL, which offered him many perks including the option to compete in boxing and a role as chairman and equity owner of PFL Africa.
Ngannou then competed in two super boxing bouts with world-renowned Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, respectively, suffering losses in both contests, the first being a very close split decision.
Shortly after the Joshua fight, Ngannou’s son passed away, leaving many thinking he would either take an extended break from the sport or possibly even retire.
The man, however, chose to continue fighting, explaining that he would not like to burden his son with his retirement, stating that Kobe’s passing "would give me purpose to fight on and make an impact on the world."
This past weekend, Ngannou returned to an MMA cage for the first time in three years and faced a significant challenge against a 2.03m giant with vicious knockout power and lightning-quick feet in Ferreira.
Ultimately, Ngannou, a giant of a man himself, standing at 1.93m and weighing in at 256.8 lbs, had the formula to fell the Brazilian giant.
From the start, both athletes exchanged leg kicks to weaken the base of their opponent and neutralise that power. Renan, known for his quick counter-knockout punches, tried to smoke out Ngannou’s jab by feinting and tempting the Cameroonian. As Ngannou delivered a jab, Ferreira launched at Ngannou with that trademark right straight before the latter slipped and level-changed, taking down the Brazilian.
Ngannou then moved into guard, unleashing powerful strikes to Ferreira’s face.
At one point, Ferreira tried to secure a triangle choke in an attempt to stifle the punches he was absorbing. The Brazilian managed to get the far-side under-hook, but Ngannou transitioned beautifully to regain control by creating space and unleashing left hooks to the body and head of his grounded opponent who had exposed his back.
Ferreira then shifted and faced Ngannou with his hands up, trying to defend against the strikes from above before turning his back and facing the canvas, a crucial moment for Ngannou, who then applied significant pressure by riding the hips and almost trapping Ferreira. Ngannou unleashed a barrage of heavy left hooks to Ferreira, who was eventually knocked out in the first round, prompting the arena to erupt in applause, with many in tears.
"Unfortunately, (the win) doesn’t take my challenge away. My challenge is still there. It was my biggest challenge," Ngannou remarked about coping with his son's passing and preparing for the fight.
"This fight for me was always a way to find out if I could still fight. If I can deal with this. With the pressure, with the fight week, with the media and everything. We got through. I think it might take some time to process things,” said Ngannou to reporters post-fight.
“They’ve been telling me I’m tough to the point where I think I’m tough – and I recently just found out I wasn’t tough.
“I wasn’t that tough. Life can let you take the events and think you’re running away, and then it hits you badly from the front. It’s something that I never imagined. I never knew how I would feel. I see people going through it, and out of compassion I tried to understand how they must feel. But I would never get anywhere close to how it feels exactly,” he further reflected on his son’s passing and the challenges he faces.