PFL Battle of the Giants Start Time, Full Battle Card Details | Ngannou vs Ferreira

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will host its biggest fight card yet as the historic “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view (PPV) event takes place TODAY (Sat. Oct. 19, 2024) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia . The focus of the event is a heavyweight title fight Francis Ngannou Slaughter Renan Ferreira for the “Super Fight” championship belt, while Cris Cyborg And Larissa Pacheco Take a look at the women’s Super Fight featherweight belt.

What’s hot:

Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

It’s a great time for heavyweight division across the mixed martial arts (MMA) landscape. Aside from the current 265-pound king of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Jon Jonesis preparing to defend his title against him Stipe Miocic At UFC 309 next month, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) will crown a new heavyweight king when Ngannou makes his highly anticipated debut against current division champion Ferreira in one of two Super Fights championship bouts.

PFL

Ngannou has not competed in MMA since his loss Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022, his last fight in the Octagon. While he was busy boxing, he lost two consecutive fights to Tyson Fury And Anthony Joshua – It will be interesting to see where he is at with his all-around MMA game. With that in mind, he probably won’t use it all because big men like to throw bombs and “The Predator’s” punching power has only gotten better as he prepares for his boxing career. And this attack needs to be on point because Ferreira is a real monster with a power in his hands that will turn anyone’s lights out… just ask Ryan Bader.

Sure, Ferreira doesn’t have the biggest name or fanfare like many of the heavyweights mentioned above, but he has the ability to pay the bills (literally). He has a record of 13-3-3 with 11 impressive knockouts on his resume. He won the 2023 PFL Heavyweight Tournament with a technical knockout (TKO) victory. Denis Golzowand followed up that performance by winning the PFL Champion vs. Bellator Champion Super Belt earlier this year with a 21-second knockout victory over the aforementioned Ryan Bader (see it again here). Now he has a chance to win another 265-pound title with a victory over the man many consider to be the hardest-hitting heavyweight of all time. Ngannou comes from the UFC, so some even assume that Ferreira will be the lineal heavyweight champion since “The Predator” never actually lost the title. Let’s face it, this fight can only end one way: with a man on his back looking at the lights at the top of the arena. Both men hit hard, both prefer stand-and-bang, and both want to prove their point. However, you should buckle up because the ride will be fun for as long as it lasts.

What is not:

PFL

The only slight issue I have with this event is the fact that the 135lb showdown between Raufeon Stots And Marcos Breno is on the undercard, while Husein Kadimamagayev vs. Zafar Mohsen takes up valuable real estate on the main map. Stots is a former Bellator champion and Breno is a Bellator veteran. Kadimamagayev and Mohsen are somewhat less well known. Mohsen fights outside of Germany and is currently on a three-fight winning streak with an overall record of 13-4. As for Kadimagomaev, he is 11-1 and is riding a five-fight unbeaten streak as both head into their PFL debuts against each other.

Young talent and “prelims”:

Apart from Ngannou, Johnny EblenCyborg, Stots, Paul Hughes And Fabian Edwards everyone is making their PFL debut – we all know them well or will talk about them later – Taha Bendaoud will make his debut against Tariq Ismail. With a record of 3-0, Bendaoud is a baby in his MMA career and he hasn’t been particularly active since his debut in 2022. As for Ismail, he picked up a win at PFL MENA 1 earlier this year. his second win in a row.

Nacho Campos (5-0) will make its PFL debut against Ibragim Ibragimov (7-0) in a battle of undefeated fighters. Campos has four finishes – three in the first round – on his resume, while Ibragimov boasts three submissions and three knockouts. This is an entertaining battle between two up-and-coming competitors with a chance to shine on the big stage.

Makkasharip Zaynukov will make his PFL debut against Dedrek Sanders. Zaynukov brings his four-fight win streak to the Smart Cage for the first time after fighting in Russia for the majority of his career. As for Sanders, he made a splash with a knockout in his PFL debut Sergio Cossio in the very first round earlier this year.

Who urgently needs a win:

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Believe it or not, Ngannou desperately needs a win here despite having a six-fight winning streak. Why? It’s simple: He’s the new face of the PFL and the promotion has given him a lot of money to carry it into the future. After two crushing defeats in boxing, a loss in his PFL debut would be disastrous. Sure, he’ll still have a job and go nowhere with a loss, but the higher-ups will be scratching their heads and wondering if they made the right decision to throw so much financial and PR support behind someone who throws made a dud in his first fight. Furthermore, there is no telling how much scope Ngannou will have if he comes up short. He could very well take another long break from MMA and try to cash as many big boxing checks as possible before he decides to call it a career.

Interest rate: 9.5/10

PFL

After months of pleading, Cris Cyborg will finally get her first opportunity to showcase her skills in the Smart Cage against Larissa Pacheco, the current PFL Women’s Featherweight Champion (preview here). Cyborg is riding a seven-fight winning streak, which includes a record five consecutive title defenses with her Bellator 145-pound strap, and has a chance to capture her fifth title in as many promotions, an unprecedented feat, which will probably never be repeated. The fearsome striker hopes to not only add another belt to her mantle, but also add another brutal knockout to her highlight reel to further cement her status as the best female fighter of all time. As for Pacheco, she wants to cement her own legendary status with a win over the multiple-time champion. She has already achieved an impressive victory Kayla Harrisontherefore, adding Cyborg as a notch on her belt will be huge for her career. This could end sooner, folks, because Pacheco isn’t afraid to stand around and bang.

PFL

Bellator MMA middleweight champion Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards will square off in a year-long rematch. Eblen (15-0) initially defeated Edwards (13-3) by technical knockout (TKO) at Bellator 299 in September 2023. He has since defeated the PFL light heavyweight champion, Impa Kasanganaywhile Edwards secured the rematch for the championship with a defeat Aaron Jeffery earlier this month. The two were scheduled to compete again at Bellator London earlier this year before the fight was postponed and rescheduled for this event. With a win, Eblen continues his rise as one of the best 185-pound fighters in the world, while Edwards looks to win his first-ever world title to call himself champion like his brother, former UFC welterweight king. Leon Edwards.

PFL

AJ McKee continues his march toward a lightweight title shot as he takes on the PFL’s hottest signing, Paul Hughes, who made his debut under the Bellator banner with a loss Bobby King via second-round technical knockout (TKO) at Bellator Dublin earlier this year. Hughes was a highly touted prospect coming from Cage Warriors and PFL was able to beat UFC and sign him. Now he has a chance to score one of the biggest victories of his career and get on the fast track to a title shot by defeating one of the most experienced fighters in the world. McKee is on a four-fight winning streak and was last seen winning Clay cabbage at the “PFL vs. Bellator” event earlier this year via first-round submission (see here).

This was the fourth straight win for “The Mercenary” since he made the move to 155 pounds following his loss at 155 pounds Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 277, which cost him the featherweight title. The winner of this fight could very well win a championship showdown against the division king. Usman Nurmagomedovin 2025. For McKee, it would be a chance to win another title in a different division, while Hughes can get his blossoming career into high gear sooner rather than later.

Enjoy the fights!

Full Battle of the Giants fight card:

PFL main map “Battle of the Giants” activated ESPN+:

265 pounds: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira for the superfight heavyweight title
145 pounds: Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco for the women’s featherweight superfight title
185 pounds: Champion Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards for the Bellator middleweight title
145 pounds: Husein Kadimagomaevs. Zafar Mohsen
155 pounds: AJ McKee vs. Paul Hughes

PFL Prelims card “Battle of the Giants”. ESPN+:

135 pounds: Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
155 pounds: Dedrek Sanders vs. Makkasharip Zaynukov
145 pounds: Nacho Campos vs. Ibragim Ibragimov
145 pounds: Taha Bendaoud vs. Tariq Ismail

---

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire Battle of the Giants fight card RIGHT HEREstarting with the early one ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 1:30 p.m. ET before the main card start time at 4:00 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To read the latest and greatest Ngannou vs. Ferreira news and notes, be sure to check out our comprehensive event archive Here. For the updated and finalized Battle of the Giants fight card and PPV lineup, click here Here.