Randy Couture – Syndication Server

PFL: Battle of the Giants: How to watch Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira, start time, fight card, more

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

[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
Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen
A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1:30 p.m. ET)

Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
Dedrek Sanders vs. Makkasharip Zaynukov
Nacho Campos vs. Ibragim Ibragimov
Youssef Al Housani vs. Taha Bendaoud

Preview videos

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Video: ‘Inside Look’ at Xtreme Couture with coach Eric Nicksick

Eric Nicksick gives us an all-access pass to Xtreme Couture, the Las Vegas-based gym that’s housed former UFC champions and more.

LAS VEGAS – After almost three years and two high-profile boxing matches, former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] makes his long-awaited return to mixed martial arts Saturday when he takes on reigning PFL heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira in the main event of the promotion’s “Battle of the Giants” (ESPN+, pay-per-view).

Before Ngannou steps inside the cage, we take an “Inside Look” at Xtreme Couture with Ngannou’s longtime head coach, [autotag]Eric Nicksick[/autotag], who gave us an all-access pass to the gym that UFC legend [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag] founded in 2007. The gym has served as the home base for Ngannou, former UFC champions [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] and [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag], as well as a host of more big names from the UFC, PFL and Bellator.

“There’s something about this gym and what happens inside these walls that builds character, builds men, turns people into better individuals,” Nicksick said. “That’s always what has kept me here at Xtreme and why I love this place so much.”

You can watch the full video above and on our YouTube channel.

REPLAY VIDEO: MMA Junkie Radio milestone Episode #3500 with big-name guests galore!

Celebrate MMA Junkie Radio’s 3,500th episode with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” as they welcomed in a plethora of big-name guests.

Thursday’s episode of MMA Junkie Radio is like no other!

Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” celebrated their 3,500th episode with a special live stream of the show.

A plethora of big-name guests joined the show, including UFC stars of the past and present: [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag], Chael Sonnen, [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag], [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag], [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag], [autotag]Johny Hendricks[/autotag], and [autotag]Frank Trigg[/autotag]. Also joining the show were Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick, UFC reporter Megan Olivi, commedian/actor Joey Diaz, the legendary Burt Watson, as well as members of the MMA Junkie staff. Tune in!

You can watch the live stream of episode #3500 in the video above.

PFL vs. Bellator broadcast team set: Chael Sonnen, Josh Thomson, Jonathan Coachman, more

The PFL-Bellator era is upon us, and a new broadcast team has been revealed.

The upcoming PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event marks the start of a new era, which will come with a new broadcast team.

The event takes place Feb. 24 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+, DAZN, ESPNews).

Following PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, the promotion has crafted a team of analysts and commentators previously associated with each brand.

Tuesday, a promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the broadcast lineup, which can be seen below.

30 greatest UFC fighters of all time: Did enough pioneers make our anniversary list?

A number of fighters who paved the way for the modern era were included in our ranking of the 30 greatest UFC fighters, but was it enough?

The UFC’s 30th anniversary date has come and gone, and in the build-up to the milestone date, MMA Junkie counted down its 30 greatest fighters of all time to compete for the promotion.

There was plenty of debate about the entire list from top to bottom, and one of our big talking points was the inclusion of pioneers.

The final list was tabulated through a points system after voting from MMA Junkie’s 12-person staff. Guys considered to be pioneers who made our list were [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag] (No. 11), [autotag]B.J. Penn[/autotag] (No. 12), [autotag]Royce Gracie[/autotag] (No. 14), [autotag]Chuck Liddell[/autotag] (No. 18), [autotag]Matt Hughes[/autotag] (No. 21), and [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] (No. 25).

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On a special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” the majority of our staff members came together to discuss and debate the finer points of the list. Did enough fighters who paved the way for the modern era make our list?

Check out the discussion in the video above, or watch the entire 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time podcast below.

MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time: Full list and videos

To commemorate the UFC’s 30th anniversary, this is our definitive list of the promotion’s 30 greatest fighters of all time.

To commemorate the UFC’s 30th anniversary, MMA Junkie has compiled its definitive list of the 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time. We revealed one every day until the anniversary of UFC 1, which took place Nov. 12, 1993.

Our complete rankings, along with videos for each fighter, can be viewed below.

About the list: All 12 members of our staff submitted their own individual 30 greatest UFC fighters list. Each fighter was assigned a corresponding numerical value based on where they were ranked on an individual’s list, i.e. No. 1 = 30, No. 2 = 29, etc. We took those numbers and added them up to get a total number for each fighter to determine the composite ranking of MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time.

