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Professional Fighters League (PFL) staged the massive “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view (PPV) event yesterday (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on ESPN+, which saw Francis Ngannou make a successful return to mixed martial arts (MMA) with a first-round destruction of Renan Ferreira (see it again here). In the co-main event, Cris Cyborg picked up another world title by defeating a durable Larissa Pacheco for the women’s Super Fight Featherweight title (highlights here).

PFL

Winner: Francis Ngannou

Who He Should Face Next: Denis Goltsov vs. Oleg Popov winner

PFL will return to Riyadh on Nov. 29 for its annual world championships where the promotion will crown six champions and dish out six separate $ 1 million checks. One of those title fights will crown a new heavyweight champion as Denis Goltsov will face Oleg Popov in the finals. The winner will more than likely be “The Predator’s” next challenge sometime in 2025, assuming Ngannou doesn’t pursue another boxing match. Of course, we’d all like to see an eventual showdown between he and Jon Jones, but that will likely never happen.

PFL

Winner: Cris Cyborg

Who She Should Face Next: Sara Collins

Now that Cyborg has entered an exclusive club by winning her fifth world title for a fifth different promotion, she has options. She has already defeated PFL’s 145-pound champion in Pacheco, so she could very well turn her attention to defending her Bellator strap in 2025. And that opponent will likely come against Collins, who pulled off a huge win by defeating Leah McCourt — who was in line for a title fight — at Bellator London last month. Collins — who is 6-0, 3-0 Bellator — admitted that she was a “little scared” of Cyborg, which isn’t a good sign. Still, Collins can learn a lot from Pacheco’s performance because if you punch the bully in the mouth, she will back down. And, let’s be honest, Cyborg isn’t exactly in the prime of her career so this is going to be the best time for Collins to even have the slightest chance of an upset.

PFL

Winner: Johnny Eblen

Who He Should Face Next: Wait and see…

Eblen kept his undefeated record intact, improving to 16-0 by defeating Fabian Edwards for the second time. While it was for the Bellator belt, it was under the PFL banner. As far as what could realistically be next for “Pressure,” that is a bit tough to lock down because no one is really standing out at the moment. A showdown against Jordan Newman seems to be in inevitable since is undefeated at 7-0 with all of his wins coming inside the Bellator cage. But he has yet to face a true, ranked foe or long-term member of the Bellator roster. Aaron Jeffery, Dalton Rosta and Costello van Steenis are out there, but neither is on a consecutive win streak at the moment. Newman has been with the promotion for five years, so now might seem as good a time as any to give him his shot, and he would more than give Eblen a run for his money in the wrestling department as a former NCAA division III champion. All Eblen can do now is sit back to see what’s what.

PFL

Winner: Paul Hughes

Who He Should Face Next: Usman Nurmagomedov

After pulling off a huge upset win over former Bellator MMA Featherweight champion, A.J. McKee, Hughes got on the mic and shot his shot, calling for a title fight against Lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov. And at this point, there really is no point in denying him the bout. Had McKee won the fight, he would have likely gotten the title shot next, so “Big News” should be afforded the same opportunity. Nurmagomedov recently defended his strap against Alexandr Shabliy, so he would be primed for a return sometime in early 2025 since there are no more Bellator event scheduled for the year.

To checkout the latest and greatest news and notes for “Ngannou vs. Ferreira” be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized “Battle of the Giants” fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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“Fluffy” has Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold in sight.

Anthony Hernandez notched his first UFC main event win at UFC Vegas 99 last night (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024) when he mauled Michel Pereira to eventually score a fifth-round technical knockout from inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada (watch highlights). “Fluffy,” snapped Pereira’s eight-fight winning streak.

Hernandez never calls anyone out after his win, not because he’s trying to be respectful but simply because he doesn’t watch the sport and doesn’t know anyone in the Top 15 rankings.

The 31-year-old does know who the champion currently is, though, and he believes UFC Middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis is the only 185er who can keep his insane pace.

“I think [what] would be a great fight realistically and who mixes it up really well would be Du Plessis,” Hernandez told MMAMania.com in the UFC Vegas 99 post-fight press conference (watch here). “He mixes it very f—king well, and that’s why he’s champion right now. He’s just a tough motherf—ker, and he goes. He looks like he’s gassed, and he keeps pushing. I’d love to fight him. I’m just going to keep climbing the ladder so I can get to him. Great job to him. Keep up the great work, man.”

