Dan Hardy wants to see Francis Ngannou focus on MMA.
[autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] wants to see [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] focus on MMA.
Ngannou (18-3) claimed the inaugural superfight heavyweight title by knocking out Renan Ferreira (13-4) in the first round of the PFL: Battle of the Giants main event in October.
“The Predator” is still seeking mega fights in boxing, but Hardy thinks he’s better off in the cage. He sees the winner of Friday’s heavyweight tournament final between Denis Goltsov (35-8) and Oleg Popov (19-1) at the 2024 PFL Championships being his potential next opponent.
“I think it makes the most sense to me,” Hardy told MMA Junkie Radio. “You’ve got two guys here – two impressive Russian fighters that are both at different ends of their career. Goltsov has tried this path several times. He’s not been successful, but you can’t deny that he’s got the skills to beat everybody in the division – it’s just a case of him doing it successively on the way to $1 million. He’s probably got the best jab in the heavyweight division right now, and I feel like that could be a real problem for Popov in this fight.
“But, I also expect Popov to be durable physically and mentally. Fedor (Emelianenko) in his corner, he’s going to be telling him to get his head off the center line and come over the top and around the sides and keep working his wrestling game. Popov is on the longest win streak in the heavyweight division right now – 18 fights, 19 fights. If he’s able to come through this and beat Goltsov, that’s a clear contender in my opinion because of the impressive streak that he’s on as well as the fact that he will have just won the world championship for this year. It’s the one that makes the most sense.
“I think there are other options out there, but whatever Ngannou does, I would rather him do it in mixed martial arts because I think we see the best of him. He’s more free and just way more dangerous in mixed martial arts.”
Dan Hardy gives insight into the key 2024 PFL Championship stories with Dakota Ditcheva highlighting the six title fights.
This year’s PFL season will come to its conclusion on Friday with 2024 PFL Championship, which takes place at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and streams on ESPN+.
As has become tradition for the organization, $1 million checks will be issued to champions in six weight classes: Brendan Loughnane vs. Timur Khizriev (featherweight), Dakota Ditcheva vs. Taila Santos (women’s flyweight), Impa Kasanganay vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (light heavyweight), Magomed Umalatov vs. Shamil Musaev (welterweight), Brent Primus vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov (lightweight) and Denis Goltsov vs. Oleg Popov (heavyweight).
In anticipation of the card, PFL commentator [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] joined MMA Junkie Radio for an in-depth preview of the title bouts, with a spotlight on the undefeated Ditcheva (13-0), who is set to clash with former UFC title challenger Santos (22-3) in arguably the most significant fight on the lineup.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the PFL: Battle of the Giants pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia.
Former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] returns to MMA this week for the first time in nearly three years.
Here’s how to watch the PFL: Battle of the Giants pay-per-view with lineups, fight info and much more.
Broadcast and streaming info
PFL 6 Ceremonial weigh-ins at the Overtime Elite arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Wednesday, April 27, 2022. (Matt Ferris / PFL).
The PFL: Battle of the Giants event takes place Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The prelims stream on ESPN+ at 1:30 p.m. ET. The main card airs on pay-per-view (ESPN+, DAZN) at 4 p.m. ET and features three title fights at the top of the lineup.
ESPN reporter [autotag]Brett Okamoto[/autotag] and [autotag]Alsharefa Haifa[/autotag] will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the PFL: Battle of the Giants card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.
[autotag]Sean O’Connell[/autotag] will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at PFL: Battle of the Giants.
He will command play-by-play alongside color commentators, former two-division UFC champion and UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag], as well as former UFC welterweight title challenger [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag].
(Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)
Heavyweight superfight: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira
PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants Press Conference at the The Anthem in Washington D.C., Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Francis Ngannou (17-3) is back in MMA for the first time since a decision win over Ciryl Gane in January 2022 at UFC 270, which marked his final UFC title fight. His contract expired after that and he eventually vacated the belt to leave the promotion for greener pastures in the PFL. He boxed Tyson Fury a year ago in Saudi Arabia for his debut in that sport and impressed with a split decision loss, but was knocked out by Anthony Joshua when he attempted a boxing follow-up in March.
[autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] (12-3) won PFL’s 2023 $1 million heavyweight season with a second-round knockout of Denis Goltsov this past November. He’s always a threat with his hands with 11 of his 13 wins by KO, and that was his way to a quick and easy win over Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader in February. The Brazilian took out Bader in just 21 seconds.
Women’s featherweight superfight: Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco
Larissa Pacheco, Cris Cyborg
[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (27-2) and her Bellator title take on [autotag]Larissa Pacheco [/autotag] (23-4), the reigning PFL women’s featherweight winner, in a battle of Brazilians. After 15 years of being a massive favorite against nearly everyone she faced, Cyborg is a slight underdog to Pacheco, who upset Kayla Harrison to win the 2022 PFL women’s lightweight season, then won the featherweight season in 2023. Cyborg has seven straight wins since her upset loss to Amanda Nunes nearly six years ago, including a first-round knockout of Cat Zingano at Bellator 300 a year ago.
Bellator middleweight title: Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards
Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards, Bellator 299
Bellator middleweight champ Johnny Eblen (15-0) will put his title on the line against Fabian Edwards (13-3) in a rematch only 13 months after their first meeting. Eblen knocked out Edwards in thee third round of their first in Dublin at Bellator 299. Since then, Edwards beat Aaron Jeffery by decision in March in a title eliminator to get another shot. Eblen beat PFL champ Impa Kasanganay in a crossover fight in February to stay unbeaten.
Other key matchups
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 24: AJ McKee celebrates after fighting Clay Collard during the 2024 PFL vs Bellator: Champs event at Kingdom Arena on February 24, 2024 in Riyadh. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** AJ McKee
Former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee (22-1) will try to stay on track at lightweight when he takes on Paul Hughes (12-1) to open the main card. McKee is 4-0 since he moved to 155 pounds, and after three straight decisions got a 70-second armbar submission of Clay Collard in Saudi Arabia in February. Former Cage Warriors featherweight champ Hughes has six straight wins, including three straight by knockout.
Ex-Bellator bantamweight champ Raufeon Stots (20-2) returns to take on Marcos Breno (15-3) on the prelims. After he lost the 135-pound title to Patchy Mix in April 2023, Stots rebounded 11 months ago with a second win over rival Danny Sabatello. Breno’s most recent fight came against Sabatello, as well – but it was a second-round submission loss at Bellator 294, which snapped a modest three-fight winning streak.
Full fight card
MAIN CARD (DAZN pay-per-view, 4 p.m. ET)
Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira – for heavyweight superfight title
Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco – for women’s featherweight superfight title
Champ Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards – for Bellator middleweight title
Dan Hardy expects Francis Ngannou’s boxing experience to serve him well against Renan Ferreira.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] expects [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s boxing experience to serve him well against [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag].
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou (17-3) takes on Ferreira (13-3) in Saturday’s PFL: Battle of the Giants (DAZN/ESPN+) main event at The Mayadeen.
Since parting ways with the UFC, Ngannou boxed twice – a controversial decision loss to Tyson Fury, followed by a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in March. Despite Ngannou coming off the first knockout loss of his combat sports career, Hardy says the skills he acquired as a boxer will benefit him against the taller and rangier Ferreira.
“I don’t really think it affected Ngannou as a brand in any way,” Hardy told MMA Junkie. “So, I don’t necessarily think it will affect him as a fighter in any way, if that makes sense. I think that the time he’s spent in boxing, it will make him a better MMA fighter. …It allows people to manage range better. They’re able to step into range to land punches, but not crowd themselves and go into a clinch, and that’s going to be really, really valuable for him in this fight.
“Because I would say that he needs to be close to Renan Ferreira to get inside his reach. I don’t know if he wants to waste too much energy grappling with him. I think we will see some wrestling and grappling out of Ngannou. Ferreira’s huge, he’s a sizable individual. Just to take him down and control him is going to be a massive amount of energy expended. So, I think Ngannou being able to stay in the pocket and box is going to be very useful for him in this fight.”