Randy Couture suspicious of string of failed PFL fighter drug tests in April: ‘Something stunk to me’

Randy Couture seems to indicate that he believes Dana White had something to do with the PFL’s failed drug tests in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag] believes there’s something fishy about the string of failed drug tests by PFL fighters earlier this year.

Ten PFL fighters tested positive during the stretch of the promotion’s first three regular season events in Las Vegas this past April, which led the promotion to officially partner with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which will conclude its partnership with the UFC at the end of this year,

Couture said something wasn’t right about what transpired, hinting that UFC CEO Dana White had something to do with it.

“I mean, those shows, the three shows we did here in Vegas were great shows,” Couture told reporters during a recent media scrum at Xtreme Couture. “There were some great fights on those cards, very exciting. I thought the season was off and running. And obviously, to have the tests go the way they did, that certainly didn’t sit well. Something stunk to me, and that’s just my opinion.

“How many seasons have we done now and not had a single positive test? And then we come to Vegas for three shows and we have 10? Something’s not quite right there in my opinion. But who knows? And Dana (White’s) comment about that was telling in my mind, too. ‘I bet they don’t come back to Vegas.’ So who knows? But yeah, that’s unfortunate, and obviously we pivoted, we plugged in some holes. It’s been an amazing season.”

White’s bad history with Couture is well documented. Couture left the UFC in 2007 as heavyweight champion over a contract dispute. White called Couture and Tito Ortiz “two of the worst guys to ever f*cking deal with” who tried to destroy the company.

30 greatest UFC fighters of all time: Randy Couture ranked No. 11

There hasn’t been an era of the UFC without former two-division champ Randy Couture’s footprint on it, which makes him a legend forever.

The UFC is celebrating its 30th year and to commemorate the milestone, MMA Junkie has compiled its 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time. Every day until the anniversary of UFC 1 on Nov. 12 (1993), we will reveal one fighter on our list.

Today, MMA Junkie Radio host Brian “Goze” Garcia brings you No. 11: [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag].

You can watch Garcia’s career retrospective on Couture above; video produced by Abbey Subhan.

Also see:

The 5 greatest heavyweight wars in MMA history, ranked

There’s nothing quite like a great heavyweight fight, even better when it’s an all-out war such as these classics from the UFC and more.

The heavyweight division, as defined by the unified rules of MMA via the Association of Boxing Commissions, consists of fighters who are between 206 and 265 pounds.

Prior to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board conceiving a set of rules and weight classes in 2000 that became the base of operations we are now familiar with today, MMA was essentially the Wild West when it started out in the 1990s.

From open-weight matches to one-night tournaments, heavyweight fighters and classifications were a common occurrence in MMA’s early days. However, since the early 2000s, the heavyweight classification has largely stayed consistent across major promotions (despite some disarray amongst the lower weight classes).

With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the classics that this iconic division has given us throughout the years by listing my top five heavyweight wars of all time.

As usual, these lists reflect my personal tastes and biases and are not meant to serve as some ultimate authority. That said, I feel very strongly about not only my list but also my honorable mentions at the end – which are more than strong enough to serve as their own top five.

So, without further ado …

Randy Couture happy to get behind Jake Paul if he’s ‘poking Dana White in the chest’ over fighter pay

Randy Couture is not a fan of Jake Paul’s antics, but praises him for helping MMA fighters get paid.

[autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag] is not a fan of [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag]’s antics, but praises him for helping MMA fighters get paid.

Paul thinks [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] is severely underpaying his fighters, and has ripped the UFC president at every available opportunity. “The Problem Child” went as far as becoming a brand ambassador for PFL to help MMA fighters get an increase in pay and a larger share of the revenue.

UFC Hall of Famer and current PFL commentator Couture sees Paul’s moves as pivotal for the sport, and credits him for kicking things off by boxing MMA fighters, and giving them the opportunity for much larger paydays.

“Why is Jake Paul the mouth for MMA when he hasn’t fought in MMA yet?,” Couture told MMA Junkie Radio. “Because he brought in some MMA guys like Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren, and Anderson Silva to do these Trillers, and those guys made more money from that one boxing match than they’ve ever made in MMA which is ridiculous.

“And if it takes a guy like Jake Paul to shine a light on the disparaging difference in our sports, and the issue in our sport, then I’ll get behind that guy all day long. I’m not a fan of the trolling and the rhetoric, but he’s backed it up. He’s stepped in there, he’s done the work, he’s talented, he’s got a great platform, and he’s helping all of us as MMA fighters by shining a light on that and by poking Dana White in the chest the way he does.”

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Paul is expected to compete in MMA under the PFL banner. After defeating ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz by unanimous decision in a boxing match this past Saturday at American Airlines Center, Paul offered Diaz a $10 million purse for an MMA rematch – something he vows he’s very serious about.

For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.