Hernandez and Du Plessis were matched up against each other at UFC 273. However, a few weeks after the pair were scheduled to fight, they were rebooked against different opponents. Du Plessis was booked against Kelvin Gastelum (the fight ultimately got canceled), and Hernandez ended up fighting a debuting Josh Fremd.

Obviously, “Fluffy” will not get Du Plessis next, and he knows it.

“Hopefully [I get a No. 1 contender fight next], but probably not,” Hernandez said. “There are guys ahead of me. I’m not stupid. I know how this sh-t works. It’s all about timing and sh-t. I’m just going to keep doing what I do. I’m going to stay ready, and when my time comes, I’m going to show the f—k out, and I’ll get it eventually.”

With the Middleweight division absolutely clogged up at the moment, it’s safe to say Hernandez will have to keep climbing up.

He can rematch Brendan Allen (they fought back in Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) in 2018) or fight former title challenger Jared Cannonier.

Hernandez also told MMAMania.com that he welcomes a fight with former UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

For complete UFC Vegas 99 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

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Umar vs. Song is not a lock for UFC’s Tampa show in December, according to Yadong’s coach Urijah Faber.

We’re less than two months out from the UFC’s return to Tampa Bay and the card still does not have a locked in main event.

MMAMania.com confirmed reports earlier this week that the promotion had moved on from trying to coax Colby Covington into a home state main event against Ian Garry. Instead, they were looking to lock in Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong — a surprising matchup considering Umar was already promised a title shot against new champ Merab Dvalishvili.

Nurmagomedov recently accused Dvalishvili of trying to duck him by making himself unavailable until Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. Rather than wait for Merab until spring or summer, Umar said he was willing to fight again in December. That would help fill the hole at the top of Tampa’s ESPN broadcast card, but according to Song Yadong’s coach Urijah Faber, nothing has been signed and the date they like is January for UFC 311 in Los Angeles.

“We don’t have a date for that yet, I don’t think December 14th is the date we’ve talked about,” Faber told Helen Yee in a new interview. “I think January is what we’re looking at. But we like that fight. I think Umar and Song are both guys that people don’t want to fight, so they’re both willing to step up.”

“We’d fight [Sean] O’Malley, we’d fight [Deiveson] Figueiredo, we’d fight any of these guys. We’ve been seing all sorts of stuff being posted about that fight but nothing’s been signed. A date has not been agreed upon. If that fight does happen, it’d most likely happen in January [at UFC 311 in Los Angeles].”

That leaves UFC on ESPN 63 in a bit of a lurch, but it’s not like the UFC is above just promoting a Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas rematch to the main event slot. We’ll keep you updated as the Tampa Bay card coalesces, and who ends up headlining.

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VanZant hasn’t fought in MMA since 2020, and doesn’t think she’ll ever return due to the risk of injury.

Don’t expect to see UFC fighter turned reality star turned bare knuckle boxer turned OnlyFans model turned Power Slapper Paige VanZant fighting in the cage again.

VanZant is set to return to Dana White’s Power Slap league on Thursday, October 24th when the promotion rolls into Abu Dhabi during UFC 308 Fight Week. She won her first slap-off back in June 2024, earning a unanimous decision win over Christine Wolmarans. Next weekend she’ll face off against Chelsea Dodson, the wife of former UFC flyweight John Dodson.

What she won’t be doing is getting back into MMA. In a new interview with MMA Junkie Radio, VanZant explained why.

“I don’t ever like to say I’m closing the door 100%, but I do see it would be hard for me to go back into MMA,” she said. “Not because I don’t love it, or not because I don’t have a passion for it still. But like I said, I broke my arm five times in my life and four times in basically two years of competing. I had two surgeries on it, and I still have a huge plate that runs the length of my entire forearm.”

“So just going back to that place of risking breaking my arm again and having surgery again and getting set back? I can still have the thrill of competing, and I can still get that rush without putting my body at risk. I’m fine if I break my arm, it’s really just the mental fortitude, I don’t know if I can push through that again. It was a really, really rough few years.”

Now VanZant is satisfied with the rush Power Slap provides, and insists there is a training and development portion to the ‘sport.’

“You can train a little bit,” Paige said. “Like, I let my husband hit me in the face with the pool noodle just so you practice having something coming at your face extremely quickly.”

