"A reminder for who I am" - Francis Ngannou previews and breaks down Renan Ferreira fight, answers if he'll ever box again
Francis Ngannou has discussed his highly anticipated MMA fight against Renan Ferreira, putting forth his analysis of the 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament champion. Additionally, 'The Predator' recently addressed whether he'll compete in the sport of boxing again.
Ngannou ended his UFC run when he chose not to re-sign with the organization, claiming that some of his demands weren't met. He departed the UFC in Jan. 2022 and signed with the PFL a few months later.
Ngannou made his professional boxing debut in 2023 and competed twice in that sport. He is scheduled to make his PFL debut against Brazil's Renan Ferreira for a PFL Super Fights championship belt on Oct. 19, 2024.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Francis Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 0-2 boxing) recently indicated that it's unclear as to where a victory against Ferreira would land him in the MMA heavyweight rankings overall.
Nevertheless, he seemingly believes that it'll remind everyone that he's a force to be reckoned with:
"Rankings are made by people and then here the sport is moving ... I'm not the one to judge, but yeah, I think this fight could set as a reminder for who I am."
Moreover, Ngannou asserted that he's fighting to honor the memory of his son Kobe, who passed away earlier this year. The veteran fighter resumed MMA training a month-and-a-half ago and feels great about returning to the sport he's familiar with, deeming MMA his "home."
The former UFC heavyweight champion implied that any fighter whom you haven't faced yet is difficult to prepare for. He highlighted that, currently, his toughest matchup is Renan Ferreira. He likened 'Problema' to Ciryl Gane, Ngannou's training partner-turned-opponent who's known for his elusive movement.
Ngannou opined that Ferreira is longer than Gane and has very fast hands. Stating that every opponent is unique and the toughest to mentally prepare for until you fight them, he said:
"As for right now, in my mind, the most difficult one is Renan Ferreira because in terms of style, I think he might be more like Ciryl Gane style." [h/t MMA Fighting]
Francis Ngannou is optimistic about his boxing comeback
Francis Ngannou faced legendary professional boxers Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in Oct. 2023 and March 2024, respectively. The former UFC star lost both boxing matches, falling to Fury via a razor-thin split decision and to Joshua via second-round KO.
In the aftermath, many suggested that the 37-year-old Ngannou should instead refocus on MMA, as it's probably too late for him to steadily ascend the pro boxing food chain.
During his aforementioned interview with Sky Sports, Ngannou was asked whether he'll return to boxing in the future, to which he replied:
"No, I definitely have a return in boxing. This is not all."
When asked if he's gotten some offers in the boxing realm, Francis Ngannou answered:
"Nothing that we could talk about right now because, again, my next fight is MMA. And usually, you don't make any plans ahead of a fight, MMA fight, because everything can happen in an MMA fight. You can -- injury or whatever can happen in an MMA fight. So, not until then that I will make a plan or a discussion about boxing."
Watch Francis Ngannou discuss his possible boxing comeback below: