(autotag)Francis Ngannou(/autotag) has his first appearance in the PFL, a difficult task for the 2.03 meter tall (autotag)Renan Ferreira(/autotag).
Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick is aware of the dangers the 2023 PFL heavyweight champion brings in the cage, but believes Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 0-0 PFL) will remind everyone what he can do in MMA. “The Predator” left the UFC as a champion, went on to fight two of the best heavyweights in the world and will now return to MMA on October 19 at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants.
According to Nicksick, the victory over Ferreira (13-3 MMA, 7-1 PFL) will be important for Ngannou to keep his name in the conversation as the best heavyweight in MMA.
“This is a very dangerous opponent,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie. “We’ve been watching him for a long time. Fast, long, big, strong guy. So we’ve got our hands full, but I think if Francis goes in there and shows what he can do, we’ll definitely be back in the thick of it.”
Although Ngannou has lost both of his boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, he has won six consecutive MMA matches. That streak includes stoppage victories over former UFC champions Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos and Stipe Miocic. In his last UFC fight, he defeated the then-interim champion with a torn medial collateral ligament and damaged anterior cruciate ligament.
“We’re talking about a guy who beat Ciryl Gane on one leg,” Nicksick said. “What he can do when he’s healthy is just different. It’s really just different, and we saw parts of it when he fought Tyson Fury. This guy is a competitor and he raises his level every time.”
Ngannou will be making his first fight of his PFL contract against arguably the best opponent the promotion currently has to offer, but what does Ferreira bring to the table that could threaten Ngannou?
“Speed and very good basics,” Nicksick said. “And that’s not to be rude. He wins fights with jab-cross and pull counters and super sharp, sharp basics. But when you’re talking about the heavyweight division, where you have 4-ounce gloves, and a guy of that size and stature touching you with one punch, one hand, could blow your lights out. We saw that with Ryan Bader, who is an accomplished heavyweight.”
Ferreira, 34, stopped Bader in just 21 seconds at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in February after stopping Denis Goltsov in the second round to win the 2023 championship in November. In his seven PFL victories, Ferreira has only gone the full distance once.
“I think Renan Ferreira is a guy that I think is going to get better,” Nicksick said. “So we have a lot of work ahead of us and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: “Speed and very good fundamentals”: Eric Nicksick analyzes Francis Ngannou’s first PFL opponent Renan Ferreira
