The heavyweight division in MMA has gone through a lot of changes over the last few years.
From Francis Ngannou leaving the UFC and vacating his heavyweight title, to Jon Jones debuting in the weight class and becoming champion, to the ongoing situation regrading him, Stipe Miocic and interim champ Tom Aspinall.
Ngannou is set to make his long awaited return to MMA when he debuts in the PFL on October 19 against PFL champion, Renan Ferreira.
The fight will see the winner claim the PFL Super Fights belt but with Ngannou never losing his UFC title, he has to be in the conversation for still being the best out there and therefore, Ferreira can also enter that discussion with a win.
Dan Hardy On Who The Best Heavyweight In The World Is
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, PFL commentator Dan Hardy gave his thoughts on the magnitude of the fight that is billed as "Battle of the Giants".
The Head of Fighter Operations for PFL Europe believes that Ngannou versus Ferreira is the very highest level in the heavyweight division.
For what it's worth, he also weighed in on the current Jones, Miocic, and Aspinall debate, making it clear who his pick is for the best of the bunch.
We’re potentially going to find out who the best heavyweight is on the planet. There’s a lot of conversation on the other side around Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones, Miocic, etc. Right now for me, Tom Aspinall is head & shoulders above Jon Jones and Stipe just based on his activity.
With Aspinall being his pick for the best heavyweight in the UFC, Hardy said that a fight between the Brit and the winner of Ngannou vs. Ferreira may be the very pinnacle of the weight class.
But, then you compare Tom Aspinall to Ngannou and Ferreira and that might be the fight to determine who the best heavyweight is on the planet, the winner of the Ngannou-Ferreira fight and then Tom Aspinall. It’s exciting. As an MMA fan, I love speculating about these things, it’s very rare that we get to match a current PFL champion against the heavyweight king of the world, Francis Ngannou.
Read also: Glover Teixeira Gives His Verdict On Alex Pereira Weight Class Move