Nobody would have blamed Francis Ngannou for sitting out the remainder of 2024 after the events that shook his life over the past seven months.
Fifty days after suffering a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua, the former UFC heavyweight champion tragically lost his 15-month-old son, Kobe. Yet true to his word, six months later, he presented himself in Saudi Arabia to take center stage on Saturday for the biggest event in PFL history.
Straight after stepping off the plane from New York, head of talent operations Dan Hardy came face-to-face with the goliath, and couldn’t help but appreciate the evident exertions Ngannou put himself through to get ready for his main event meeting with Brazilian giant, Renan Ferreira.
“Physically, he looks very good, very strong and very svelte, that’s something that stood out to me,” said Hardy on Uncrowned’s “The Craic with Petesy Carroll” ahead of PFL: Battle of the Giants.
“I remember seeing him, especially for the press conferences for the last couple of boxing matches he’s had, I remember thinking to myself that he looked really big and heavy. This time around it looks like he’s leaned out a little more. He looks like he’s going to be faster. I think he’s fully expecting a really hard test and I think he knows he might need 25 minutes.”
No stranger to fighting fame, Hardy had a front row seat for the mania that surrounded Cedric Doumbé for his three in PFL bouts in Paris, but after seeing the banners lining the streets of Riyadh throughout fight week, he’s been struck by the weight Ngannou’s name has added to Saturday’s PFL marquee.
“I stood in a lift once with Brock Lesnar — well, I squeezed into the corner of the lift with him it. He’s got a heavy presence about him. Francis is the same,” Hardy explained. “There’s something quite regal about him. I don’t know know if that’s from the marketing of the Tyson [Fury] fight when he was sat on the throne with the crown on him, but he seems to carry this royal energy so well. And, as you can imagine, as soon as he walks into a room, he draws everyone’s attention.
“He’s got a tough test ahead of him this weekend, but if he comes through it, everyone is going to be back on the Francis train. We just can’t look past Renan though, because we could see the birth of a new heavyweight superstar this weekend as well.”
Riding a streak of four brutal knockouts, there is no denying how substantial the threat of Ferreira is.
However, it is Ngannou’s perseverance during a time of unmeasured tragedy that struck a chord with the U.K. MMA legend.
“I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s been through,” Hardy said.
“Getting knocked out is one thing. I’ve been knocked out on live TV, it wasn’t quite as big an event as Francis’, but a lot of people saw it and it’s just one of those things that you’ve got to put to the back of the your head and say, ‘Well, it’s a part of combat sports.’ If you land enough knockout punches, eventually someone is going to catch you with one, you can put that to bed.
“The personal stuff, though, losing his son, I don’t know if you can compartmentalize that and manage it as well as managing the pressure from the fight. That’s something that would require a much stronger person than me, and I think Francis is that guy. But ultimately, I think the focus of having a competition, having a fight [will help], and the fact that it’s mixed martial arts, something he’s familiar with.”
Hardy hopes Ngannou found solace in his preparation for the bout. “There’s no way you could distract yourself,” he said, “but not sitting around all day falling into the abyss — that’s how I imagine it would feel for him — to be able to get up and go to the gym and feel like you’ve got a purpose no matter what that is, I think that’s healthy for him.
“At the PFL press conference we did in DC a few weeks back, he said he didn’t feel like he got a chance to fight for his son, so this might be the opportunity. I get emotional thinking about it. I just think the focus of having competition is going to be really beneficial for him. And a focused Francis Ngannou, he’s terrifying enough as it is, but to be single minded in his need to defeat this individual in front of him, I would not like to be Renan Ferreira this weekend.”
Both Ngannou and Hardy’s countryman Tom Aspinall underlined their claims to being the best heavyweight in the world on “The Ariel Helwani Show” this week.
Given his close proximity to both, Hardy gave his take on the debate.
“We’re gonna find the best heavyweight in PFL this weekend, and on November 16 we’re gonna find out who’s the best heavyweight in the UFC. I’m hoping — and I love Stipe [Miocic] — but I’m hoping it will be Jones vs. Aspinall,” Hardy said. “I don’t think I’m going to find out who the best heavyweight in the UFC is if Jones fights Stipe Miocic. I don’t know if it’s one of those two guys, but Tom Aspinall is certainly in that conversation.
“Now, whether Tom’s good enough right now and got the experience to beat Francis, that’s a different question entirely. Same goes for Renan Ferreira, and I would put either of those guys in that main event in Madison Square Garden. I feel Francis and Renan have a great chance against any of those three heavyweights at Madison Square Garden.”
While many scoff at the notion of a cross promotional clash, Hardy is not ready to give up on the idea of PFL and UFC aligning to truly find the world’s best MMA heavyweight.
“Ultimately, what I want to see is Tom Aspinall with the legitimate heavyweight belt around his waist and the UFC to be open for a superfight between that heavyweight champ and our heavyweight champ, whoever that may be,” Hardy said. “I know that’s a long shot, but Turki Alalshikh’s making some moves in the boxing world so he might be able to do it in mixed martial arts too.”
