Francis Ngannou is set to make his return to MMA on October 19 where his PFL debut comes with some big unknowns.
Earlier this year, in his second venture into pro boxing, he was stopped for the first time in his career by Anthony Joshua.
It was a devastating finish after being dropped several times in the early stages of the fight and we don’t know how Ngannou will bounce back from such a tough loss.
In Renan Ferreira, he meets a fellow super-athlete who has proven his ability to connect with massive power at an unmatched range.
We have seen Ngannou use his grappling to secure the win when he defeated fellow-striker Ciryl Gane but will this be the same version that we see in Riyadh later this year?
Dan Hardy Breaks Down What Version Of Francis Ngannou We Will See On His Return
If there’s one area that is a weakness on Ferreira’s side, it’s his wrestling ability which has been an issue for him during his PFL career.
PFL commentator and analyst Dan Hardy isn’t convinced that even with this in mind, we will see Ngannou lace up his wrestling shoes because it’s not his usual game.
He spoke in an interview with talkSPORT shortly after the first meeting between Ngannou and Ferreira about how coming in with a grappling approach may not be the best idea for “The Predator”.
“It certainly could, especially the psychology around it right. Especially that first round where I mean, it’s not like he’s stepping back in against another heavyweight, like this guy is a legit phenom. He’s a freak, he’s tall, he’s fast, he can do backflips off of one leg, it’s ridiculous. So then you’ve got to think, if I’m Francis Ngannou and I’m standing across from this guy, I’m thinking to myself, ‘Well, I might wrestle but then I’ve got five rounds. If I start to slow down over five rounds, this guy could beat me up with a jab from a distance.’
“So for me, the confident but reckless Ngannou is the real danger on the feet in this one and we might see him go back to his wrestling again but ultimately, I think that the work that Ferreira has done at ATT [American top Team] has really shored up his wrestling and his grappling so even that’s not a foregone conclusion. I think we’re going to get a striking extravaganza and really, honestly, it’s the first one to land clean.”
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