Ngannou returns to MMA for the first time since successfully defending his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in January 2022.
Dan Hardy makes a case for Renan Ferreira being the best heavyweight in MMA if he can emphatically beat Francis Ngannou.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] makes a case for [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] being the best heavyweight in MMA if he can emphatically beat [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].
Ferreira (13-3) meets former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou (17-3) in Saturday’s PFL: Battle of the Giants (DAZN/ESPN+) main event at The Mayadeen.
PFL has been promoting Ngannou vs. Ferreira as a fight to determine “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” but with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall looking unbeatable as of late and heavyweight champion Jon Jones widely considered the greatest fighter of all time, many disagree with that narrative.
Hardy believes an argument can be made for Ferreira if he’s able to look levels above Ngannou.
“If Renan comes through his weekend looking like a world beater, I think a lot of people are going to look at him and go, ‘You know what, he’s 6-foot-8, he’s trained at ATT (American Top Team), he’s dangerous in striking, he’s got great grappling and takedown defense since he’s moved there, I can make an argument for him,'” Hardy told MMA Junkie. “Jon Jones, for me, is still not a proven heavyweight. Stipe is way past his peak. I love Stipe, but he’s way past his peak. So, I don’t think Jones benefits a great deal from beating Stipe at this point.
“The benefit from the UFC’s perspective is that the very, very casual fans still feel like Stipe is at the top of the game. … For me, the Jones-Stipe fight, it doesn’t hold a great deal of interest. Jones-Aspinall, that’s the fight I want to see, and I think that determines the best heavyweight in the UFC. I think this fight determines the best heavyweight outside of the UFC. If ever there was a day where we could see the winner of these two fights face each other, I mean that would be a real treat for the fans.”
Despite the PFL’s promotion surrounding Ngannou vs. Ferreira, Hardy has a different opinion on who’s currently the No. 1 heavyweight in MMA.
“We know that Francis is an elite-level heavyweight, and I very much feel like Renan is, even though a lot of people may not consider him to be right now,” Hardy said. “Ryan Bader is no joke, and that was what, 40 seconds?
“And I feel like the improvements I’ve seen in Renan Ferreira’s game in the last couple of fights in particular, it gives me the confidence that he’s going to be able to hold his own against much better heavyweights. Tom Aspinall, for me, is probably the best heavyweight in the world right now, outside of the conversation with these two guys.”
Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy gives insight into his matchmaking role with PFL Europe.
A lot is going on with PFL, and former UFC welterweight title challenger [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] is firmly involved in the promotion’s rapidly changing landscape.
From purchasing Bellator in November, rebranding it as Bellator Championship Series, running its regular season, and more, PFL has many moving parts today. One of those parts has been the development of PFL Europe, which Hardy himself is overseeing.
“Just the European region right now,” Hardy told MMA Junkie Radio when asked about his involvement in PFL from a promotional standpoint. “I’m (also) commenting Bellator and PFL global right now, but yeah, PFL Europe is my baby. I’m the one signing and matchmaking fighters.”
Hardy, who’s mainly known for his time in the UFC as a welterweight contender, has been enjoying this new stage of his career. He’s excited to be unearthing the young, up-and-coming European talent for the PFL.
“I like it,” Hardy said. “It’s a different kind of challenge to stay on top of all these fighters and making sure paperwork goes through and all these kinds of things. There are a lot of things in the background for MMA shows that you don’t necessarily think about until you’re on that side, but I’m enjoying it.
“I just wish I had more shows and a bigger budget, so I could sign more guys because honestly, the thing I’ve realized taking up this job in Europe, is that we just don’t have enough shows for the amount of fighters out here.”
The purpose of PFL Europe is simple. Find the best European fighters, have them fight each other, and have the top graduate to PFL’s big season tournament.
“The pathway obviously you get that European title, and then you move onto the global roster, and you try to get the $1 million and the world title,” Hardy said. “There’s a good pathway now for these European prospects, and I’m just trying to make sure the matchups are right and fair and everyone has a chance at making their dreams come true.”
Is Anthony Joshua a more winnable fight for Francis Ngannou than Tyson Fury was?
[autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] likes [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s chances against [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag].
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou (0-1) takes on former heavyweight boxing champion Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) in a 10-round boxing match March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ngannou battled Tyson Fury to a close split decision in his boxing debut this past October, when he was able to knock down the WBC champ.
Ngannou’s performance shocked the combat sports world, but Hardy said Joshua knows what he’s up against now.
“This is the benefit in AJ going second,” Hardy told TNT Sports Boxing. “There isn’t the surprise factor around Ngannou. Of course, you have to expect him to have made improvements, but the big surprise was how he was going to look the first time. AJ knows that now. The other thing, as well, AJ is not going to show up halfway through a training camp not fully prepared.
“He’s going to give Ngannou all of the respect he deserves. So, I expect a very supremely conditioned Anthony Joshua that’s quite cautious. He’s going to be working behind his lead hand, and he’s going to be keeping that rear hand super tight to his chin. I don’t think he’s going to step outside of himself too much until he really feels like he’s got a good read on Ngannou.”
Joshua went 3-0 in 2023, capping off the year with a fifth-round TKO of Otto Wallin in December. With Ngannou able to stun Fury with a knockdown, Hardy expects his power to pose even bigger problems for Joshua.
“Tyson is a much more difficult person to hit than AJ,” Hardy said. “For me, AJ pushes really well behind his jab, but he leaves himself in range. That’s where the counter punches for Ngannou, even if they are landing on the guard, I still think he’s going to be able to rock him and move him around, and then, of course, the psychological impact of, ‘My goodness, this guy hits really hard.’
“Then you clinch up with him, and he’s incredibly strong, as well. There are a couple different moments in these opening rounds where AJ could really start to panic when he realizes what he’s up against, and I don’t think he’s got the composure that Tyson had to at least hold it together for 10 rounds.”
Hardy is picking Ngannou to upset Joshua.
“I thought Tyson was going to do the last one, and I still feel like Ngannou won that fight,” Hardy said. “I feel like it’s a much more winnable fight for Ngannou, and I am going to back him in this one.”
Dan Hardy thinks it’s a shame that headlines surrounding Ian Machado Garry are about his personal life, not his skills.
[autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] thinks it’s a shame that headlines surrounding [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] are about his personal life, not his skills.
Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) meets Vicente Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 296 main card opener at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.
Undefeated Garry has shined in the octagon so far. Most recently, he had a lopsided win over veteran Neil Magny at UFC 292. But heading into the biggest fight of his career, it’s his character that’s being highlighted, not his skills.
“Honestly, I feel bad for the kid,” Hardy told Submission Radio. “He’s a good fighter, and that’s been overshadowed by all of the drama in and around his personal life. Any interaction I’ve had with him was always good. I saw him several times at Cage Warriors. I called a couple of his fights. He’s a very skilled and talented fighter. He had great coaches back in the day that really instilled a good skill set into him.
“But there was a point in his career where things started to go south, and they went south very quickly from what I can tell from people around him that I’ve spoken to. It just seems like his life was being guided by other people, which is a real shame because for a young man with so much potential, I feel like his potential is being undermined by the drama that’s being created around him.”
“I don’t think he’s a mean person, necessarily,” Hardy said. “I don’t think he’s vindictive in any way. I think some of the things he says are not very well thought out. Some of the things he does are potentially put in his mind or on his shirt by other people, you could say.
“I feel sorry for him and I feel like his potential is being stifled because of this unnecessary drama around him of other people trying to steal the limelight, or create a limelight for themselves. I feel like it’s a lot of weight going into this weekend’s fight against Vicente Luque, who as we know is a very tough and skilled individual.”
Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” featuring an interview with Dan Hardy.
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.
On Episode 3,415, the fellas welcome in former UFC title challenger and fight analyst [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag]. They also break down the 2023 PFL Championship card, giving their takes on which six fighters will walk away with $1 million. Tune in!
