Ngannou's MMA return date confirmed for October

Francis Ngannou will look Renan Ferreira connected his return to MMA connected 19 October.

The Cameroon heavyweight will make his promotional debut for nan Professional Fighters League (PFL) having antecedently been a champion successful nan UFC.

On nan undercard, long-time Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg will look PFL two-weight champion Larissa Pacheco.

Winners of some contests will person nan PFL's recently established "super-fights title belt".

Ngannou, 37, has spent nan past twelvemonth concentrating connected boxing, pinch fights against erstwhile world champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou mislaid some bouts, suffering a second-round knockout to Joshua successful March aft a split-decision points nonaccomplishment to Fury.

Brazil's Ferreira won nan PFL's 2023 heavyweight tourney and had been touted arsenic Ngannou's force since beating Bellator's heavyweight champion Ryan Bader successful February.

Ferreira, 34, has 13 wins, 3 losses and 3 no-contests connected his MMA record.

Eleven of his 13 wins person travel via knockout.

Ngannou has 17 victories successful 20 MMA fights and his past triumph was a points determination complete Frenchman Ciryl Gane successful nan UFC successful January 2022.

He near nan UFC ranks astatine nan extremity of his statement successful 2023, citing a desire to move to boxing.

Ngannou signed pinch nan PFL past twelvemonth and was named arsenic nan chairman of nan PFL's upcoming African league, which launches successful 2025.

The PFL uses a convention format successful nan United States, pinch female British flyweight Dakota Ditcheva reaching nan final of nan 2024 flyweight tournament.

Ngannou's conflict against Ferreira will beryllium a one-off, pinch nan Brazilian deciding against entering nan 2024 heavyweight tourney arsenic he waited for a bout pinch Ngannou.

Ngannou has go 1 of nan astir recognisable faces successful boxing successful nan past year, but MMA - mixed martial arts - is wherever he really thrives.

What made him specified an breathtaking imaginable successful boxing was his feared knockout power, which Fury tasted first manus successful their encounter.

His gathering pinch Ferreira is expected to beryllium a firefight, pinch nan Brazilian besides boasting an awesome knockout rate.

Ngannou burst connected to nan MMA segment successful 2015 pinch a one-punch knockout successful his UFC debut. He only picked up nan athletics 2 years previously.

He claimed nan coveted heavyweight loop successful 2021 pinch different one-punch knockout of Stipe Miocic.

His return to MMA will beryllium a invited boost to nan PFL arsenic its continues to effort to rival nan UFC.

Ngannou is by immoderate region nan PFL's biggest prima but nan convention has been made to wait, albeit patiently, for his boxing escapade to end.

It is unclear if Ngannou will proceed to box, but astatine 37, it seems his fighting career, whether successful nan ringing aliases successful nan cage, is successful its last chapter.