Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou made an emotional return to MMA for his first fight in nearly three years as he secured a dominant first round victory against Renan Ferreira at the PFL Battle of the Giants pay-per-view on Saturday night. The last time that the Cameroonian set foot in the cage, he was still the UFC champion, successfully defending his gold against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022. Since that fight, 'The Predator' has made an unlikely name for himself in heavyweight boxing, facing off with both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua inside the squared circle.
During an interview with veteran journalist Ariel Helwani following his victory over Ferreira, Ngannou was asked whether it felt strange being back in an MMA cage after so long away. The 38-year-old's answer revealed a bizarre pre-fight act to help him get used to the PFL cage on his debut for the promotion. Francis Ngannou Took Drastic Action to Help Himself Get Comfortable in the PFL Cage "Sometimes the canvas feels a little slippery and that's why I have to wet my feet in the corner before.
There are no real traction on your foot and the canvas when you step in most of the time, and I was feeling that." Moistening his feet certainly seemed to work for Ngannou as he soon secured a significant takedown on Ferreira before pounding him out in vicious fashion on the mat to take the win at 3:32 of the opening round. GIVEMESPORT's Key Statistic: Francis Ngannou has won 12 of his 21 MMA fights in th.
