beginning. round. Finish it!
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October 19, 2024
Francis Ngannou delivers a first-round technical knockout (3 minutes, 22 seconds) of 2023 Professional Fighters League tournament winner Renan Ferreira in the main event of “Superfight: Battle of the Giants” held at Mayadeen on Saturday. , and made a strong return to the world of mixed martial arts. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou showed no rust from his over two-year hiatus from mixed martial arts. After two high-profile boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, many wondered if Ngannou would stand up and take on the 6-foot-8 giant, but the former heavyweight champion was too He was also smart. Ngannou took Ferreira down with a smooth double leg and dragged him to the fence, where he patiently waited for his attack. Ferreira attempted a triangle at the expense of a butterfly guard, but when Ngannou dodged it, Ferreira’s back was exposed. Smelling blood in the water, Ngannou pounced on Ferreira and continued firing bombs until his prey was frozen to the canvas.
It’s unclear what will happen next for Ngannou (18-3). He is perhaps the most famous heavyweight fighter on the planet, and has proven to be a box office success in mixed martial arts and boxing. Ngannou’s main focus after the game was mourning the death of his son Kobe, who was 15 months old at the time.
Cris Cyborg turned back the clock and denied the young, hungry and randy Larissa Pacheco in the co-main event. After five intense rounds, Cyborg won by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to claim the PFL Superfight Featherweight title. Cyborg was ferocious in the opening round, continuing to beat Pacheco with heavy shots, but as the fight progressed, the two-time PFL tournament champion gained momentum.
Pacheco’s best round came in the third, when he pummeled Cyborg with a hard right, leaving his face bleeding from a cut he received earlier in the contest. The lacerations and blood must have spurred Cyborg on, and he quickly regained control of the fight in the fourth round. With three rounds left, Cyborg refused to coast to the finish line and piled on the pressure as fans exploded from their seats.
Jonny Evren once again proved he is the best middleweight in Bellator by dominating Fabian Edwards.
Eblen won by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) despite a tough fight from Edwards in the closing stages. Eblen controlled the first 20 minutes with dominant wrestling, but Edwards cornered Eblen with elbows and punches and nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback late in the fight. Evren weathered the storm and held firm on his path until the final bell. With this win, Eblen improved to 16-0 and was defending his title for the third time.
Hussein Kadymagomayev had little answer for Germany’s Zafar Mohsen, despite coming in as a comfortable favorite to win. Kadymagomaev was slow and looked lethargic, unable to stop Mohsen’s wrestling. Mohsen (14-4) has lost his last three fights, but advanced to a decision win in his PFL debut (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Welcome to the big show, Paul Hughes.
The up-and-coming Irish superstar scores the biggest win of his career with a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) over former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee in an action-packed lightweight showdown. .
McKee started the match strong, tagging the former Cage Warriors champion before Hughes nearly ripped his head off with a knee. It didn’t take long for Hughes to earn McKee’s respect, and he quickly established himself as the bigger puncher. The first round was still evenly balanced, but Hughes (13-1) jumped up the scorecards with a flash shot that landed McKee on his butt at the buzzer.
McKee was much more cautious throughout the remainder of the match and appeared visibly gassed. Hughes admitted he was exhausted, but his body language exuded confidence as he stretched out to avoid McKee’s desperate takedown attempts. The fight was tense as McKie continued to put pressure on Hughes, but the Irish knockout artist always managed to break free and land flashy, devastating combinations. The third round could have gone either way and anyone could have won, but Hughes’ big strikes and great defensive wrestling made McKee (22-2) look unremarkable. After the win, Hughes called out current lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov for a title fight.
Laufeon Stotts proved he’s still one of the best bantamweights in the world and could have another crack at the Bellator bantamweight title after a gutsy victory over the dangerous Marcos Breno. The burly Brazilian (15-4) staggered Stotts with a right hand early on and looked like he was going to hand the Houston native his third first-round knockout. The 35-year-old former interim champion weathered the storm and proved himself in wrestling.
Stotts, a former NCAA DII wrestling champion, worked his way back into the match, neutralizing Breno’s power with constant shots and position changes. The pace took its toll on Breno, and with two minutes left in the match he was exhausted and left his neck open. Stotts jumped at the chance and was sunk in a rear naked choke. With the win, Stotts (21-2) will seek revenge against current Bellator bantamweight champion Patrick Mix, who knocked out Stotts with a flying knee in their first fight.
Makasharyp Zainukov made his PFL debut and dominated Dedrek Saunders in the middle, winning an easy unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26). Saunders wanted to repeat his first-round knockout win over Sergio Cossio in August, but Zainukov put his life on the line. With his legs locked, Saunders could do little as Zainukov hit him from above his guard. It was an overwhelming performance by the wrestlers from Dagenstan, who achieved five consecutive wins.
The undefeated featherweight battle culminated in a three-round wrestling masterclass by Dagestan’s Ibragim Ibragimov. The 20-year-old nullified Nacho Campos’ explosive blows (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) and remained on the mat for 15 minutes. Campos had some success using his knees in the second round, but Ibragimov’s constant pressure put Campos on the defensive and suffered the first loss of his career. The victory gave Ibragimov (8-0) his second straight win in the PFL.
Taha Bendaoud’s undefeated streak reached a breaking point midway through his fight with fellow featherweight Tariq Ismail. “Atlas Lion” spent most of the featherweight tilt on his back, suffering significant damage. His face was swollen and leaking blood, but Bendaud still had a chance to turn the fight around.
As Ismail started moving toward the finish, he did not realize he was walking into a trap. He held off his punches, but missed Ben Dowd’s desperate triangle attempt, and with 3:51 left in the second round, it was too late. Ismail felt sick to his stomach after tapping out and threw his mouthpiece against the fence in frustration. While the easy victory slipped through his fingers, Bendaud (4-0) maintained an unblemished record.
