Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou is set to make his highly anticipated return to MMA this weekend after a two-year break from the sport. As he faces off against Renan Ferreira, fans across the globe are eager to see the former ‘The Predator’ back in action, doing what he does best.
Known as one of the most dangerous knockout artists in MMA history, Ngannou’s return promises to be a spectacle. Now, the event is being streamed across the world, so to ensure fans worldwide don’t miss a second of the action, these are compiled start times for the fight in over 20 countries, including the USA, Cameroon, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia.
Star timings for Ngannou vs Ferreira
The prelims stream on ESPN+ at 1:30 p.m. ET. The main card airs on pay-per-view (ESPN+) at 4 p.m. ET. Here is how that translates to timings in different countries across the world.
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Cameroon: 9:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Brazil: 5:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Saudi Arabia: 11:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
United Kingdom: 9:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Germany: 10:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
France: 10:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Russia: 11:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Japan: 5:00 AM, Sunday, October 20, 2024
Australia: 7:00 AM, Sunday, October 20, 2024
India: 1:30 AM, Sunday, October 20, 2024
China: 4:00 AM, Sunday, October 20, 2024
South Africa: 10:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Mexico: 2:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Canada: 4:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Argentina: 5:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Turkey: 11:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
South Korea: 5:00 AM, Sunday, October 20, 2024
Italy: 10:00 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2024
Mind you, Ngannou is fighting for a lot more than just a win this weekend. Having had a terrible year leading up to this that saw the Cameroonian lose his young son, Ngannou wants to keep fighting in his memory.
Ngannou reveals motivation behind MMA return
‘The Predator’ was close to stepping away from fighting after the heartbreaking loss of his 15-month-old son, Kobe. The former UFC heavyweight champion has admitted considering leaving the sport behind after the tragedy in April, but he ultimately found a way to find some purpose in his pain.
Ngannou makes his PFL debut this Saturday against knockout artist Renan Ferreira at “Battle of the Giants“. He wants this fight to have a deeper meaning, using it as a way to honor Kobe. “[I want] to make this fight meaningful,” Ngannou told MMA Fighting.
“Instead of using the loss as an excuse to quit, I’m using it as a purpose to continue.”
This marks Ngannou’s first MMA fight since defending his UFC heavyweight title in January 2022. With a heavy heart and new motivation, he’s determined to make his son proud, no matter what happens in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
