Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira: Heavyweights clash at heated weigh-in

Paul Battison, BBC Sport

There are not many people who leave the UFC in their prime and go on to better themselves, but Ngannou has never done things by the book.

The Cameroonian was a star in the MMA world when he left the UFC as its heavyweight champion early last year, but he is now a star on the global stage after blockbuster boxing fights with Fury and Joshua.

Fans saw Ngannou take Fury to the brink of defeat on his professional boxing debut, before suffering a devastating knockout by Joshua, but will now get to see him in his more natural habitat.

Mixed martial arts is Ngannou’s bread and butter, where he made a name for himself as one of the most devastating punchers in the sport’s history.

Ngannou’s fearsome stand-up is what first caught the attention of the boxing world, but inside an MMA cage he has many more strings to his bow – proven by his win over Gane in 2022, where he out-wrestled the Frenchman.

He is the favourite against Ferreira, with doubts looming from critics over the standard of challengers in the PFL’s heavyweight division.

The biggest win of Ferreira’s career came against former Bellator two-division champion Ryan Bader in February, but at 41, the American is in the twilight of his career.

A win over Ngannou, however, would change everything for the Brazilian, thrusting him to the forefront of the global heavyweight MMA landscape.