PFL Battle Of The Giants: Ngannou Vs. Ferreira Preview, Odds, Pick

The PFL Battle of the Giants pay-per-view fight card is nearly upon us. In the main event of the ESPN+ card, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou faces 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira. Before that contest takes place, former Strikeforce, Invicta and UFC champion Cris Cyborg, who is the current Bellator women’s featherweight titleholder, faces two-time PFL tournament winner Larissa Pacheco in a featherweight scrap.

The PFL Super Fights world titles will be on the line for both the main event and co-main event on Saturday. The Battle of the Giants card takes place on Saturday, October 19 from the Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou vs. Ferreira Preview

Ngannou (17-3) has not fought inside the cage since he scored a unanimous decision over Ciryl Gane in January 2022. Ngannou departed the UFC as the reigning champion after he and the promotion could not come to terms on a contract.

At the time, Ngannou said, “In that contract, I'm not free. In that contract, I'm not an independent contractor. In that contract, I have no rights, I have no power. I hand over all the power to you guys, and I've seen in the past how you can utilize that power."

During his time with the UFC, Ngannou went 12-2 with two winning streaks of six fights that were interrupted by decision setbacks to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis.

Ngannou signed with the PFL in May 2023. Since then, he has had two lucrative boxing bouts, losing a decision to Tyson Fury in October 2023 and getting knocked out by Anthony Joshua in March of this year.

Ferreira (13-3-0-3) is enjoying the best run of his MMA career. In November 2023 he earned $1 million for winning the PFL heavyweight tournament with a knockout win over Denis Goltsov. Then, in February, he scored a 21-second knockout win over Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader to win the "PFL Champion vs. Bellator Champion" Super Belt.

Ngannou on Ferreira:

“I would definitely say Renan is at the top of the line. But my entire life, my biggest opponent has always been me. On Saturday night, I am going to get him, so he should be ready.”

“This is an MMA fight, so everything will be on display. We’ve prepared everything, and everything will be on display. On his end, too, I believe he (Ferreira) is preparing some things because he is a jiu-jitsu black belt, and he is not undermining my punching power.”

“Let’s just say I am going to fight strategically and according to how the fight presents itself. In my career, I went for a knockout, but it didn't work out for me. The times when I did score a knockout, it wasn't something that I had planned. I know I have 25 minutes, so I am going to lay my game plan down in that 25 minutes and win the fight.”

Ferreira on Ngannou:

“Both Francis and I came from humble beginnings. We had an incredible career to reach where we are right now. It is a great honor to be fighting one of the strongest men in the world.”

“Definitely. We are both complete fighters. We can strike and grapple as well. I am ready to fight wherever the fight goes. The fans can expect a great fight.”

“It’s great to see the support that Riyadh and Saudi Arabia have given to provide incredible opportunities and these amazing events. The hospitality is incredible. This is my second time here, and I love it. People treat me really well, and I think it’s just a great opportunity for all of the fighters to be a part of this.”

Ngannou vs. Ferreira Breakdown

Francis Ngannou has always been known for his power. During his time in MMA he racked up 12 knockout wins. With a couple of years of boxing training under his belt, and fights against two of the best heavyweights, the expectation is the former UFC champion will have added striking technique to his power. Where once Ngannou could be reckless with his striking, rushing in with his chin high, while throwing wide hooks, he should now be more dialed in and focused. His development should make him harder to counter.

As vaunted as Ngannou’s power might be, he does have some wrestling skills to go with his striking. His wrestling is by no means elite, but he can get the fight to the mat and keep it there.

One thing that’s hard to overlook heading into the Battle of the Giants card is Ngannou is coming off a bad knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in March. There’s no telling if that loss affected Ngannou’s confidence or the sturdiness of his chin. Another thing to ponder is Ngannou’s age. He turned 38 in September.

Ngannou has wins over four former UFC champions: Stipe Miocic, Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, and Andrei Arlovski. He also scored an impressive knockout over ex-Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem.

It might be a surprise to some, but Renan Ferreira is a larger man than Francis Ngannou, which is a frightening prospect. However, the PFL tournament winner only has a two-inch reach advantage over the ex-UFC champ.

Ferreira, like Ngannou, has one-punch finishing power. He is on a run of four straight KO wins. However, he is not an unstoppable force. Ante Delija knocked him out in the 2022 PFL heavyweight playoffs by closing distance and taking his foe to the mat, where he used ground strikes to end things in the first stanza. That’s notable because Ngannou can wrestle. He took down Gane four times in their five-round scrap and picked up 8:29 of control time while landing a fair amount of ground strikes.

Ferreira’s route to victory is keeping the fight in the open and looking for an opening on the sometimes suspect defense of his opponent.

Ferreira has three knockouts with PFL in under one minute, and seven career first round finishes.

Ngannou vs. Ferreira Betting Odds

The betting line for this fight has tightened up. When betting opened, Ngannou was a -430 favorite over Ferreira, who came in as the +300 betting underdog. Today, Ngannou is listed at -280 and Ferreira at +194.

Ngannou vs. Ferreira Prediction and Pick

Ferreira is a live underdog in this heavyweight contest because of the power he packs in his hands. A Ferreira win by knockout would not be a shock, and that outcome could present some betting value. However, Ngannou is the more well-rounded competitor and as such he has more routes to victory. He also has the skills to dictate where the fight takes place; either on the feet or the mat. If Ngannou heads into Saturday’s fight focused on the win over getting a highlight reel knockout, he is the pick to win by ground strikes knockout or a grinding decision.

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