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Francis Ngannou ended the PFL fight night with an astonishing defeat of Renan Ferriera in his first fight after a near three-year hiatus.
The former UFC champion made his PFL debut at the event after suffering two losses in a row in boxing.
The fight started with a heavy leg kick from Ngannou, before both fighters exchanged leg kicks, looking to weaken each other’s defense. However, Ngannou soon took the fight to the ground with a takedown before finishing the fight with a brutal barrage of ground-and-pound.
Ferreira tried to cover up and rally, but he was soon knocked out cold and referee steps in to to stop the fight. The Cameroonian broke down in tears as the referee waved off the fight.
“I can’t think about anything other than my son Kobe”, an emotional Ngannou said. “I did this fight for him and I’m done so I don’t know. I hope they can remember his name because without Kobe I wouldn’t be here tonight.”
“Thank you for Saudi Arabia, thank you for Riyadh for being a great host. The people are very lovely, I think today I have a fan base in Saudi and in Riyadh I have what I can call a family…”
Ngannou’s 15-month old son, Kobe died early this year.
Speaking further, he said “it was tough, fighting tonight. Not only the training camp was tough, but the past two days were very tough and full of emotion. I couldn’t do anything without thinking about it. I’m trying to be strong but it’s hard man.. I knew I hadn’t missed a step, as soon as I walked in the MMA gym, I knew everything was there.”
“It was just about me being able to manage my emotions and deal with life separately. Thank you to my team, some of them have been away from their families for over two months to support me with my crazy dream which has no limits.”
“My next move in combat sports all depends on how I feel and how I deal with my life right now”, he said when asked about what is to come next. “I have always thought I have a lot to give to combat sports and hopefully I keep thinking that way.”
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