Francis Ngannou makes his long-awaited PFL debut alongside Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg at the upcoming PFL superfight pay-per-view scheduled on Oct. 19 with a location still to be determined.
Ngannou is set to face 2023 PFL heavyweight season champion Renan Ferreira, who officially landed the matchup after he knocked out Ryan Bader back in February.
The fight serves as Ngannou’s return to MMA after he last competed in the UFC back in January 2022 when he earned a unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane. Following that fight, Ngannou eventually entered free agency where he signed with PFL but ultimately ended up taking a pair of boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before scheduling his debut with the promotion in October.
Overall, Ngannou has won his last six fights in a row including knockouts over former UFC heavyweight champions Stipe Miocic and Cain Velasquez during that run.
As for Ferreira, the 34-year-old Brazilian looks for by far the biggest win of his career after he’s rattled off four straight wins in the PFL. In his 13 career wins, Ferreira has scored 11 knockouts along with one submission as he prepares to face off with the former UFC champion, who was the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the sport prior to his long hiatus from MMA.
As for Cyborg, she finally returns to action against 2023 PFL featherweight champion Larissa Pacheco, who is riding an 10-fight unbeaten streak including a win over current UFC contender Kayla Harrison.
Much like Ngannou, Cyborg crossed over to boxing where she’s picked up a pair of wins in 2024 before booking her first MMA fight since October 2023 when she defeated former UFC title challenger Cat Zingano by first-round knockout.
Widely considered one of the greatest women’s fighters in history, Cyborg looks to add another huge win to her resume when she faces Pacheco in October.
Ngannou vs. Ferreira and Cyborg vs. Pacheco headline the PFL pay-per-view superfight event on Oct. 19 with the price for the card still to be determined. More fights are expected to be added in the coming weeks.
