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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— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 19, 2024

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

Johnny Eblen probably didn’t have the performance he wanted but he’ll still leave Saudi Arabia as Bellator middleweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Fabian Edwards at PFL: Battle of the Giants.

A strong start with superior wrestling and grappling kept Eblen up early but Edwards managed a late comeback that nearly shifted the momentum to his favor. Unfortunately, Edwards just waited too long to get movie and Eblen had already racked up enough on the scorecards to hold onto the victory.

All three judges scored the fight 48-47 with Eblen remaining undefeated with the fourth defense of his middleweight title.

“I kind of faded a little bit,” Eblen said afterwards. “I’m pretty satisfied. I wish I could have ended it again. Fabian’s a top level guy. He’s one of the best in the world.”

Eblen wasted no time setting the pace early as he established himself in the center of the cage and continuously found a home for a stiff right hand on Edwards’ chin. While Edwards kept attempting to set up a well-timed uppercut, Eblen avoided that punch before rushing forward and looking for the takedown.

Again and again, Eblen rag dolled Edwards around the cage as the British middleweight struggled to deal with the Bellator champion’s superior wrestling and grappling. As time passed, Eblen’s ability to drag Edwards to the canvas seemed to get easier, although he wasn’t able to produce much offense with the superior position.

Still, Eblen maintained control as he kept moving Edwards around the cage and then bringing him crashing back to the ground.

When the fight did stay on the feet, Edwards finally started to connect with a few shots but he just couldn’t keep Eblen from slipping inside and pressuring him back to the cage again. Because Edwards was so wary about getting taken down again, he was typically only throwing one strike at a time and that was much easier for Eblen to avoid.

Even with Edwards in a defensive posture, Eblen still managed to find a way to consistently toss him back to the ground as time started running out on the two-time title challenger.

It wasn’t until the final frame when Edwards finally started throwing caution to the wind because he knew a finish was the only way he had a chance to win. Edwards stabbed at Eblen with a good lead jab and even threw a few slick inside elbows just trying anything to inflict some damage.

Edwards was also digging to the body with some nasty knees but he just ran out of time before he could produce a knockout to pull off the comeback win. While it certainly wasn’t the last round that Eblen wanted, he still survived the late onslaught to get the decision and retain his title.

Now 16-0 in his career, Eblen’s biggest problem moving forward might be finding worthwhile competition to keep him interested now that he already has a pair of wins over Edwards.