PFL: Battle of the Giants results: Biggest winners, losers from last night's Ngannou vs. Ferreira

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) hosted its ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) event “Battle of the Giants” yesterday (Sat., October 19, 2024) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In the main event of the evening Francis Ngannou made his highly anticipated promotional debut by knocking out Renan Ferreira in the very first round (see it again here). In the co-headlining act Cris Cyborg defeated a permanent one Larissa Pacheco by unanimous decision to win the Super Fight Women's Featherweight Championship (Highlights).

Biggest winner: Francis Ngannou

After nearly two years out of mixed martial arts (MMA), Ngannou returned to the cage under the PFL banner after signing a groundbreaking deal with the promotion that offered him the financial support and freedom to box that UFC seemingly offers couldn't keep up. And it was indeed a “clash of giants,” as Ferreira is 6-foot-2 and weighs 261 pounds compared to “The Predator’s” 256 pounds. Despite not having fought time in MMA since 2022, Ngannou didn't miss a beat, coming out on top against “Problema” early in the opening round and securing a massive takedown that set off his ground-and-pound attack that resulted in a knockout -First round victory for the new heavyweight Super Fight champion ended. That's now seven straight wins for Ngannou in MMA, a streak that dates back six years. More importantly, a debut win will let him – and the PFL executives – breathe a sigh of relief after the promotion went all out and invested a significant amount of money in him.

Runner-up: Cris Cyborg

Cyborg faced what many consider to be a younger version of herself yesterday in Larissa Pacheco, who proved to be more than just a legitimate opponent for the fearsome striker. The two talented Brazilians fought a bitter, bloody battle for five rounds. Sometimes it was Pacheco who would ask Cyborg to go to the middle of the cage and exchange ideas – an unprecedented sight! Despite being sidelined for most of the fight, Cyborg landed several huge throws of her own, took advantage of her grappling, and overall did enough to secure a unanimous decision victory. With the win, Cyborg secures her fifth major world title across five different promotions – Strikeforce, Invicta FC, UFC, Bellator and PFL. It's a historic run that will probably never be repeated again.

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Honorable Mention: Paul Hughes

After making his successful debut under the Bellator banner earlier this year with a second-round technical knockout (TKO) win Bobby King In Dublin, Ireland (see again here), Hughes called for increased competition. And that's exactly what he got in the former Bellator featherweight titleholder: AJ McKee. As soon as he jumped, Hughes showed that he would not be intimidated and would not give in. In the final seconds of the first frame, Hughes landed a huge right hand punch that nearly ended the fight as the round came to a close. Hughes' confidence only grew from there, and he continued to push the pace en route to a surprising unanimous decision victory. He then demanded a title fight against him Usman Nurmagomedovand at this point, it's pretty hard to deny him after he improved to 13-1.

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Biggest losers: AJ McKee and Fabian Edwards

McKee seemingly had another big road win, securing the title shot against Bellator's 155-pound champion Usman Nurmagomedov. Unfortunately, he faced a hungrier competitor in Hughes, who kept at him for 15 minutes. And while “Mercenary” had some shining moments in the fight, it wasn’t enough to secure his fifth straight win at Lightweight. With the loss, McKee now has to make a decision: stay at 155 pounds or go back to 145. As for Edwards, he was given his chance to avenge his loss to the current Bellator middleweight champion. Johnny Eblenwhich fell a year ago. But the rematch was – sans a finish – pretty much a repeat of the first. In fact, Eblen used his dominant wrestling to set the pace of the fight for five rounds. Sure, Edwards had some success on his feet in the fourth and fifth rounds, but he couldn't muster enough offense to get a win. Once again a world title has eluded him, and as long as Eblen has the belt, it will be hard to get another chance.

For PFL: Battle of the Giants results, coverage and highlights click here HERE.