RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] had a sport’s icon in his locker room ahead of his MMA return.
Ngannou (18-3) claimed the inaugural superfight heavyweight title by knocking out Renan Ferreira (13-4) in the first round of Saturday’s PFL: Battle of the Giants main event.
Prior to making the walk, Ngannou had [autotag]Cristiano Ronaldo[/autotag] in his locker room. Eric Nicksick says the soccer icon provided Ngannou some comfort and support after going through a similar traumatic experience.
“He’s super down to earth, super cool guy, and he’s actually a huge fight fan,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie. “He had a bunch of questions. He was talking to me about Strickland, he was talking to me about this and whatever fight it was. At one point Francis got up to wrap his hands and Ronaldo was talking about that he could feel Francis’ energy and he’s like, ‘I’m going to give him words of encouragement.’
“He was talking about the loss of one of his children and how he related to things like that. It was pretty cool. I know how big of a star he is, but him sitting next to me and having this very personal conversation – he felt like he was a part of the team right then and there. His son was in there with us and hanging out. It was very much a welcomed energy to have in the room, especially with someone of that stature that understands the highest of pressure. It was cool. He was a great guy. Very down to earth. Very cool.”
Ronaldo, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time and most well-known celebrities in the world, has been a longtime MMA fan, previously hanging out with the likes of UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.