“And then just trying to figure out a plan for how you’re gonna take it, if it’s best for your body to close your eyes, if it’s best to keep your eyes completely open, if it’s best to follow the slap or follow their hand, to basically try to watch it make impact with your face.”

“Everybody’s body and body reactions are gonna be different,” she concluded. “So just learning what works best for you.”

The hardest part of Power Slap for Van Zant is the ‘no flinching’ rule, which she did several times in her debut and got called on once.

“I think as you see professional fighters coming over — boxing, boxers, MMA fighters — you are gonna see that flinching foul happen,” she said. “Because as much as we don’t want to flinch, it’s our body mechanics. It’s ingrained in our muscle memory.”

Once again, it comes down to training (aka more pool noodles to the face).

“You can flinch forward. You can, like, flinch down and brace, but you just can’t flinch away from the hit. So, it’s a learning process. And for the first one, I think I did absolutely great.”

PVZ vs. Dobson goes down at the Space42 Arena in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, October 24th. Tune into MMAMania.com for all the highlights, plus news from UFC 308 which goes on later that weekend on Saturday afternoon, October 26th.

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Last night (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) remained inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 99. The main card was actually a little stronger than usual, featuring a trio of bouts that involved at least one ranked fighter. Unfortunately, the entire fight card was a bit of slog with relatively few finishes throughout, but the promise of violence between Michel Pereira and Anthony Hernandez helped fight fans make it to the finish line.

Let’s take a look back over at UFC Vegas 99’s best performances and techniques:

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

A Mauling Win

Anthony Hernandez scored his sixth consecutive UFC victory last night, pummeling Michel Pereira for the bulk of five rounds before referee Herb Dean intervened with a last-second mercy stoppage. “Demolidor” has been viciously effective since moving to 185-pounds, but “Fluffy” treated him like each of his past opponents, forcing him into a relentless cycle of takedowns, transitions, and punishment.

Really, Pereira had almost no good moments after the first minute. There was a solid guillotine attempt and a decent knee — that’s it in 20-some minutes of combat after his early flurry. Hernandez was that dominant, setting multiple volume records over the course of five rounds. Honestly, this fight felt over midway through round two. “Fluffy” was just that zoned in and in control of his opponent.

Hopefully, it’s the kind of win that gets him a much deserved opportunity against a highly ranked foe. Maybe it’s too crazy of a jump, but I’d love to see him fight Nassourdine Imavov or Caio Borralho next. This type of win deserves to be rewarded!

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Cardio Is EVERYTHING!

Kyler Phillips is a great technical fighter. His movement is sublime, and he seems to time a head kick cleanly in just about every fight. His wrestling is rock solid, and he’s been doing jiu-jitsu since he was a child. Rob Font, comparatively, has a very bread-and-butter MMA game relying almost entirely on the 1-2 and clubbing close range punches.

Yet, Font won because at the end of the day, it’s all about pace.

Phillips won the first round easily, controlling probably four minutes from top position. When he returned to his feet, he was a little tired though, so Font pushed the pedal to the floor and landed some good shots. In early round two, Font also began to control the head of his opponent with his lead hand, a task made easier as Phillips slowed a bit.

Once Font gained his edge, the fight was no longer close. Phillips could no longer show off the lovely footwork, and he couldn’t wrestle effectively for more than moment. All the flash was gone or in slow motion, whereas Font’s straight punches continued at the same rate unabated.

It’s always fun to see a veteran upset the odds, but it feels like Phillips hasn’t fixed his pacing issues since they first became apparent in 2021. In a division like Bantamweight, that obvious of a flaw will never fly at the elite level.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Inner G Gets It Done

Charles Johnson vs. Sumudaerji was a great Flyweight fight.

The first round was a technical kickboxing affair, as Johnson pressed his foot to the gas in the face of Sumudaerji’s range and counters. He couldn’t drag the striker to the floor, however. Sumudaerji’s takedown defense looked much improved, but the striking was very competitive.

The second round was one of the year’s best. Just as momentum seemed to be slipping away from him, Johnson floored Sumudaerji with a flurry and nearly forced the finish. When the referee gave the Chinese Flyweight a chance to fight on, he nearly locked up a triangle choke! The attempt reversed Johnson onto bottom, causing a mad scramble that continued even on the fight with wild trades. Despite the knockdown, Sumudaerji rebounded well in the third as well, stuffing most of his opponents shots and landing cleanly.

