Renan Ferreira Posts Statement Following KO Loss to Francis Ngannou
By FCF Staff
After being knocked out by a vicious ground-and-pound assault from Francis Ngannou on Saturday, Renan Ferreira has commented on the loss and assured his supporters he will be back.
Ferreira faced the former UFC heavyweight champ for the PFL’s new, Superfight belt, in a fight that headlined the promotion’s “Battle of the Giants” card. After Ngannou took Ferreira down not long into the fight, he KO’d the 2023 tournament winner with a brutal series of punches.
Since then, the Brazilian heavyweight reported the following in a statement he released (quotes via MMA Junkie.com).
“Hey guys, Renan ‘Problema’ here, a bit broken,” Ferreira said in Portuguese via his Instagram. “Yesterday wasn’t a good day at work, guys, but I’m very happy with all our dedication and everything that developed through our work. I’ve always had the mindset of never losing, for myself, to fight any lack of dedication and commitment, and thank God I have a clean conscience. I worked very hard there, showed up well to the fight, and was happy to return.
“Unfortunately, my opponent was superior. He managed to impose a game where that I couldn’t defend the takedowns, which led to very hard ground-and-pound to get through. And that’s it, life goes on, we’ll be back. I want to thank everyone for all the love and support, we’re always together. Hugs.”
Heading into the contest, the 34-year-old Ferreira (13-4) had won four-straight fights. The bout marked the first time Ngannou (18-3) had competed in MMA, since he defeated Ciyrl Gane by decision at UFC 270 in January, 2022.