Francis Ngannou will have plenty to prove on his return to MMA when he faces "the real deal" in Renan Ferreira at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants live on DAZN.
That's the thoughts of pundits Brett Okomoto and Dan Hardy, who believe the French-Cameroonian superstar arrives at a disadvantage against his in-form opponent.
Ngannou will end what is almost a three-year exodus from the sport when he headlines a stacked fight card alongside the Brazilian at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena this Saturday.
| 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 |
In the interim, he has spent his life in the boxing ring, with blockbuster heavyweight bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua over the past year as part of Riyadh Season.
Ngannou also suffered family tragedy earlier this year with the sudden death of his son Kobe, aged just fifteen months, from an unspecified cause.
All of these factors, coupled with Ferreira's ferocious form and frame, have left several wondering if he has what it takes to pull off victory at all, let alone return in his best form.
"Renan Ferreira is the real deal," Okomoto said in a DAZN documentary. He's getting Francis at arguably a good time to defeat him.
"Francis is getting him at a bad time because he's got all the momentum in the world. He's not young, he's gone through injuries.
"He's coming off a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua. The chips are very much stacked against Francis."
Hardy, who fought for the UFC Welterweight Championship in 2010, concurs that Ngannou faces an uphill battle, both against his opponent's bulk and the narrative around him.
"To face off against Ferreira, you've got to try and understand how big he is," he added. "He's ginormous. He towers over everybody.
"I think there's a lot of pressure on Ngannou going into this fight. There's a lot of people that are questioning whether Ngannou is in fact the heavyweight champion."
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