Francis Ngannou discusses training for MMA return against Renan Ferreira, says his body is doing well following past injuries

Francis Ngannou recently discussed his training for his MMA return against Renan Ferreira and said that he has had no issues in his camp. He noted that his body is doing well following past injuries that required surgery after he fought out his UFC contract.

'The Predator' will be competing in his first MMA bout since 2022, when he earned a unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane to retain his heavyweight championship at UFC 270. Since then, he has competed in two boxing bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He is also scheduled to make his long awaited return and PFL debut against former heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira at their Battle of the Giants event on Oct.19.

While speaking to MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, 'The Predator' opened up about his first MMA training camp in two years and noted that he feels great ahead of his PFL debut against Ferreira. Ngannou mentioned that it took a year for him to train as he did prior to his injuries and that his movements or even kicking isn't restricted:

"My body is holding up well...Obviously I had a knee surgery that was over two years, two years and a half [ago] now and it took me quite a long time, over a year, to really get back, but now I'm very strong. By the time that I get back into fight, I get very strong, so yes I can kick even though kicking is not like, my cup of tea but I do kick." [2:01 - 2:30]

Check out the full interview with Francis Ngannou below:

---

Francis Ngannou discloses how much longer he wants to compete

In addition to discussing his MMA training camp in two years, Francis Ngannou disclosed how much longer he wants to compete in MMA.

During the aforementioned interview, Ngannou noted that competitors in heavier weight divisions have had more longevity in their careers but he doesn't want to compete when he isn't at his best:

"I just turned 38 so I would say my retire age, I'm targeting around 41 as average...42. It could be 40 but this is like, just in the exceptional case...I'd just like to say I want to leave the sport before the sport leaves me. You know, I would like to leave at [the] top of my game." [8:18 - 9:31]

Check out the official promo for Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira below: