PFL: Battle of the Giants went down Saturday as a fierce clash between heavyweights Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira headlined the talent loaded event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Click here to watch Francis Ngannou’s post-fight press-conference. Footage via ‘MMA Junkie’ on YouTube.
PFL Main Event: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira
PFL’s main event featured a matchup of heavyweight juggernauts. Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou (18-3-0) dominated Renan Ferreira (13-4-0) en route to a first-round KO victory.
The baddest man on the planet returned to the world of mixed martial arts like he never left as Francis Ngannou delivered a perfect performance against the daunting Brazilian giant Renan Ferreira.
Ngannou is known as the hardest puncher in MMA, and he did not fail to live up to these expectations. The Cameroonian heavyweight wasted little to no time closing the distance and securing a takedown.
From there, Ngannou kept control of Ferreira until finding the opportune moment to unleash ground-and-pound on the grounded opponent.
Ngannou rained vicious punches on Ferreira until finally rendering the Brazilian giant unconscious face-down on the canvas.
Result: Ngannou via KO/TKO R1 (Punches)
PFL Co-main Event: Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco
PFL’s co-main event featured a women’s featherweight title matchup as Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg outclassed PFL women’s featherweight champion Larissa Pacheco.
This PFL women’s featherweight matchup was a great overall display of MMA as Cris Cyborg showed why she has reigned supreme amongst women’s MMA since the beginning of her professional career.
The hard-hitting champion successfully mixed her striking with her takedown entries, securing multiple takedowns throughout this title fight.
The more experienced fighter, Cyborg, is ahead of Pacheco throughout the fight.
Pacheco’s most significant moment of the fight came in the third round as the Brazilian PFL champion landed a thudding right hand that sent Cyborg to the canvas.
Result: Cyborg via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Johnny Eblen vs Fabian Edwards 2
PFL’s main card was absolutely star-studded aside from the main and co-main event as Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen edged out Fabian Edwards on the judges’ scorecards in their rematch.
This Bellator middleweight title fight was closely contested. The defending champion narrowly beat out the challenger over five hard-fought rounds.
The fight opened with both men exchanging strikes in the center of the octagon, utilizing punches and low kicks. Eblen was able to execute a well-timed grappling entry and get Edwards back to the cage.
From there, the fight was consistent. Eblen looked to keep Edwards guessing about the takedown entries while the champion exchanged his own fair share of strikes.
Edwards was forced to be calculated and selective with his output and strikes. This constant takedown threat allowed Eblen to establish his offense on the feet while repeatedly getting the fight onto the mat or against the cage.
This match played out very similarly to their initial meeting inside the cage, except the champion was unable to find a finishing sequence this time.
Result: Eblen via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
AJ McKee vs. Paul Hughes
PFL’s highly-anticipated main card lightweight bout between rising Irish prospect Paul Hughes (13-1-0) and former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee (22-2-0).
A potential star was born on the PFL main card as the Northern Irish rising prospect Paul Hughes pulled off an extremely impressive split decision victory over the former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee.
Hughes showed off his all-around ability in this three-rounder as he faced an elite and more experienced opponent in McKee.
The 27-year-old Hughes was able to work his standing offense in this hard-fought three-round bout, as McKee clearly game-planned for getting the fight to the mat, where he felt he held the advantage in wrestling and submission threats.
However, Hughes did a great job of neutralizing McKee’s grappling efforts by sprawling on takedowns and advancing to his own grappling positions from there.
The most significant moment of this three-round main card bout came at the end of the first round when Hughes could string together a fluid sequence of strikes that dropped McKee at the buzzer.
McKee eventually was able to secure a well-timed takedown off Hughes’s failed knee, where he looked to secure the Irishman’s back.
In the third and final round, Hughes cemented the win. He was able to land cleaner and more effective strikes on the feet as McKee urgently looked to secure a takedown. The damage accumulated by Hughes was enough to earn the split decision win.
Result: Hughes via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Other Fights on PFL: Battle of the Giants
Main Card:
- (145 lbs.) Husein Kadimagomaev (11-2-0) vs. Zafar Mohsen (14-4-0): Mohsen via Decision
Prelims:
- (135 lbs.) Raufeon Stots (21-2-0) vs. Marcos Breno (15-4-0): Stots via Submission R3
- (155 lbs.) Makkasharip Zaynukov (16-4-0) vs. Dedrek Sanders (9-5-0): Zaynukov via Decision
- (145 lbs.) Ibragim Ibragimov (8-0-0) vs. Nacho Campos (5-1-0): Ibragimov via Decision
- (145 lbs.) Tariq Ismail (8-2-0) vs Taha Bendaoud (4-0-0): Bendaoud via Submission R2
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