Francis Ngannou’s return to mixed martial arts is here.

After leaving the UFC, vacating the promotion’s heavyweight title, signing with the PFL, having two pro boxing matches against two of the biggest names in the sweet science, Ngannou faces knockout artist Renan Ferreira in the main event of PFL’s Battle of the Giants on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

It’s no secret that Ngannou is dealing with a lot heading into this one, and while both fighters seemed respectful and Bull Durham-like in the build, things got heated up in the final faceoff — giving this fight an extra (and, frankly, well-needed) boost.

In the co-main event, Cris Cyborg battles Larissa Pacheco, while Johnny Eblen battles Fabian Edwards in a rematch. The other big main card highlight is a lightweight tilt between former Bellator champ A.J. McKee and Paul Hughes.

What: PFL Super Fights PPV: Battle of the Giants

Where: Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

When: Saturday, Oct. 19. The four-fight preliminary card begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S. and internationally on DAZN, followed by a five-fight main card at 4 p.m. ET also on ESPN+ in the U.S. and internationally on DAZN.

Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira

Francis Ngannou should win this fight, and I think he will, but there’s a reason a lot of people believe Renan Ferreira is a darling dog.

Momentum in combat sports is huge, and if we’re looking at this through a down-the-middle lens, Ferreira has it after obliterating Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader in seconds at PFL vs. Bellator. Ngannou has a lot of pressure heading into this fight, with the lineal heavyweight champ talk, the layoff, the two-fight trip into boxing, the PFL’s investment in him, not to mention what this fight means to him on a personal level.

Could the monster Ferreria find Ngannou’s chin with a big shot? Very, very possible. But when it comes to MMA, Ngannou is a sponge when it comes to game plans and execution. I actually see Ngannou getting a takedown or two in this fight, and eventually, landing some big shots on the floor in Round 2 to have a feel-good moment.

Question is: Does he return to the boxing ring after?

Pick: Francis Ngannou

Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco

This is a tremendous matchup on paper, but the road to it has been a weird one, hasn’t it?

It doesn’t seem like the transition from Bellator to PFLator for Cyborg has been all that pleasant if you’ve been following her on social media since the merger. She’s also only had two fights in MMA since April 2022, including a rematch with Arlene Blencowe that nobody asked for, and a straight destruction of Cat Zingano. But for the first time since she faced Amanda Nunes, Cyborg finds herself in a fight that seems it could go either way.

Pacheco has been outstanding — winning 10 fights in a row, a couple of $1 million checks, and is the only fighter on the planet to beat Kayla Harrison. While that’s a spectacular win on her résumé, I still don’t truly know how good Pacheco is, and while Cyborg doesn’t have her fastball anymore, she’s still a pretty damn good fist-fighter.

I’m not confident, most notably because Cyborg doesn’t seem all that thrilled to be a part of this fight week through my curious lens, but since I view this as a 50-50 fight, I’m leaning towards experience and accomplishment. Cyborg by decision is the pick and, what I predict, will be the first of multiple fights between the two.

Pick: Cris Cyborg

Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards

In my opinion, this is a pivotal moment for Johnny Eblen, and you can make a real case that he has the most to prove on this entire card.

I know, it’s weird to say that about a guy who is undefeated, but there was a moment or two not that long ago where a lot of pundits claimed Eblen was the best middleweight in the world. While Eblen did finish Edwards in their first meeting, he had to work a lot harder than most expected to do so. Many believed it was not his best night in the office, and then he had the fight with Impa Kasanganay, who gave Eblen a run for his money at PFL vs. Bellator.

Now, we’re running this one back, and frankly, this fight is happening for one reason — Eblen just has nobody else to dance with. Edwards is a fine fighter and has some good wins, but in most cases, he would’ve needed another win, probably two, after beating Aaron Jeffrey in a fight nobody will go back and re-watch.

To me, a win is not enough for Eblen. He needs to look like he’s in a showcase fight, and he has the opportunity to do exactly that. The pick is Eblen via third-round stoppage in a fight that isn’t as close as the original.

