Francis Ngannou advised to take Renan Ferreira 'seriously' ahead of fight

'The Predator' is scheduled to instrumentality to the cage for the archetypal clip successful implicit 2 years and faces 1 of his toughest tests yet successful the Brazilian powerhouse

British MMA fable Dan Hardy has advised Francis Ngannou to instrumentality his combat with Renan Ferreira 'seriously' up of his instrumentality to the cage.

Ngannou's comeback MMA combat is scheduled to instrumentality spot this play arsenic 'The Predator' headlines the blockbuster PFL Battle of the Giants card. It's been 2 years since the 38-year-old past enactment connected the celebrated 4-ounce gloves. On that night, helium defended the UFC heavyweight rubric against Ciryl Gane.

A batch has changed since then. Ngannou past walked distant from the promotion and signed for PFL. However, his authoritative debut for the organisation was delayed aft helium decided to measurement ft into the world of boxing. The 38-year-old archetypal went toe-to-toe with Tyson Fury past year, losing a razor-thin split-decision. He returned to the squared-circle earlier this to instrumentality connected two-time heavyweight satellite champion Anthony Joshua successful Saudi Arabia, but suffered a devastating knockout defeat.

While there'll beryllium a fewer fans who judge ringing rust volition play a origin successful Riyadh this weekend, Hardy insists the erstwhile UFC champion volition beryllium acceptable to fight and believes he's improved massively implicit the past 2 years.

Despite Hardy - who plays a large relation successful overseeing the improvement of PFL Europe - remaining assured up of the heavyweight star's return, helium has issued a flimsy informing to the Cameroonian up of his comeback MMA fight. "I surely deliberation Ngannou's got to look astatine him and instrumentality him precise seriously. Ferreira's improving precise quickly, particularly since he's moved to American apical team," helium told Mirror Fighting. 

"They truly rounded retired his game. Being a 6 ft 8 combatant with the striking skills that he's got, he's going to beryllium unsafe for each azygous idiosyncratic connected the planet. It doesn't substance who they are oregon however bully they are, I would enactment Ferreira successful determination against immoderate heavyweights connected the satellite close present and I deliberation it could beryllium a immense occupation for them. 

"The quality present with Francis Ngannou, we cognize Ngannou's got scary punching power. We cognize that if helium gets his hands connected idiosyncratic that helium tin manhandle them, but has helium been up against idiosyncratic that's arsenic large and arsenic hard to woody with arsenic Renan Ferreira?

"Not lone is helium 6'8, but helium tin bash backflips disconnected 1 foot. He's capable to screen region similar Francis Ngannou was capable to. You speech astir the Overeem combat oregon the Rozenstruik fight, the crushed wherefore Ngannou was capable to get to those guys is due to the fact that he's truthful speedy disconnected mark. But Renan Ferreira's the same, and helium tin bash it from a further retired scope due to the fact that he's got specified agelong arms and legs. And Ferreira's got kicking arsenic well, which is not truly thing we spot a large woody retired of from Ngannou. So determination are a batch of antithetic issues that Ngannou's got to look successful this one. The tallness and reach, the velocity traveling done distance, the improving crushed crippled of Ferreira, and besides the information that he's an chartless commodity."

With 11 retired of his 13 vocation wins coming by mode of knockout, Ferreira has established himself arsenic 1 of the astir feared fighters successful the sport. Despite winning the PFL heavyweight tourney against Denis Goltsov past year, the 34-year-old enactment his sanction connected the representation earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile helium sensationally knocked retired MMA fable Ryan Bader successful conscionable 21 seconds. A triumph implicit a feline similar Ngannou this play volition spot the Brazilian beryllium 1 of the astir talked astir stars connected the planet, believes Hardy.

"Like you saw what helium did to Ryan Bader, that was 40-something seconds, took retired 1 of the champion best heavyweights that Bellator has ever had. I just, I consciousness similar we've not adjacent seen the beginnings of Renan Ferreira's crippled yet," helium continued. "And look, if helium comes retired of this play successful, if he's capable to enactment Francis distant and bash it successful an awesome fashion, past he's going to beryllium the speech of the town. He's going to beryllium successful the speech for the champion lb for lb combatant for the champion heavyweights connected the planet. So there's a batch to beryllium gained for Renan Ferreira here. And I deliberation that Ngannou is going to cognize the magnitude of information that's lasting successful beforehand of him and he's going to beryllium good prepared for it.

Hardy volition beryllium cageside this play and is precise overmuch chomping astatine the spot to spot however the blockbuster clash plays out. While helium remains tight-lipped erstwhile it comes to a prediction, helium believes fans volition beryllium excited immoderate happens successful Saudi Arabia.

"What I volition accidental is that I deliberation we've got to expect a feeling retired process. I deliberation we mightiness person a mates of minutes wherever we're each sitting connected the borderline of our spot waiting for idiosyncratic to propulsion the trigger. But I deliberation arsenic soon arsenic that trigger's pulled, it's going to beryllium a barrage of striking until idiosyncratic hits the canvas. I mean, possibly it makes it retired the archetypal round. Maybe we spot Francis utilise his wrestling a spot to effort and dilatory Renan Ferreira down. But ultimately, I deliberation this combat ends with strikes. I deliberation we mightiness spot immoderate levels from some of these fighters that we've not seen yet successful their career. I'm excited for immoderate happens to beryllium honest, and I bash consciousness like, particularly successful this part astatine heavyweight, it's precise overmuch a coin toss, and with Ferreira having the tallness and scope advantage, I deliberation helium tin truly astonishment a fewer radical this play coming."

PFL Battle of the Giants: Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira volition beryllium disposable unrecorded connected DAZN PPV.