The fight world is awaiting the return of ‘The Predator’ Francis Ngannou’s return to the cage at PFL’s Battle of Giants but UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall is not fully sold on the Cameroonian’s opponent — Rena Ferreira. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, the Brit weighed in on Ngannou’s thoughts, revealing an unknown story about Ferreira.
He said, “It’s hard to debate right now like the guy he (Francis Ngannou) is fighting, he’s (Renan Ferreira) not elite…and the guys he’ll be fighting in the future aren’t elite. It’s simple as that. Like, the guy he is fighting fought a friend of mine, a training partner of mine — Ante Delija — last year and Ante just destroyed him within a minute or two.”
Speaking further Aspinall mentioned, “Took him down ground and pounded him and stopped him within the first minute. And now this guy is fighting Francis Ngannou so the guy isn’t elite.”
Recalling a lesser-known stint with his training partner and fellow PFL contender, Ante Delija, Aspinall stated that all it took for the Croatian to best the Ferreira was minutes.
He revealed the instance when his pal obliterated the 2023 PFL heavyweight champion with his wrestling. As per the UFC interim heavyweight champion, Ante simply took him down and laid down heavy shots, stopping him within the first few minutes.
Meanwhile, the PFL recently revealed a new super fight title belt ahead of Francis Ngannou’s official debut on October 19.
PFL ups the ante, unveils new Super Fight belt
The Professional Fighting League (PFL) is currently tied up, setting the stage for the hotly anticipated debut of former UFC sensation, Francis Ngannou. Made out of pure gold, 12.5 pounds of it to be precise, the promotion in its latest social media post revealed the new Super Fights belt.
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The promotional heads pulled off the veils, unveiling the new design, which features several Easter eggs. The new belt will commemorate the promotion’s unique decagon (10-sided cage) with each side celebrating each division in the organization. The 10-sided decagon plates are a befitting tribute to PFL’s stand-out SmartCage.
Apart from Ngannou’s debut, the October 19 event also features another prominent name, Cris Cyborg, who takes on fellow Brazilian Larissa Pacheco in the featherweight co-main event.
In fact, the 12.5-lb new belt will also be awarded to the winner of Cris Cyborg vs Larissa Pachecho besides the main event heavyweight banger between Ngannou and Ferreira.
