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| RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — Francis Ngannou is back and is the winner of the Battle of the Giants. The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hosted the return of “The Predator,” who viciously stopped his opponent Renan Ferreira by knockout in a little over three minutes to win the newly minted PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Championship Belt and reclaim his position atop the mountain in mixed martial arts. With the win, Ngannou immediately puts the combat sports world on notice that he remains a force to be reckoned with anytime he laces up the four-ounce PFL MMA gloves. The co-main event of the evening saw the greatest women’s MMA fighter of all-time, Cris “Cyborg,” add to her already impressive resume with a unanimous decision victory over PFL two-division Champion Larissa Pacheco. By winning the PFL Super Fights Women’s Featherweight World Championship, “Cyborg” has now added her fifth different promotional belt to her trophy case. The loss snaps a ten-fight winning streak for Pacheco, while “Cyborg” has pushed her winning streak to eight bouts. The Bellator Middleweight Championship was on the line in a rematch between undefeated champion Johnny Eblen and England’s Fabian Edwards. It was the world-class grappling of American Top Team’s Eblen that was the difference. The Kansas City-native scored numerous takedowns over the course of 25 minutes, earning a unanimous 48-47 decision despite a fifth round onslaught from Edwards. Zafar Mohsen entered PFL’s SmartCage for the first time on Saturday as a major underdog for his Featherweight contest against Dagestan’s Husein Kadimagomaev, but it was the German athlete who emerged the favorite, sweeping the scorecards in a one-sided 30-27 unanimous decision victory. Mohsen has now pushed his current winning streak to four bouts. Opening the PPV card of PFL Battle of the Giants, a highly anticipated Lightweight fight between former Bellator Featherweight Champion AJ McKee and surging Irish prospect Paul Hughes ended up being exactly what fight fans were expecting – a high-level, back-and-forth fight between two athletes with title aspirations. Both fighters had their moments, but in the end, two judges’ saw Belfast’s Hughes as the winner, moving him to 2-0 in PFL and putting “Big News” one step closer to a world title shot. Professional Fighters League (PFL) in partnership with the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Mixed Martial Arts Federation (SMMAF), announced earlier today that the Championships for the 2024 PFL Global Season will take place on Friday, November 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will air live in the U.S. on ESPN+ and additionally can be seen live on DAZN throughout Canada and Europe, with additional premium sports platforms hosting the events worldwide. PFL Battle of the Giants Main Card Results: Francis Ngannou (18-3) defeated Renan Ferreira (13-4, 3 NC) via KO (punches) at 3:32 of round one Cris Cyborg (28-2, 1 NC) defeated Larissa Pacheco (23-5) via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) Johnny Eblen (16-0) defeated Fabian Edwards (13-4) via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) Zafar Mohsen (14-4) defeated Husein Kadimagomaev (11-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Paul Hughes (13-1) defeated AJ McKee (22-2) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Early Card Results: Raufeon Stots (21-2) defeated Marcos Breno (13-4) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:01 at round three Makkasharip Zaynukov (16-4) defeated Dedrek Sanders (9-5) via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26. 30-26) Ibragim Ibragimov (8-0) defeated Nacho Campos (5-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Taha Bendaoud (4-0) defeated Tariq Ismail (8-2) via submission (triangle choke) at 3:51 of round two ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league world-wide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SURJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sport business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams. PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma) |