Pick: Johnny Eblen

A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes

Kudos to both of these guys for building interest for this fight from Jump Street. I can’t wait for it, honestly.

A.J. McKee has always been a damn good fighter, but now that he’s at lightweight, he’s also fun as hell, and that makes him even more dangerous. Hughes is a 27-year-old stud that has an extremely bright future. The scary thing about the longtime Cage Warriors star is that he’s nowhere near a finished product. He’s two to three years away from his athletic prime. Unfortunately, he’s facing a guy in McKee who is in that prime, and has been in there with way better competition.

I think this fight delivers the goods, and if Hughes wins, he can put himself in a position to be one of the top headlines of the weekend in MMA. The pick is to have our cake and eat it too — McKee wins a decision, and Hughes proves he belongs in defeat.

Pick: A.J. McKee

Other bouts:

Husein Kadimagomaev def. Zafar Mohsen

Raufeon Stots def. Marcos Breno

Makkasharip Zaynukov def. Dedrek Sanders

Ibragim Ibragimov def. Nacho Campos

Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail

Ipswich Town defender Axel Tuanzebe came “very close” to losing his thumb in a freak accident that will sideline him for “months”, says manager Kieran McKenna.

The former Manchester United centre-back sustained a deep cut to his thumb while he was washing dishes at his home in early October.

The 26-year-old DR Congo international, who had started all six of Ipswich’s Premier League matches until the injury kept him out of a 4-1 defeat by West Ham on 5 October, had surgery on his hand last week.

“It’s a household accident – very, very unfortunate and very, very serious,” McKenna said.

“He was very close to losing his thumb. He’s had surgery to repair the tendons in the thumb that was damaged; I think the recovery is going pretty well, but it’s a long-term injury.

“As much as it sounds a pretty innocuous body part regards the game of football, it’s a pretty important body part in human anatomy. He needs to let it recover.”

The Tractor Boys are without a win in their first seven Premier League fixtures since earning promotion back to the top flight.

Everton, who are one point and one place above Ipswich in 16th, visit Portman Road on Saturday (15:00 BST).

DR Congo qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations this month despite Tuanzebe’s absence from their Group H double-header against Tanzania.

PFL: Battle of the Giants goes down Saturday with three title fights atop the bill, including the return of one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here at 1:30 p.m. ET. 

In the main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou makes his highly anticipated return to the sport against 2023 PFL season winner Renan Ferreira. And in the co-main event, Bellator women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg meets two-time PFL champ Larissa Pacheco. At stake in both bouts are the first PFL Super Fights title belts.

Also featured on the card is a Bellator middleweight title-fight rematch between champ Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards. Eblen won their first fight in September 2023.

PFL: Battle of the Giants takes place at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, with a main card that streams on pay-per-view (ESPN+, DAZN). As part of the watch-along, the full preliminary card will stream in the video above. 

Below is the complete PFL: Battle of the Giants lineup:

PFL: Battle of the Giants main card

• Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira – for heavyweight super fights title
• Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco – for women’s featherweight super fights title
• Champ Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards – for Bellator middleweight title
• Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen
• A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes

PFL: Battle of the Giants preliminary card

• Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
• Dedrek Sanders vs. Makkasharip Zaynukov
• Nacho Campos vs. Ibragim Ibragimov
• Taha Bendaoud vs. Tariq Ismail

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Cleveland All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase gave up two runs in the ninth inning and the New York Yankees moved closer to another World Series, beating the Guardians 8-6 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.

Gleyber Torres hit an RBI single and New York scored its go-ahead run on an error by shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who booted Alex Verdugo’s grounder.

It was a messy ninth for Clase (0-2) as baseball’s best reliever all season faltered for the second night in a row.

New York got three singles in the ninth off the right-hander, who gave up back-to-back homers in the eighth inning of Game 3 but got bailed out when the Guardians got a pair of two-run homers in their final two at-bats.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run homer and Juan Soto hit a two-run shot for the Yankees, who can advance to their 41st World Series with a win in Game 5 on Saturday.

