"After losing a kid?" - Fans react to Francis Ngannou's return to MMA against Renan Ferreira in PFL

Francis Ngannou will finally make his long-awaited MMA return against reigning PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira. The PFL made the announcement on X/Twitter, revealing the fight date as Oct. 19 and the streaming service as ESPN+. Furthermore, there is more on the line than just the PFL heavyweight title.

The fight will take place in the promotion's super fight division, and a super fight belt will also be up for grabs. Naturally, fans reacted with astonishment at the announcement, as 'The Predator' has been predominantly focused on boxing lately.

Check out the PFL's Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira promo:

One fan openly wondered how well the Cameroonian knockout artist will do in a fight booked so soon after his young son's death.

"After losing a kid? Blood sacrifice or what?"

Others, though, were more excited for 'The Predator's' MMA return.

"This is gonnna be insane. Stoked to see Francis back in MMA"

Some expressed such confidence in Ngannou's abilities against Ferreira that they predicted a knockout in the former UFC heavyweight champion's favor.

"Ngannou by knock out"

Not every fan was happy, with one comment bemoaning the existence of a super fight belt.

"God damn man. Just promote things that are real. Superfight belt! Just sounds dumb and diminishes your product. Lean into Francis being the LINEAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP. If you wanted to make a new belt it should be THE LINEAL HEAVYWEIGHT BELT."

Check out a collage of fan reactions below:

A collage of fan reactions to Francis Ngannou's MMA return

Ngannou hasn't fought in MMA since Jan. 22, 2022, when he headlined UFC 270 in a successful heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane, outwrestling the Frenchman en route to a unanimous decision. Now, after two years away from the cage, he returns on Oct. 19 under the PFL banner.

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Francis Ngannou was cage-side for Renan Ferreira's previous fight

The PFL vs. Bellator: Champs event earlier this year pitted PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira against Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader. Francis Ngannou sat cage-side for the bout as he witnessed the Brazilian's monstrous 21-second TKO of the American.

Check out Ferreira's callout of Ngannou:

The reason for his presence wasn't merely to keep up appearances but because 'The Predator' was expected to face the winner of the bout, which the PFL's recent announcement has since made official.