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Francis Ngannou demolishes Renan Ferreira with vicious ground and pound knockout in first round

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Francis Ngannou demolishes Renan Ferreira with vicious ground and pound knockout in first round

Francis Ngannou is back in a big way.

The former UFC heavyweight champion returned to MMA action for the first time in over two years and needed less than four minutes to dispatch Renan Ferreira in devastating fashion to cap off PFL: Battle of the Giants.

While he’s so well known for his fight finishing power on the feet, Ngannou actually delivered a single takedown to start the fight and he never let Ferreira back up again. Once Ferreira got stuck in a bad spot on the canvas, Ngannou unleashed some truly vicious ground and pound that just started hammering away at the PFL heavyweight champion.

With each punch, Ferreira’s defense crumbled and Ngannou wasn’t slowing down until the fight was stopped. Referee Dan Miragliotta mercifully stepped in to rescue Ferreira at 3:32 in the first round as Ngannou secures his first win under the PFL banner.

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Following the win, Ngannou was emotional as he dedicated the performance to his son Kobe, who passed away earlier this year at just 15 months old.

“I can’t just think about anything than my son Kobe,” Ngannou said. “I only take this fight for him. I hope they can remember his name because without Kobe, I wouldn’t be here tonight.

“It’s been tough. Not only the training camp was tough but the last two days was tough, full of emotion. I couldn’t do anything without thinking about it. It’s hard. This is for Kobe.”

The emotional turmoil seemingly fueled Ngannou to one of his most dominant victories as he displayed his full range of weapons to beat Ferreira on Saturday.

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Some heavy leather thrown to start the fight led to the takedown from Ngannou as he planted the giant Brazilian on the canvas. While Ngannou looked to inflict damage from the top, Ferreira managed to toss up a triangle choke attempt from the bottom.

Ngannou resisted the submission before breaking free as Ferreira desperately tried to scramble free but soon he was eating punches from the terrifying heavyweight on top of him. With Ferreira basically just covering up and not offering much resistance, Ngannou just began unloading shots in succession.

Ferreira appeared severely dazed before just falling flat on his stomach as Ngannou kept throwing bombs until the referee finally stopped the onslaught. Following the win, Ngannou remained down on the canvas for several moments as he embraced his coaches and let the wave of emotion finally wash over him.

The win moves Ngannou to 1-0 in the PFL after the promotion made a huge investment in him as a free agent following the end of his UFC career. As far as what comes next, Ngannou wasn’t ready to speculate just yet if he’s going to stick around in MMA or perhaps return to boxing because the only thing on his mind was paying tribute to his son with this win.

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“I knew I didn’t miss a step,” Ngannou said about his comeback. “I wasn’t worried about it. I knew everything was still there. It was just about me being able to manage my emotion. We’re here, we finally get the result

“I think my next move in combat sports all depends on me, how I feel. I always thought I still had a lot to give in combat sports. Hopefully I keep thinking that way.”

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Photos: Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards at PFL: Battle of the Giants

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Photos: Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards at PFL: Battle of the Giants


Check out these photos from Johnny Eblen’s Bellator middleweight title defense over Fabian Edwards at PFL: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh. (Photos courtesy of PFL MMA)

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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Battle of the Giants photos

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Battle of the Giants photos


Check out these photos Francis Ngannou’s superfight title victory over Renan Ferreira at PFL: Battle of the Giants, which took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL MMA)

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Cherries boss Iraola hails 'important' win over Arsenal

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Cherries boss Iraola hails 'important' win over Arsenal



Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola says his team played “a very, very good game” as the home side secure a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Premier League at the Vitality Stadium.



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PFL: Battle of the Giants post-fight show: Reaction to Francis Ngannou’s brutal knockout in emotional return

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PFL: Battle of the Giants post-fight show: Reaction to Francis Ngannou’s brutal knockout in emotional return

Francis Ngannou reminded MMA fans how vicious he can be in the cage as he absolutely steamrolled Renan Ferreira, knocking him unconscious in the first round of the PFL: Battle of the Giants pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia. Where does Ngannou go from here, and is that even a fair question to ask with everything the former UFC champ has gone through?

Following Saturday’s PFL event, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and E. Casey Leydon react to Ngannou’s incredible performance in his first MMA fight in nearly three years, the emotion that came over him and his team, his game plan, and Ferreira filling a pivotal role. Additionally, they discuss the fantastic co-main event between Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco, where Cyborg goes from her win, how a hypothetical fight between Cyborg and Kayla Harrison would go, Paul Hughes’ big upset win over A.J. McKee, if Hughes should face Usman Nurmagomedov next, and more.

Catch the PFL: Battle of the Giants post-fight show above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.

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Anthony Hernandez wears down Michel Pereira

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Anthony Hernandez wears down Michel Pereira

Anthony Hernandez believed cardio and pace would be the difference against Michel Pereira and while the stoppage may have come later than he expected, his general sentiment proved accurate.

It took him nearly five full rounds, but Hernandez (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) got the job done inside the distance as he finished Pereira (31-12 MMA, 9-3 UFC) with strikes Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 245 main event. The stoppage came at 2:22 of Round 5 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Hernandez repeatedly took down Pereira, landed ground-and-pound and eventually exhausted the Brazilian. Pereira’s defense was almost enough to survive for the entirety of the fight, but almost doesn’t count.

The victory marks Hernandez’s first UFC main event win. The victory was his sixth in a row and his fifth stoppage in that stretch.

Pereira has an eight-fight winning streak snapped. His previous loss was to Diego Sanchez by disqualification in February 2020.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 245 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

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UFC Vegas 99 results: Anthony Hernandez bloodies Michel Pereira for fifth-round TKO win

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UFC Vegas 99 results: Anthony Hernandez bloodies Michel Pereira for fifth-round TKO win

Anthony Hernandez became the first man to finish Michel Pereira in the UFC with a dominant fifth-round TKO finish in the main event of UFC Vegas 99 on Saturday night.

Hernandez, who has won six fights in a row, had trouble taking Pereira down early in the opening round, but Pereira had no answer for his pace and wrestling once he found the right timing. He dismantled the flashy Brazilian striker with more than 100 significant strikes landed and called for a shot at the elite of the UFC middleweight division.

“Just what I expected, I had no nerves all week,” Hernandez said after the win. “Like I’ve been telling you guys, I’m ready for my belt, I’m out of my own way. Just give me what it f*cking takes. Dana [White], you’ve always given me tough-ass fights, give me someone who’s going to give me a title shot. I’m f*cking ready, I’ll prove it to you.”

Pereira had good moments in the opening round, landing a nice kick to the body and defending Hernandez’s first eight takedown attempts, but once the 31-year-old American finally got Pereira on the ground, he began to implement his strategy with perfection.

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Pereira had no answer to Hernandez’s offense in the championship rounds, barely firing any attacks in rounds three and four. Pereira’s cornerman asked the Brazilian to land at least one knee in the final five minutes, and “Demolidor” did just that, only to open the door for Hernandez to again land a well-timed takedown. Once on the ground, “Fluffy” rained down punches until referee Herb Dean mercifully called the TKO stoppage.

Asked for who he wants next inside the octagon after snapping Pereira’s eight-fight winning streak, Hernandez has no name in mind for the call-out.

“I don’t even follow the roster that close, so I couldn’t f*cking tell you who’s in front of me,” Hernandez said. “But I know that I’m ready and I’m sharp and I’m ready for f*cking anyone.”

Click here for the complete UFC Vegas 99 results.

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