Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou returns to MMA this week for the first time in nearly three years.
Here’s how to watch the PFL: Battle of the Giants pay-per-view with lineups, fight info and much more.
Broadcast and streaming info
The PFL: Battle of the Giants event takes place Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The prelims stream on ESPN+ at 1:30 p.m. ET. The main card airs on pay-per-view (ESPN+, DAZN) at 4 p.m. ET and features three title fights at the top of the lineup.
ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto and Alsharefa Haifa will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the PFL: Battle of the Giants card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.
Sean O'Connell will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at PFL: Battle of the Giants.
He will command play-by-play alongside color commentators, former two-division UFC champion and UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, as well as former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy.
(Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)
Heavyweight superfight: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira
Francis Ngannou (17-3) is back in MMA for the first time since a decision win over Ciryl Gane in January 2022 at UFC 270, which marked his final UFC title fight. His contract expired after that and he eventually vacated the belt to leave the promotion for greener pastures in the PFL. He boxed Tyson Fury a year ago in Saudi Arabia for his debut in that sport and impressed with a split decision loss, but was knocked out by Anthony Joshua when he attempted a boxing follow-up in March.
Renan Ferreira (12-3) won PFL’s 2023 $1 million heavyweight season with a second-round knockout of Denis Goltsov this past November. He’s always a threat with his hands with 11 of his 13 wins by KO, and that was his way to a quick and easy win over Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader in February. The Brazilian took out Bader in just 21 seconds.
Women’s featherweight superfight: Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco
Cris Cyborg (27-2) and her Bellator title take on Larissa Pacheco (23-4), the reigning PFL women’s featherweight winner, in a battle of Brazilians. After 15 years of being a massive favorite against nearly everyone she faced, Cyborg is a slight underdog to Pacheco, who upset Kayla Harrison to win the 2022 PFL women’s lightweight season, then won the featherweight season in 2023. Cyborg has seven straight wins since her upset loss to Amanda Nunes nearly six years ago, including a first-round knockout of Cat Zingano at Bellator 300 a year ago.
Bellator middleweight title: Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards
Bellator middleweight champ Johnny Eblen (15-0) will put his title on the line against Fabian Edwards (13-3) in a rematch only 13 months after their first meeting. Eblen knocked out Edwards in thee third round of their first in Dublin at Bellator 299. Since then, Edwards beat Aaron Jeffery by decision in March in a title eliminator to get another shot. Eblen beat PFL champ Impa Kasanganay in a crossover fight in February to stay unbeaten.
Other key matchups
Former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee (22-1) will try to stay on track at lightweight when he takes on Paul Hughes (12-1) to open the main card. McKee is 4-0 since he moved to 155 pounds, and after three straight decisions got a 70-second armbar submission of Clay Collard in Saudi Arabia in February. Former Cage Warriors featherweight champ Hughes has six straight wins, including three straight by knockout.
Ex-Bellator bantamweight champ Raufeon Stots (20-2) returns to take on Marcos Breno (15-3) on the prelims. After he lost the 135-pound title to Patchy Mix in April 2023, Stots rebounded 11 months ago with a second win over rival Danny Sabatello. Breno’s most recent fight came against Sabatello, as well – but it was a second-round submission loss at Bellator 294, which snapped a modest three-fight winning streak.
Full fight card
MAIN CARD (DAZN pay-per-view, 4 p.m. ET)
- Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira – for heavyweight superfight title
- Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco – for women’s featherweight superfight title
- Champ Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards – for Bellator middleweight title
- Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen
- A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1:30 p.m. ET)
- Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
- Dedrek Sanders vs. Makkasharip Zaynukov
- Nacho Campos vs. Ibragim Ibragimov
- Youssef Al Housani vs. Taha Bendaoud
Preview videos
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.
