"Damn they made Jake look small" - Fans react as things get slightly tense between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira at their first faceoff 

Two weeks after their fight was made official by the PFL, Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira officially faced off at their promotional press conference on Aug. 22. The two fighters were respectful of each other but still got heated on several occasions, including their final face-off.

At the end of the event, Ngannou and Ferreira stood in front of each other at the center of the stage separated by PFL affiliate Jake Paul. The heavyweights exchanged lighthearted pleasantries before Ngannou reached across to make contact with Ferreira, who brushed off his arm.

Fans were intrigued by the face-off, particularly with Paul being the representative chosen to facilitate the encounter. One fan noted that the size of Ngannou and Ferreira made the 27-year-old look "small" as others wondered why he was chosen to separate the fighters.

The fan commented:

"Damn they made Jake look small"

Fan reacting to Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira facing off. [via @mmajunkie on Instagram]

Other fans commented:

"How great would it be if they both just teamed up and started pummeling Jake Paul"

"No way he's 6'8 or Francis is lying about his height"

"Jake awkwardly going into fight stance like it's for him"

View more fan reactions to Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira's face-off below:

Fans react to Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira's face-off. [via @mmajunkie on Instagram]

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Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira preview

Once Francis Ngannou steps into the smart cage on Oct. 19, he will be ending a 33-month-long hiatus from MMA during which he competed in two boxing fights with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. 'The Predator' has not fought in MMA since defending his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

Ferreira will also be ending a small layoff, last knocking out Ryan Bader in the main event of PFL vs. Bellator: Champs on Feb. 24. The win came three months after 'Problema' knocked out Denis Goltsov to win the $1 million 2023 PFL Heavyweight Tournament.

While Ngannou has not lost an MMA fight since 2018, his time away from the cage has some fans concerned. The 37-year-old has also had to deal with strenuous personal issues since his last fight with Joshua with his son dying unexpectedly in April.