Francis Ngannou will take on Renan Ferreira for the PFL heavyweight championship on October 19, 2024. The Battle Of The Giants PPV will be the first time fans will witness "The Predator" in MMA since leaving the UFC.
Ngannou's last MMA fight was against Ciryl Gane in 2022 when he defended his UFC heavyweight title. By grappling with the challenger for three rounds, he established himself as one of the most well-rounded heavyweight fighters in the world and went on to box Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Ngannou's return to MMA is certainly a huge deal for fans worldwide, but according to his coach, the PFL hasn't promoted it in the best way possible...
Eric Nicksick Coach Critcizes PFL's Battle Of The Giants Theme For Renan Ferreira vs. Francis Ngannou
Nicksick discussed the upcoming PFL fight between Ngannou and Ferreira on the MMAFightingonSBN YouTube channel. Like many others, he was surprised by the PFL not emphasizing their main event is for the lineal heavyweight championship.
The PFL has instead marketed Ferreira and Ngannou as two giants boasting unreal knockout power. According to Nicksick, he has to remind himself that "The Predator" is fighting for a title because the promotion is very different from how the UFC promotes a title fight.
I literally forgot we're, let's say forgot we're fighting for a title. But it's like, oh we get another title fight, you know. You think of a five- rounder or whatever else, it's like that's how much it hasn't been promoted. Like, we know, it's a title fight in the back of my mind, but I had to like, reassure we're fighting for a title here. You know, it's like I feel the same way- it's like I want to hear that more rather than like these two giants fighting. This is for the PFL title, you know. This is huge man, so I don't know man, I just wish it was promoted a little bit better too.
Nicksick admitted to expecting better promotion by the PFL, considering Ngannou's solid legacy as a UFC champion and his popular bouts against Joshua and Fury.