- What: PFL Battle of the Giants Main Event
- Who: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira
- Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
- Location: The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Time: Prelims (1:30 p.m. ET), Main Card (4:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Prelims (ESPN+), Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou returns to the MMA on October 19 when he makes his PFL debut against 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira. The matchup headlines the October 19, ESPN+ “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view fight card from The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Below is some information on the fighters before we look at the betting breakdown for Ngannou vs. Ferreira.
Francis Ngannou (17-3) has 12 knockout wins in MMA. The former UFC heavyweight champion left that promotion as a free agent with the title. He is on a six-fight winning streak in MMA, but is coming off back-to-back boxing losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Ngannou last fought in January 2022 when he defeated Ciryl Gane in defense of his UFC title.
Renan Ferreira (13-3-0-3) has 11 career KO victories. Ferreira won the 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament with a TKO over Denis Goltsov. He followed that with a February 2024 TKO victory over Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader. Ferreira stopped Bader in 21 seconds.
Before we look at the best bets for the Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira scrap on the PFL PPV fight card, check out the best PFL betting sites and where you can find all of our PFL betting picks.
PFL: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira betting picks
Francis Ngannou betting breakdown
When Francis Ngannou was competing in MMA, he was known for the power he packed in his hands. Now that the former UFC heavyweight champion has a couple of years of boxing training under his belt, the expectation is that he will not only have the power he had when he was blasting fighters like Alistair Overeem to the mat but that his striking technique will be improved. That’s a frightening prospect for whoever he faces going forward in MMA. Where once Ngannou could be reckless with his hands, he should now be more dialed in and focused and harder to counter.
One thing that must be considered heading into Ngannou’s matchup with Renan Ferreira is the fact that Ngannou is coming off a nasty knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in March. Did that KO loss affect Ngannou’s confidence? Did it leave him more susceptible, at 38, to future knockout losses?
Renan Ferreira betting breakdown
If you watched the press conference for this matchup, you saw that Renan Ferreira is a much larger man than Francis Ngannou, which is a frightening prospect. However, he only has a two-inch reach advantage over the former UFC champ. Simply put, Ferreira, like his opponent, is a powerful striker with one-punch finishing power.
Ferreira is on a run of four straight KO wins, but he is not an unstoppable force, as the 6-foot-5 Ante Delija knocked him out in the 2022 PFL heavyweight playoffs. Delija accomplished that by closing distance early and taking Ferreira to the mat, where he used ground strikes to end the fight in the first round. For those who don’t think Ngannou has wrestling capabilities, remember he took down Gane four times in their five-round scrap and picked up 8:29 of control time while landing a fair amount of ground strikes.
For Ferreira to succeed against Ngannou, he needs to make sure he keeps the fight at distance and does not allow Ngannou to score takedowns.
Best Bets: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira
Renan Ferreira is a live underdog in this matchup thanks to his power. With that in mind, it will not be a shock to see him score a knockout win over Francis Ngannou. However, Ngannou is the more well-rounded competitor and he has the skills to dictate where the fight takes place. If Ngannou doesn’t focus on going out there and scoring a highlight-reel knockout win, the fight is his to lose.
The betting pick is for Francis Ngannou to score a knockout win.
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