Ngannou Returns To MMA With Knockout Win Over Ferreira

Francis Ngannou marked his return to mixed martial arts with a first-round defeat over Renan Ferreira at the PFL Super Fights event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Cameroon’s Ngannou knocked out Ferreira with some brutal ground strikes in his first MMA contest in nearly three years.

Ngannou made a return to MMA with his first fight in three years.

He was emotional after the bout and dedicated the victory to his late son, Kobe who died earlier this year.

He said: “I can’t think about anything [other] than my son Kobe. I only took this fight because of him,”

“I went to fight for him. I hope they can remember his name because without Kobe, we wouldn’t be here tonight. I wouldn’t have fought.

“I knew I didn’t miss a step. I wasn’t worried about it because as soon as I walked in the gym I knew everything was still there,” said Ngannou.

“It was just me being able to manage my emotions. Deal with life separately, not mix things up. That’s what I have been working on.

“I think my next move in combat sports all depends on me, how I feel. I always think I have a lot to give and I keep thinking that way.”

Renan Ferreira has vowed to bounce back in style after losing the biggest fight of his career to date.

He said:“Yesterday wasn’t a good day at work, guys, but I’m very happy with all our dedication and everything that developed through our work. I’ve always had the mindset of never losing, for myself, to fight any lack of dedication and commitment, and thank God I have a clean conscience. I worked very hard there, showed up well to the fight, and was happy to return.

“Unfortunately, my opponent was superior. He managed to impose a game that I couldn’t defend the takedowns, which led to very hard ground-and-pound to get through. And that’s it, life goes on, we’ll be back. I want to thank everyone for all the love and support, we’re always together.”

The defeat ended Ferreira’s four-match winning streak after victories over Matheus Scheffel, Maurice Greene, Denis Goltsov, and Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader.