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.

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.

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.

“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.”

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

In the case of the PFL: Battle of the Giants main event Saturday, Francis Ngannou took height out of the occasion.

At Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Ngannou (18-3) pounded Renan Ferreira (13-4) into unconsciousness with ground-and-pound punches from back mount for a knockout stoppage at 3:32 of Round 1.

Ngannou, 38, took the fight to the ground early. From there, Ferreira shot up a triangle. Once Ngannou escaped, it was practically game over. The former UFC heavyweight champion who never lost his title blasted his opponent with big punches to end the fight.

FIRST. ROUND. FINISH!

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— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 19, 2024

The King without a Crown once again GETS GOLD!#PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact pic.twitter.com/Nu2TNHGCke

— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 19, 2024

The bout was Ngannou’s first in MMA since his UFC departure in early 2023. He competed twice in boxing vs. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and lost both bouts. The first was by controversial split decision. The second was a knockout defeat.

Ferreira’s four-fight winning streak comes to an end. He emerged as the best option for Ngannou after knockout wins over Matheus Scheffel, Maurice Greene, Denis Goltsov, and Ryan Bader.

Up-to-the-minute PFL: Battle of the Giants results include:

MAIN CARD (DAZN pay-per-view, 4 p.m. ET)

• Francis Ngannou def. Renan Ferreira via knockout (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 3:32
• Cris Cyborg def. Larissa Pacheco via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – for women’s featherweight superfights title
• Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – for Bellator middleweight title
• Zafar Mohsen def. Husein Kadimagomaev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Paul Hughes def. A.J. McKee via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Raufeon Stots def. Marcos Breno via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:01
• Makkasharip Zaynukov def. Dedrek Sanders via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
• Ibragim Ibragimov def. Nacho Campos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:51

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

Cris Cyborg just continues to find a way.

The legendary Bellator featherweight champion delivered another classic performance as she showcased her entire MMA arsenal to beat Larissa Pacheco in the co-main event at PFL: Battle of the Giants on Saturday from Saudi Arabia.

Even with a pair of gashes over her eyes, Cyborg just kept coming, displaying her signature power and mixing in takedowns that just kept Pacheco guessing from the first round until the last. When it was over, all three judges saw the fight the same with 49-46 scores for Cyborg, who moves to 28-2 with one no contest in her career while notching her eighth consecutive win in a row overall.

“She’s a legend,” Cyborg said about Pacheck following the fight. “She’s a big name in the sport. She punched really hard. It’s a pleasure for me. I’m really thankful to be here. I’m really happy. I feel very blessed, very thankful. I have two more fights, I’m going to defend this title.”

An early takedown from Cyborg brought Pacheco crashing down to the canvas for a dramatic thud to start the fight. For a moment it looked like Cyborg might be setting up a Von Flue choke but Pacheco was able to recognize what was happening before scrambling free to get back to her feet.

Almost immediately after standing back up again, Cyborg unleashed a hellacious head kick that cracked Pacheco, who somehow ate the shot and kept coming forward. Cyborg followed with another big takedown with Pacheco attempting to counter with a guillotine choke but she couldn’t secure the submission.

Cyborg continued to dish out punishment but Pacheco displayed unreal durability to eat every shot and then just come back to ask for more. That led to another huge takedown from Cyborg, who really pressed down with all her weight to keep Pacheco trapped flat on her back.

Likely down two rounds, Pacheco knew she had to get some respect back from Cyborg so she immediately took the center of the cage at the start of the third and challenged the legendary Bellator champion to meet her there. Pacheco eventually pressed forward and actually ended up putting Cyborg on the ground with a well-timed takedown and then measured some nasty elbow strikes from the top.

With a nasty pair of cuts over Cyborg’s eyebrows, Pacheco’s confidence started to surge but for some reason, her activity slowed as the fight moved into the championship rounds. That left an opening for Cyborg to set up some solid combinations including a nasty right hand that blasted Pacheco as she retreated towards the cage.

Many close exchanges forced both fighters to try and do anything to gain an advantage with Cyborg unloading a huge overhand right followed with a nice jab behind it. Pacheco was also trying to react to Cyborg’s movement, which prevented her from just throwing her best strikes.

While she’s known for her highlight reel finishes, Cyborg showed off her maturity by not getting drawn into wild exchanges and instead displayed her full arsenal round after round to get the job done. It’s likely that Cyborg just vanquished the toughest possible challenge awaiting her in the PFL or Bellator but with two fights left in her career, she’ll now wait and see what the promotion can find for her next.

Johnny Eblen closed out his chapter with Fabian Edwards in definitive fashion.

Eblen (16-0) out-grappled Edwards (13-4) for a unanimous decision win to retain his Bellator middleweight title at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Round 1 started with both men exchanging leg kicks. A straight right by Eblen stumbled Edwards back. Eblen charged forward with a combination and stacked Edwards against the cage. Edwards broke free, but Eblen nicely timed a double leg takedown and got him down. He slammed Edwards down a couple of times, but struggled to keep him down as the round ended.

Eblen took Edwards down early in Round 2 and controlled him for the majority of the five minutes. Edwards eventually made his way back up and landed a nice left hook in a flurry as time wound down.

Edwards looked much sharper on the feet to start off Round 3. Midway through the round, Eblen shot for a takedown and was successful. Eblen tried to take Edwards’ back, but Edwards defended well. Edwards scrambled back to his feet and landed a nice left. Eblen shot for another takedown, as he stacked Edwards against the cage.

In Round 4, Edwards found a home for the left counter twice. Eblen continued to stalk him as he eventually landed a takedown two minutes in. Eblen rode out back control for the rest of the round, before Edwards broke his grip, and charged forward with a combination to end the round.

Just 20 seconds into Round 5, Edwards landed a body kick, followed by an accidental eye poke. Moments later, Edwards committed another inadvertent foul by landing a low blow. The action resumed as both fighters traded. Edwards continued to attack the body. Eblen shot for a takedown, but was stuffed.

A tired Eblen drove Edwards against the cage with about a minute left in the fight. Edwards broke free as his corner urged him to press forward. This was easily Edwards’ best round, but his high output wasn’t enough to take out Eblen.

#AndSTILL Bellator Middleweight World Champion & Undefeated “Pressure” Johnny Eblen!

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All three judges had it 48-47 for Eblen, who has now defeated Edwards twice in title fights.

Up-to-the-minute results of PFL: Battle of the Giants include:

• Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – for Bellator middleweight title
• Paul Hughes def. A.J. McKee via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Raufeon Stots def. Marcos Breno via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:01
• Makkasharip Zaynukov def. Dedrek Sanders via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
• Ibragim Ibragimov def. Nacho Campos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:51

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

Manchester City are ready to sell defender Kyle Walker, Bournemouth want “big money” for full-back Milos Kerkez and Liverpool eye a replacement for Virgil van Dijk.

Manchester City are willing to sell captain Kyle Walker, 34, for about £15m next summer. The England full-back is a target for Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli. (Daily Star), external

Manchester City and Liverpool are showing interest in Brighton’s Argentine forward Facundo Buonanotte, 19, who is on loan at Leicester City. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Bournemouth will demand “big money” if they are to consider selling Hungary full-back Milos Kerkez, 20, who is interesting Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. (Football Insider), external

Liverpool have targeted Borussia Dortmund’s Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck, 24, as a replacement for Virgil van Dijk should the Dutchman leave the club next summer. (Caught Offside), external

Manchester United may re-sign left-back Alvaro Fernandez, 21, who only joined Benfica on a permanent deal in the summer and is being monitored by Liverpool and Real Madrid. (Teamtalk), external

Arsenal have been given encouragement should they want to land Bournemouth striker Antoine Semenyo, 24, after he said he was a Gunners fan and wants to play Champions League football. (Football 365), external

Barcelona have opened contract talks over new deals for defender Ronald Araujo, 25 – a target for Manchester United and Chelsea – and midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 27, who is also wanted by the Red Devils. (90 min), external

France midfielder Paul Pogba, 31, looks unlikely to play again for Juventus once his doping ban ends in March after a club director said the squad was complete without him. (DAZN, via ESPN), external

New England manager Thomas Tuchel will earn a £3m bonus if he can lead England to victory at the 2026 World Cup. (The Sun), external