Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira ranks above Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall fights in crowning MMA's top heavyweight, says PFL boss Peter Murray
23/08/2024 18:54
With the UFC’s heavyweight division in disarray towards the top table, it appears that the true heavyweight champion is being crowned elsewhere.
The PFL will pit Francis Ngannou, the lineal UFC heavyweight champion who never lost his belt before leaving the promotion, against their 2023 tournament winner Renan Ferreira on October 19. The massive clash is being branded Battle of the Giants, and takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
And boss Peter Murray is adamant that the winner of that fight, which kicks off their pay-per-view ‘Super Fight’ series, will be the true greatest heavyweight in MMA.
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While PFL pushes on with their event; over in the UFC, there is still dispute over who holds their true world title. Jon Jones was crowned the new champion when he defeated Ciryl Gane in March of last year, but hasn’t defended since due to injury.
In the meantime, Tom Aspinall has emerged as the new top dog, winning and even defending the interim belt while Jones has been on the sidelines. But it appears that a fight between the pair isn’t imminent, with the legendary two-weight champion declaring he will retire at year’s end.
Before that, he will fight 42-year-old Stipe Miocic, who is considered the greatest of all time in the division after multiple reigns including a record-breaking series of defences. However, he hasn’t fought since being viciously knocked out by Francis Ngannou in 2021.
Ultimately, none of the names mentioned were able to dethrone Ngannou when he was around prior to an acrimonious split with the UFC following his last title defence in 2022. And in many fans’ eyes he has remained the true champion even while pursuing a boxing career in the last years.
Peter Murray details why PFL title fight is for true undisputed heavyweight title
After leaving the UFC, Francis Ngannou inked a deal to sign with the PFL, where he will launch his own division in Africa as well as fighting in pay-per-view bouts. And promotional boss Peter Murray believes his claim to MMA’s heavyweight throne is still the strongest.
“This is the biggest heavyweight fight in MMA of the year,” Murray told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat. “It’s in Riyadh, it has all the makings and the co-main event with Cris Cyborg against Larissa Pacheco who is a two-time PFL champion so it’s a big night.
“[The Jones and Aspinall situation] is their business but I think it speaks volumes. Francis is the heavyweight MMA champion of the world and we’re now going to see what he has. I don’t think he’s lost a step but we’ll see.
“He’s in top condition but Renan Ferreira is there and it’s nothing but respect that you see Francis giving Renan. We’ve seen what Renan can do, he’s young, big, strong and this is the battle of the giants, but the subtext is ‘brace for impact’.”
