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Francis Ngannou is set to make his much-anticipated return to MMA this weekend in a championship clash against Renan Ferreira. The PFL is banking on the former UFC heavyweight champion as their biggest free-agent acquisition. However, ex-UFC fighter Matt Brown is skeptical about Ngannou’s drawing power.
On The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, Brown argued that Ngannou lacks the mainstream crossover appeal of stars like Conor McGregor. According to Brown, with Ngannou facing Ferreira, a relatively unknown fighter, the card’s appeal will be further weakened.
'The Immortal' said:
“He’s not that big of a star... Like Conor crossed the bridge, he hit the mainstream. Ronda [Rousey] crossed the bridge. Randy Couture even crossed the bridge somewhat. Chuck Liddell somewhat. I love Francis Ngannou, all due respect, he ain’t crossed the bridge. I can’t go down to the bar right now, and talk to someone about Francis Ngannou, and they know who he is.”
He added:
“How many people actually care? We all watched Francis fight Tyson Fury. A lot of us watched him fight him fight Anthony Joshua. How many people are realistically going to buy a pay-per-view to watch him fight Renan Ferreira?”[H/t: MMA Fighting]
Check out Matt Brown's comments on Ngannou vs Ferreira below:
Francis Ngannou shares potential location for Jon Jones fight if it ever materializes
UFC fans have long anticipated a showdown between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones. Recently Ngannou hinted at a potential venue for the highly anticipated fight, suggesting Saudi Arabia as the likely location.
While Jones is set to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, Ngannou faces Renan Ferreira next. However, the prospect of the two heavyweight titans meeting in the future remains an exciting possibility for MMA enthusiasts.
In a recent interview with DAZN, Ngannou said:
“Yes, I think there is more of a chance of it happening in Saudi Arabia. There's basically more of a chance if it happens here."