The judges awarded Johnson the decision, his fourth victory of the year. “Inner G” is really coming into his own, and he certainly deserves a ranked opponent next.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

THERE WILL BE BLOOD!

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda absolutely delivered the brutal grindfest that we all expected and hoped for.

For once, Elkins was not the first man to bleed. He landed a nice overhand early, combined it with a takedown, then scored with glancing elbows. Nothing seemed that severe, but Pineda emerged from the exchange with gigantic gashes over both eyes! There was still plenty fight left in “The Pit,” however, who used his guillotine choke to gain top position and slice up “The Damage” in kind.

By round two, both men were already battling fatigue after the chaotic start. In classic Elkins fashion, the wrestler continued to slug and drive for takedowns. Pineda went back to the guillotine, but Elkins showed off his masterful defense in escaping deep strangles repeatedly and using the transitions to establish top control.

It was a really fun fight between veterans, but Elkins clearly picked up the latter two rounds by out-hustling her peer and dropping some brutal elbows. Pineda announced his retirement after the defeat, and we’ll see if that sticks. If so, he was an incredibly consistent action fighter for a very long time and deserves his flowers.

As for Elkins, he’s quietly won three of four at 40 years of age. He may not be at his peak anymore, but the inner dog is still thriving.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Additional Thoughts

• Joselyne Edwards defeats Tamires Vidal via third-round rear naked choke: Aside from missing weight for the third time, Edwards looked good here! The Panamanian talent is accustomed to foes trying to relentlessly wrestle here, but she was allowed to strike here. Consequently, her jab and distance striking were on point, and she beat up Vidal for large portions of the fight. When Vidal really tried to force the grappling issue in the third, Edwards was able to jump the back and score the finish just before the bell. On the whole, Edwards COULD be an interesting Bantamweight prospect (of which there are few). Her kickboxing game and power definitely stand out. Unfortunately, her inability to make weight and historically poor grappling continue to hold her back, even if last night was a solid bounce back.
• Austen Lane defeats Robelis Despaigne via unanimous decision: After starting his UFC career 0-2 (1) with two brutal knockout defeats, Lane deserves props for not getting murdered by his gigantic opponent here. He effectively wore out and wrestled the Cuban knockout artist, avoiding trading with Despaigne until his foe was dead tired. Speaking of, Despaigne really needs a lot of time at a real MMA camp if he’s to make use of his physical assets and knockout power against anyone even half-decent.

For complete UFC Vegas 99 results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira squared off in a Middleweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. Oct. 19, 2024) at UFC Vegas 99 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a dominant win, Hernandez beat the life out of Pereira!

Pereira landed a hard front kick early that earned Hernandez’s attention, and the Brazilian shucked off the first takedown attempt. Immediately, Pereira flurried and tried to force a finish on his wounded foe, but Hernandez hung tough and fought his way off the fence. “Fluffy” landed a right hand and began getting a hold of Pereira a bit more. He wasn’t able to land the takedown yet, but Pereira was spending more and more time with his back to the fence. The two traded punches and knees in the clinch before Hernandez went back to the wrestling well. With 40 seconds remaining, Hernandez scored his first takedown of the fight with a clinch throw.

He finished the round throwing ground strikes with momentum firmly in his corner.

Hernandez was immediately back on the wrestling to start round two but an eye poke slowed the action. “Fluffy” was feinting his shots, landing punches, then actually shooting to get effect, and Pereira was definitely slowing. Still, the hulking Brazilian attacked a guillotine choke and put Hernandez in real danger! Hernandez scrambled his way into top position, getting exactly what he wanted despite the threat of the choke.

Hernandez went to work dropping elbows and advanced into mount, but Pereira reversed his foe … for a moment. Hernandez wrestled up and floored Pereira again moments later, absolutely drowning his foe in pure pace. Rinse and repeat, Hernandez was threatening chokes, throwing Pereira to the floor, and battering him between transitions.

Less than 30 seconds into the third, Pereira was stuck on the floor and the fence again. The Brazilian was still scrambling gamely, but he was fully in Hernandez’s world and could never truly escape his grasp. “Fluffy” fully established top position about two minutes into the round and went to work with dropping hammers. He also came close to an arm triangle choke, draining Pereira even further.

