Dan Hardy compares Francis Ngannou's "terrifying" presence to Brock Lesnar's: "He draws everyone's attention"
Dan Hardy recently opened up about Francis Ngannou's presence as an MMA star and made a comparison to former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. He noted that there are similarities in how they have gravitated others toward them and the aura that they have.
'The Predator' is scheduled to make his promotional debut against Renan Ferreira in the main event of tomorrow's PFL: Battle of the Giants. The former UFC heavyweight champion is returning to the sport after two boxing bouts and will be competing against a larger opponent, which has been a rare occurrence in his career. It is a highly anticipated bout, especially considering Ngannou's reputation for being a feared knockout artist.
During his appearance on The Craic, the former welterweight title challenger described 'The Predator's presence and what it's like being around him. Hardy mentioned that it is quite intimidating and recalled being around Lesnar as the only comparable:
"[Ngannou's] got this presence that I can't think of anybody else, maybe Brock Lesnar. He might be the only other person that I can think of that's got this same kind of terrifying presence...And Francis is the same. There's something quite regal about him...[Ngannou] just carries that kind of royalty, energy so well. And everybody as soon as he walks in the room as you can imagine, he draws everone's attention." [8:06 - 8:46]
Check out Dan Hardy's comments below:
Dan Hardy says Renan Ferreira is an intriguing opponent for Francis Ngannou
In addition to comparing Francis Ngannou's presence to Brock Lesnar, Dan Hardy added that Renan Ferreira is a very intriguing opponent for the former UFC heavyweight champion.
During the aforementioned appearance, Hardy mentioned that Ngannou's performance could dictate the perception about him following his loss to Anthony Joshua or result in Ferreira becoming a bigger star in MMA at his expense:
"[Ngannou's] got a very tough test but if he comes through with flying colors this weekend, I think everyone's gonna be back on the Francis train. We just can't look past Renan [Ferreira] though because we might see the birth of a new heavyweight superstar this weekend as well." [8:59 - 9:12]
Check out the final faceoff between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira below: