Ngannou lighter than Ferreira for battle of giants

Francis Ngannou weighed in five pounds lighter than Renan Ferreira for their heavyweight bout at PFL Super Fights in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

Ngannou weighed 256lb (18st 5lb) compared to Ferreira’s 261lb (18st 10lb) for the clash the organisation is dubbing the ‘Battle of the Giants’.

Cameroon’s Ngannou, 38, is competing in MMA for the first time in nearly three years after leaving the UFC 22 months ago.

Since then he has boxed against Britons Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, becoming one of biggest combat sports stars in the world.

Brazil’s Ferreira, 34, won the PFL annual global league in 2023 and is on a four-fight winning streak.

Ngannou’s last MMA fight saw him defend his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in 2021, before leaving the organisation following disagreements over his contract.

He has not lost in the sport since 2018, winning five of his six fights in that period via knockout.

Brazilian featherweight Cris Cyborg weighed in at 144lb (10st 5lb) for her co-main featherweight bout against compatriot Larissa Pacheco, who was slightly lighter.

The main and co-main contests are not official title bouts, but the winners will receive a commemorative PFL Super Fights championship belt.

In a rare move, the only official title fight on the night is third on the card, with American Johnny Eblen at 187lb (13st 3lb) defending his Bellator middleweight belt against Britain’s Fabian Edwards, who weighed in fractionally heavier.

The bout is rematch of their 2023 contest, which Eblen won via a third round knockout.

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