Coach Eric Nicksick unhappy with PFL's marketing for Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira fight: "I literally forgot we were fighting for a title"

Coach Eric Nicksick recently conveyed his dissatisfaction with the promotional strategy employed by the PFL for the Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira fight. 'The Predator' is scheduled to take on 2023 PFL titleholder Renan Ferreira for the promotion's heavyweight title.

The highly-anticipated will headline the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants card on Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The upcoming matchup is considered one of the most thrilling fights of the year, particularly since it marks Ngannou's return to MMA after an approximately 33-month hiatus to compete for a title. However, Nicksick contends that the PFL has not adequately marketed the bout to the extent it truly deserves.

During a recent interview with MMAFightingonSBN, the famed MMA coach expressed his astonishment at the PFL's choice to advocate the Ngannou vs. Ferreira bout as a clash of two towering figures known for their knockout power, rather than highlighting the stakes involved in the fight:

"I literally forgot we’re fighting for a title. But it’s like, oh, we get another title fight. You think of a five-rounder or whatever else; it’s like that’s how much it hasn’t been promoted. Like, we know it’s a title fight in the back of my mind, but I had to reassure myself that we’re fighting for a title here."

Nicksick added:

"I feel the same way—it’s like I want to hear that more rather than just about these two giants fighting. This is for the PFL title, you know. This is huge, man, so I don’t know; I just wish it was promoted a little bit better too."

Check out Eric Nicksick's comments below (11:38):

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Eric Nicksick praises Francis Ngannou's striking improvements

In the same interview with MMAFightingonSBN, Eric Nicksick lauded Francis Ngannou's striking development over the years. He also noted that 'The Predator' wasn’t able to fully showcase his improved skills during his boxing match against Anthony Joshua due to the early knockout:

"The evolution of [Ngannou's] striking has gotten much crisper, much more pristine over the last couple of years, and I know that we weren't able to show that in the Anthony Joshua fight, but leading up to that... he literally was the best I've ever seen him." [8:16]