The Guardians are facing elimination in the postseason for the second time. They rallied in the ALDS to get past Detroit and now will have to win three straight — two at Yankee Stadium — to have any chance of ending their 76-year World Series drought.

For the second straight night, New York’s bullpen nearly blew a late lead. The Guardians scored three runs in the seventh, one in the eighth and threatened in the ninth, putting two runners on base.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to Tommy Kahnle for the last three outs and the right-hander was able to put away Cleveland, something New York’s relievers couldn’t do Thursday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: RHP Ian Hamilton’s calf injury was severe enough that he was dropped from the ALCS roster and replaced by Mark Leiter Jr. Hamilton got hurt while covering first base in the sixth inning of Game 3. He won’t be eligible for the World Series if New York advances. Boone said he considered adding lefty Nestor Torres, but wants to give the lefty as much time as possible to recover from an elbow strain.

UP NEXT

Yankees LHP Carlos Rodón makes his second start of the series after a strong Game 1 outing — one run and three hits with nine strikeouts in six innings. He’ll face Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee, who was pulled after just 39 pitches in Game 2 and will pitch on three days’ rest.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco are ready to square off in a champion-vs.-champion showdown. This women’s featherweight bout scheduled for five rounds is taking place Saturday, Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Cyborg (27-2) and Pacheco (23-4) co-headline PFL: Battle of the Giants with the promotion’s super fights women’s featherweight title belt at stake.

Cyborg, the reigning Bellator women’s champion at 145 pounds, is competing for the first time in a year, when she defeated Cat Zingano by first-round TKO at Bellator 300. Cyborg, 39, is a former UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC champion. She enters on a seven-fight winning streak, which includes five consecutive defenses of her Bellator title. Cyborg hasn’t lost since a December 2018 first-round knockout against Amanda Nunes at UFC 232.

Pacheco, 30, is coming off back-to-back PFL championship seasons at lightweight and featherweight. She brings a 10-fight winning streak into the matchup with Cyborg, which includes her 2022 lightweight title win over Kayla Harrison.

When does PFL: Battle of the Giants fight card start?

• The PFL: Battle of the Giants lineup consists of nine fights, with prelims starting at 1:30 p.m. ET and the pay-per-view main card at 4 p.m. ET.

Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco walkout time

• As the co-main event, Cyborg and Pacheco are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 6:15 p.m. ET.
• The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view in the U.S. and DAZN pay-per-view internationally.

Francis Ngannou will finally make his highly anticipated return to mixed martial arts against Renan Ferreira. This heavyweight bout scheduled for five rounds is taking place Saturday, Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou (17-3) and Ferreira (13-3) headline PFL: Battle of the Giants with the promotion’s super fights heavyweight title belt at stake.

Ngannou, 38, hasn’t competed in MMA since successfully defending the UFC heavyweight championship against Ciryl Gane on January 22, 2022, which would turn out to be his final fight with the UFC. Roughly one year later, Ngannou left the UFC to sign with the PFL, which granted him permission to pursue his desire to compete in boxing.

Ngannou fought Tyson Fury and lost a split decision after stunningly knocking down boxing’s heavyweight king in October 2023. Ngannou followed up that sterling performance by taking on Anthony Joshua this past March, a fight in which he was dominated and lost by second-round knockout. That result signaled his time to return to MMA, where he’s won six fights in a row dating back to November 2018, with five finishes during that span.

Ferreira, 34, is the reigning 2023 PFL heavyweight champion after scoring three knockouts last season. Ferreira is coming off a 21-second dismantling of Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader this past February.

When does PFL: Battle of the Giants fight card start?

• The PFL: Battle of the Giants lineup consists of nine fights, with prelims starting at 1:30 p.m. ET and the pay-per-view main card at 4 p.m. ET.

Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira walkout time

• As the main event, Ngannou and Ferreira are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 7 p.m. ET.
• The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view in the U.S. and DAZN pay-per-view internationally.