The Brazilian needed a miracle with 10 minutes remaining.

Pereira managed to land a good knee before getting taken down again, but that was the only real change in round four. He just continued to beat up Pereira with relentless punches and grappling transitions, drowning the Brazilian finisher in offense. Based on how Pereira stumbled to his corner, throwing in the towel would have been a reasonable decision. Instead, he was sent out for five more minutes of pain and punishment. Hernandez pushed hard for the finish, and a series of elbows prompted Herb Dean to intervene.

It was more of a mercy stoppage than anything else, but it was definitely the right call.

This was a tremendous victory for Hernandez, who set multiple volume-based records in the course of this victory. Outside of the first minute, he was never in serious trouble and controlled the flow of the fight. Once his wrestling began to work, every aspect of Hernandez’s game clicked beautifully.

It really was a Khabib-esque mauling. By the end of the fight, Pereira looked like a broken man, even if he never actually stopped fighting back.

Result: Hernandez defeats Pereira via fifth-round TKO

For complete UFC Vegas 99 results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) “Battle of the Giants” massive pay-per-view (PPV) event goes down later TODAY (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV), featuring a Heavyweight title fight between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira for the “Super Fight” championship belt. In the co-main event, Cris Cyborg faces Larissa Pacheco, also for the “Super Fight” title, while Johnny Eblen rematches Fabian Edwards for the Middleweight strap.

Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET with the early “Prelims,” and then transition to the main card at 4 p.m. ET. Feel free to leave a comment (or several) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!

265 lbs.: Francis Ngannou vs. Champion Renan Ferreira
145 lbs.: Cris “Cyborg” vs. Larissa Pacheco
185 lbs.: Champion Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards
145 lbs.: Husein Kadimagomaev vs Zafar Mohsen
155 lbs.: AJ McKee vs. Paul Hughes
135 lbs.: Raufeon Stots vs Marcos Breno
155 lbs.: Makkasharip Zaynukov vs Dedrek Sanders – Zaynukov via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Ibragim Ibragimov vs Nacho Campos – Ibragimov via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Youssef Al Housani vs Taha Bendaoud – Bendaoud via second-round submission (triangle choke)

Highlights:

For all the latest “Battle of the Giants” news and notes click here.

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Francis Ngannou hasn’t competed in a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout in nearly three years, but the former UFC heavyweight king is as confident as ever heading into his return fight later tonight (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024) at PFL: Battle of the Giants live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“Predator” has been testing his luck against the best heavyweight boxers in the world over the past 12 months. The results have varied, but it has given Ngannou the opportunity to make life-changing money and create even more appeal surrounding his long-awaited PFL debut this weekend in Saudi Arabia.

On Friday, Ngannou stepped on stage for ceremonial weigh ins and one last faceoff with Saturday’s main event opponent, PFL 2023 heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira. Ngannou is a massive specimen in the heavyweight division, but Ferreira’s incredible size still made “Predator” look small. That made for an interesting staredown as the two heavyweights jostled for head space (see HERE).

After the final faceoff, both fighters were interviewed and asked to give their thoughts on Saturday’s impending heavyweight clash. Ngannou, who still considers himself the No. 1 heavyweight fighter in MMA today, reminded Ferreira who the king is entering PFL: Battle of the Giants.

“Who’s the king Renan?” asked Ngannou (shown in the above video player).

“I’m the king,” he said before Ferrereira could respond. “Tomorrow you’re gonna find out.”

For all the latest “Battle of the Giants” news and notes click here.

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Professional Fighters League (PFL) is set to stage its biggest fight card to date, as the historic “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view (PPV) event goes down TODAY (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Headlining the event will be a Heavyweight title fight as Francis Ngannou battles Renan Ferreira for the “Super Fight” championship belt, while Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco throw down for the women’s Featherweight “Super Fight” strap.

What’s Hot:

Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

It’s a great time in the Heavyweight division across the entire mixed martial arts (MMA) landscape. Aside from current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 265-pound king, Jon Jones, getting ready to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 next month, Professional Fighters League (PFL) is set to crown a new Heavyweight king as Ngannou makes his highly-anticipated debut against current division champ, Ferreira, in one of two Super Fights championship bouts.

