Renan Ferreira secured the biggest win of his career in the PFL vs. Bellator main event — and that may lead to an even bigger opportunity in the future.
The reigning PFL heavyweight champion needed just 21 seconds to demolish Ryan Bader and set himself up for an eventual showdown against Francis Ngannou. It was a stunning performance from the Brazilian, who blasted Bader with a devastating right hand in the first exchange of the fight to send the Bellator heavyweight king crashing to the canvas.
RENAN FERREIRA BONKS RYAN BADER IN THIRTY SECONDS #PFLvsBellator pic.twitter.com/o9b9oJuA46
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) February 24, 2024
The gargantuan Ferreira quickly followed Bader to the ground and unloaded a barrage of punches that gave the referee no choice but to stop the contest. It was an emphatic exclamation point on the night for Ferreira, who was the only PFL fighter to beat his Bellator counterpart on the entire card.
Afterward, Ferreira wasted no time turning his attention toward Ngannou, who was sitting cageside taking in all the action from Saudi Arabia.
“I am the real problem out here,” Ferreira shouted. “I am the record breaker. I am the record setter. Francis, where you at? I’m waiting for you. Let’s go, let’s do this.”
Much was made about Ferreira’s side advantage as he stood 6-foot-8-inches tall with a massive wingspan at his disposal as well, but Bader has faced nothing but oversized opponents since making the move to heavyweight. Unfortunately, Bader’s good fortune ran out on Saturday after he stepped into an exchange and Ferreira just unloaded the right hand that snapped his head around in an instant.
Bader stumbled to the canvas and never got a second to recover as Ferreira was on top of him, unloading punches in succession until the fight was stopped. As much as his run toward PFL gold — and the $1 million prize that came along with it — was impressive, Ferreira taking out a veteran like Bader speaks volumes about his evolution in the sport.
Now he’ll hope that Ngannou will eventually make his return to MMA after his upcoming boxing match against Anthony Joshua is wrapped up on March 8.
“I’ve always been ready to fight against the very best in the world,” Ferreira said. “Francis, it can be inside a PFL smart cage, it can be in a boxing ring, whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it. I’m ready to go.”
