When Francis Ngannou steps back into a mixed martial arts cage for his Professional Fighters League debut, the heavyweight superstar will have more than pride on the line.
The best part of three years has passed since the French-Cameroonian superstar contested his last UFC bout, with a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane in January 2022.
Since then, he has fought two of the modern heavyweight greats in boxing, losing a split-decision contest to Tyson Fury and suffering a second-round loss to Anthony Joshua.
That paved the way for him to finally make good on the deal he signed with the PFL in 2023 - and yet, it would have been completely understandable if the wait had gone on too.
In April, Ngannou suffered the kind of family tragedy few can fathom when his young son Kobe passed away, aged just one-and-a-quarter, from an undisclosed cause.
The grief was almost viscerally tangible, with the star sharing a heartfelt tribute on social media shortly afterwards that captured a man torn apart by agony and devastation.
| Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira | Heavyweight world title |
| Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco | Women's featherweight world title |
| Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards | Bellator middleweight world title |
| Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen | Featherweight |
| AJ McKee vs. Paul Hughes | Lightweight |
| Raufeon Stots vs. Marcos Breno | Bantamweight |
| Makkasharip Zaynukov vs. Dedrek Sanders | Lightweight |
| Ibragim Ibragimov vs. Nacho Campos | Featherweight |
| Mostafa Rashed Nada vs. Ahmed Sami | Middleweight |
| Tariq Ismail vs. Taha Bendaoud | Featherweight |
Ahead of a return to MMA this month at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants against Renan Ferreira, Ngannou opened up on his son's life the impact, and the impact of his loss.
"He was just fifteen months old, barely walking," he said in a DAZN documentary. "He was excited to run, going all over, climbing on everything he can.
"I was already looking for his soccer outfit, waiting for him to get stronger so we had that to play.
"The moment that in your life you think you have it figured out is the exact moment you realise you have nothing figured out. You can’t control s***."
In the wake of Kobe's passing, Ngannou admits that he considered bowing out of combat sports entirely - a passion that has driven him across continents and decades.
PFL
But this month's clash with Ferreira will instead present him with the chance to honour his memory, and give him something else to strive for as he returns to his strongest sport.
"It’s easy to fight others," he added. "The hardest fight is the fight we have with ourselves. I thought about leaving, retiring. But it didn’t feel positive, for me.
"It didn’t feel like the best way to honour my son. From what I know of him, I think he would have wanted to see me do better, in his name. in his memory."
Watch Ngannou vs. Ferreira on DAZN
Watch Francis Ngannou's return to the cage as he faces Renan Ferreira in the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants this Saturday on DAZN Pay-Per-View.
The card also features Cris Cyborg against Larissa Pacheco for the women's featherweight world title.
The PPV is priced at £19.99 for UK viewers to watch on any device, including Smart TV's, game consoles, phones, tablets and PC's.
To purchase and find the prices in your region click here.
Purchasing the PPV includes a seven-day free trial of all of DAZN's programming across a range of sports.
More PFL
- Ngannou ready for PFL debut after years away from MMA
- Bellator middleweight world title rematch added to 'Battle of the Giants'
- PFL alternative viewing experience for Battle of the Giants with DAZN
- Jake Paul talks Jon Jones fighting the winner of Ngannou vs. Ferreira
- PFL announces launch of PFL Africa