PFL

Ngannou hasn’t competed in MMA since defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in Jan. 2022, his last fight inside the Octagon. While he has been busy in boxing — losing back-to-back fights to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua — it will be interesting to see where he’s at with his all-around MMA game. On that note, he likely won’t use it all because big men like to throw bombs, and “The Predator’s” striking has only gotten better while preparing for his boxing career. And that striking will have to be on point because Ferreira is a real-life monster with power in his hands that will turn anyone’s lights out…just ask Ryan Bader.

Sure, Ferreira doesn’t have the biggest name or fanfare like a lot of the aforementioned Heavyweights, but he does have skills to pay the bills (literally). He has a record of 13-3-3 with 11 impressive knockouts on his resume. He won the 2023 PFL Heavyweight tournament with a technical knockout (TKO) win over Denis Goltsov, and followed up that performance by winning the “PFL Champion vs. Bellator Champion” Super Belt earlier this year with a 21-second knockout win over the aforementioned Ryan Bader (see it again here). Now he has the chance to win yet another 265-pound strap with a win over the man many feel is the hardest-hitting Heavyweight of all time. Ngannou is coming out of UFC, so some go as far as to say Ferreira will be the lineal Heavyweight champion since “The Predator” never truly lost the title. Let’s be honest, this fight can only end one way: with one man on his back looking up at the lights at the top of the arena. Both men hit hard, both prefer to stand-and-bang and both want to prove a point. That said, buckle your seatbelt because this will be a fun ride for as long as it lasts.

What’s Not:

PFL

The only minor issue I have with this event is the fact that the 135-pound showdown between Raufeon Stots and Marcos Breno is on the undercard, while Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen is taking up valuable real estate on the main card. Stots is a former Bellator champion and Breno a Bellator veteran. As for Kadimagomaev and Mohsen, their a bit less known. Mohsen is fighting out of Germany and is currently on a three-fight win streak, sporting an overall record of 13-4. As for Kadimagomaev, he is 11-1 and is riding a five-fight unbeaten streak as they both head into their PFL debuts against one another.

New Blood and ‘Prelims’:

Aside from Ngannou, Johnny Eblen, Cyborg, Stots, Paul Hughes and Fabian Edwards all making their PFL debuts — all of whom we know plenty of or will discuss further down the line — Taha Bendaoud will make his debut against Tariq Ismail. With a record of 3-0, Bendaoud is a baby in his MMA career, and he hasn’t been too active since making his debut in 2022. As for Ismail, he is coming off a win at PFL MENA 1 earlier this year, his second straight win.

Nacho Campos (5-0) will make his PFL debut against Ibragim Ibragimov (7-0) in a battle of undefeated fighters. Campos has four finishes — three in the first round — on his resume, while Ibragimov has three submissions and three knockouts to be proud off. This is a fun fight between two fast-rising contenders with their chance to shine on the big stage.

Makkasharip Zaynukov will make his PFL debut against Dedrek Sanders. Zaynukov brings his four-fight win streak into the Smart Cage for the first time after spending the majority of his career fighting in Russia. As for Sanders, he made a splash in his PFL debut by knocking out Sergio Cossio in the very first round earlier this year.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Believe it or not, Ngannou needs a win pretty badly here despite being on a six-fight win streak. Why? It’s simple: he is the new face of PFL and the promotion has put a lot of money behind him to help carry it into the future. Coming off two crushing defeats in boxing, a loss in his PFL debut would be catastrophic. Sure, he will still have a job and won’t be going anywhere with a defeat, but the higher-ups will be scratching their heads, wondering if they made the right decision to put so much financial and public relations support behind someone who throws up a dud in his first fight. Furthermore, there is no telling where Ngannou’s head space will be at should he come up short. He could very well go on another long MMA hiatus and try to cash as many big boxing checks before he decides to call it a career.

Interest Level: 9.5/10

PFL

After months of pleading, Cris Cyborg will finally get her first opportunity to show off her stuff inside the Smart Cage against PFL’s current women’s Featherweight champion, Larissa Pacheco (preview here). Cyborg is riding a seven-fight win streak, which includes a record five straight title defenses of her Bellator 145-pound strap, and has the chance to earn her fifth title in as many promotions, an unheard of feat that will likely never be duplicated. The fearsome striker hopes to not only add another belt to her mantle, but another vicious knockout to her highlight reel to further cement her status as the best female fighter of all time. As for Pacheco, she is looking to lock down her own legendary status with a win over the multiple-time champion. She already has an impressive win over Kayla Harrison, so adding Cyborg as a notch on her belt will be huge for her career. This one could end early, folks, because Pacheco is not afraid to stand and bang.

PFL

Bellator MMA’s middleweight champion, Johnny Eblen, and Fabian Edwards will run it back in a rematch a year in the making. Eblen (15-0) initially defeated Edwards (13-3) via technical knockout (TKO) at Bellator 299 in Sept. 2023. Since then, he has gone on to defeat PFL’s Light Heavyweight champion, Impa Kasanganay, while Edwards earned the championship rematch by defeating Aaron Jeffery earlier this month. The two were set to run it back at Bellator London earlier this year before the fight was postponed and rescheduled for this event. With a win, Eblen continues his ascension as one of the best 185-pound fighters on the planet, while Edwards wants to earn his first-ever world title in order to call himself champion like his brother, former UFC Welterweight king, Leon Edwards.

PFL

A.J. McKee continues his march toward a Lightweight title fight as he is set to take on PFL’s hottest acquisition, Paul Hughes, who made his debut under the Bellator banner by defeating Bobby King via second-round technical knockout (TKO) at Bellator Dublin earlier this year. Hughes was a highly-touted prospect coming out of Cage Warriors, and PFL was able to beat UFC to signing him to a deal. Now, he has the chance to earn one of the biggest wins of his career and get on the fast track to a title fight by defeating one of the most skilled fighters in the game. McKee is riding a four-fight win streak and was last seen defeating Clay Collard at the “PFL vs. Bellator” event earlier this year via first-round submission (see it here).

That was “The Mercenary’s” fourth straight win since making the jump up to 155 pounds following his loss to Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 277, which cost him the Featherweight title. The winner of this fight could very well lock down a championship showdown against division king, Usman Nurmagomedov, in 2025. For McKee, it would be his opportunity to win another title in another division, while Hughes can kick his blossoming career into high gear sooner, rather than later.

Enjoy the fights!

Full ‘Battle of the Giants’ Fight Card:

PFL “Battle of the Giants” Main Card on ESPN+:

265 lbs.: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira for heavyweight superfight title
145 lbs.: Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco for women’s featherweight superfight title
185 lbs.: Champ Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards for Bellator middleweight title
145 lbs.: Husein Kadimagomaevvs. Zafar Mohsen
155 lbs.: A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes

PFL “Battle of the Giants” Prelims Card on ESPN+:

135 lbs.: Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
155 lbs.: Dedrek Sanders vs. Makkasharip Zaynukov
145 lbs.: Nacho Campos vs. Ibragim Ibragimov
145 lbs.: Taha Bendaoud vs. Tariq Ismail

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire “Battle of the Giants” fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 1:30 p.m. ET before the main card start time at 4 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To checkout the latest and greatest news and notes for “Ngannou vs. Ferreira” be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized “Battle of the Giants” fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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Francis Ngannou is one of the strongest heavyweights to ever compete in mixed martial arts (MMA) so it’s not surprising to see him break the record on the grip strength test.

This new grip strength test has been making the rounds in MMA and was last seen at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Main event title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. produced the strongest grip from the card’s long list of veteran fighters. Little did Rountree Jr. know that his record would be smashed by Ngannou just a few weeks later.

Ngannou is in Saudi Arabia this week as he makes his official PFL debut and long-awaited return to MMA. Remember, the former UFC heavyweight champion has competed in two boxing matches over the past 12 months. “Predator” lost both, but he’s made a ton of cash along the way. He’ll look to bring the fight back to the cage this weekend against PFL heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira.

While in town, Ngannou was asked to take a shot at the grip strength test and see how powerful he truly is. In case you forgot, Ngannou once shattered the record for the hardest punch ever recorded. When it comes to his grip the former UFC king is just as strong. Ngannou’s results were good enough to beat Rountree Jr. by double digits.

Check it out below:

Ngannou, who turned 38 last month, is hoping to live up to his lucrative PFL contract and help the promotion close the gap with UFC. Ferreira has been a serviceable heavyweight with a ton of potential, but “Predator” is the biggest star on the roster and someone that must perform this weekend in Saudi Arabia.

For all the latest “Battle of the Giants” news and notes click here.

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