This past Saturday, viewers of the PFL’s latest pay-per-view, Battle of the Giants, were once again reminded of the incredible strength and resilience of mixed martial arts legend Francis Ngannou. In his highly anticipated return to the cage—and his PFL debut—Ngannou stopped Ferreira in the first round with a series of brutal punches to the head.
As concerns about fighter health continue to grow in combat sports, it’s common to hear about injuries fighters sustain leading up to their bouts—many of which aren’t fully healed by fight night. While critics often view these reports skeptically, whether fighters win or lose, some injuries are universally recognized as more serious than others. Eric Nicksick, head coach of the victorious heavyweight, revealed in a recent interview with MMAJunkie.com that Francis had suffered a rib injury prior to the historic fight.
Francis Ngannou Fought Injured at PFL Battle of The Giants
“It was bad enough to where you’ve got to think: He blew out his knee and wasn’t going to pull out of the Ciryl Gane fight, (but almost pulled out of this one),” Nicksick said during the Sunday interview. “There’s a difference, different stakes, but also it was a different type of pain for him, and obviously we had a grappling-heavy game plan,” he added. “[Francis] was worried if he was on his back, how he would be able to move and try to grapple with an injured rib. Once he went to the doctors and they cleared him with an MRI and everything else, I think he realized, ‘I’m going to be OK. I’m going to get through this still.’”
One might wonder—why would Ngannou take such a risk? Surely, an athlete of his caliber would want to make his monumental return under perfect circumstances, right? But if you’ve followed the lineal heavyweight champion leading up to this battle, it’s clear he was fighting for more than just a title. This fight had a deeper purpose. Francis had made it known that he was fighting in memory of his late 15-month-old son, Kobe—a loss that shook him and his family.
In a moment that can only be described as poetic, Francis’ left arm—tattooed just days before with a memorial for Kobe—delivered the fight-ending strikes. The tattoo had been revealed at the weigh-ins on Friday in Saudi Arabia. Emotions filled the Mayadeen arena as the fight concluded, and continued as Ngannou, now the PFL Heavyweight Super Fights Champion, dedicated the victory to his son. It became clear why an injury could not keep Francis from seeing this Battle of the Giants fight through.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
