All to know about the Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira MMA fight

Cameroonian fighter Francis Ngannou is set to make his long-awaited return to the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) circuit to challenge the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira of Brazil.
Here’s everything you need to know about the fight night:
The fight is scheduled for Saturday, October 19.
Ngannou and Ferreira will begin their ring walks for the main fight at about 1:30am local time on Sunday (22:30 GMT on Saturday).
The fight will be held at Mayadeen, an events venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The PFL Super Fights heavyweight championship belt.
Al Jazeera will have live text and photo coverage of the fight from 18:30 GMT.
The fight will be streamed and broadcast live on multiple regional platforms that are charging pay-per-view fees.
MMA fights vary in their number of rounds and the duration of each round, with title fights generally being the longest. In this case, the fight will be spread over five rounds of five minutes each. The total duration, if all five rounds are completed, will be 25 minutes.
The custom cage for this fight will be called the PFL SmartCage.
The 38-year-old fighter began his career in 2013 in France before switching to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) two years later and became the promotion’s heavyweight champion in March 2021. He kept the title until 2023, when he left the promotion.
Ngannou signed with the PFL in May 2023, and the promotion agreed to let him follow his boxing aspirations, which saw him take on Tyson Fury in Riyadh on October 28, 2023, and Anthony Joshua, also in Riyadh, on March 8, 2024.
The Cameroonian’s journey began at the age of 12 when he worked in a sand quarry. In his mid-20s, he embarked on a long and life-threatening journey from Cameroon to France – a trip he once described as “hell”.
Ngannou crossed the Sahara Desert and spent a year in Morocco before entering Spain through the Mediterranean Sea. Upon reaching Spain, he was detained for entering irregularly and spent two months in custody before regaining his freedom and finally making it to France.
In Paris, he was homeless until he found a fitness centre where he could sleep and start training as a fighter.
The Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter began his career in the United States in 2013 and joined the PFL in 2023.
The 34-year-old won the PFL heavyweight title in a fight against Denis Goltsov, whom he beat in a second-round total knockout.
Ferreira, nicknamed “Problemo” has also recorded a win over Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in a three-round non-title crossover fight on February 24.
The main fight will be preceded by four events, starting at about 11pm local time on Saturday (20:00 GMT).
Five undercard fights will build up to the main event in Riyadh:
No. The fighter has been pursuing both since leaving the UFC in early 2023.