Sean O’Malley Highlights Importance of Name Value, Cites Ngannou vs. Ferreira Example

‘The Predator’ is finally back. Yes, you heard it right! Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has finally booked a long-sought return to the cage and is slated to take on the 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira at a PFL pay-per-view event on October 19. While the community is awaiting the Cameroonian’s return to the big stage, UFC bantamweight king, Sean O’Malley recently revealed his thoughts on the hotly anticipated comeback.

Speaking to his co-host, Tim Welch on his popular YouTube channel, ‘Suga’ underlined the importance of name values, saying

“I’m curious how it’s, like boxing I feel like his return to boxing, its hard to top that you know what I mean. Like him fighting Tyson (Fury), like him fighting Anthony Joshua, like now he is fighting who? He’s fighting like a giant guy but it’s like f**k, the name value is so important. I wonder how many views this is going to get compared to those boxing matches, half?”

Well, according to O’Malley, Ngannou’s PFL return might not be as big as his boxing bouts against champion athletes like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Although his opponent, Brazil’s Ferreira is a formidable opponent, boasting a record of 13-3, standing 6’8, and weighing almost 265 lbs, ‘Suga’ doesn’t feel like Ngannou‘s return bout would be as entertaining as his boxing bouts simply because of his lesser-known opponent.

While Fury and Joshua are huge in the boxing world with both men claiming belts, Ferreira is fairly unknown to fight fans and in fact, it is Ngannou who has brought the fighter to the light, amping up his popularity owing to their upcoming October bout. Meanwhile, Francis who has been on the bench for the last three years in MMA, is eyeing to make a statement, one that will honor his late son, Kobe.

Ngannou to fight for late son Kobe at PFL debut

In recent times, the former UFC heavyweight champion has been in the headlines for his boxing bouts. Following a stellar run in the UFC, he made quite the noise when he expressed his desire to leave the promotion and kick-start his dream boxing career. In fact, the Cameroonian had a magic start, as he even managed to knock down Tyson Fury in his debut bout.

However, his second stint wasn’t the same. Unfortunately, Ngannou suffered a KO loss to Britain’s Anthony Joshua and before he knew it, life had him on his knees, taking away his son, Kobe. Earlier in April, Ngannou broke the heartbreaking news of his one-year-old’s passing with a brief social media post.

Now roughly three months after the tragic passing, Ngannou is gearing up to return to the octagon for his late son. Speaking to SkySports in an exclusive, Ngannou said,

“This is not a great moment for me. I need some activities. I need to stay active to be in a zone that I belong to. I also need to keep it going, to fight for my boy, for Kobe…I want to do something good in his memory. Not to be the reason for me to quit but to be motivation and also to fight for him.” 

What do you think, can the UFC heavyweight champ get back on his winning ways despite the three-year-long hiatus? Or will his devastating KO power see him produce a fitting homage to his late child? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.