A poor display of refereeing somewhat soured Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA.
After 1000 days away from the sport that made him famous, Ngannou returned to brutally KO 6ft 8in Brazilian fan favorite Renan Ferreira in the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants main event in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
The former UFC heavyweight champion burst into tears after his first-round stoppage win was confirmed before crying again as he discussed his late son Kobe, who sadly died at just 15 months old earlier this year.
While many people emotionally reacted to Ngannou‘s post-fight interview, others took to social media to voice their frustration at what seemed to be a very late stoppage from veteran referee Dan Miragliotta.
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Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira referee faces backlash after late stoppage
Ngannou warned his opponent that he’s more than a puncher during their pre-fight press conference, and he showed that he wasn’t lying when he took their fight to the floor early in round one.
Ferreira threatened with a triangle attempt, but the Cameroon KO artist ultimately shrugged it off.
Soon after, Ngannou saw a gap open up, so he fired away at Ferreira with vicious ground strikes.
PFL commentator Dan Hardy thought he saw Ferreira go unconscious and began shouting ‘He’s out’ – but the referee allowed him to take seven additional punches in the next five seconds before finally stepping in to save him.
Fight fans agreed with Hardy’s assessment of the finishing sequence and many of them took to social media to voice their anger at the MMA official.
One person fumed: “Dan Miragliotta watching him die.”
Another added: “Dan needs to retire for the safety of these fighters.”
Someone else said: “That ref needs to be investigated.”
A third person wrote: “Ref needs to be arrested. Horrible stoppage.”
Francis Ngannou dedicates his PFL debut win to Kobe
Pre-fight, Ngannou said he would be competing for his son, and after he got the win his baby boy was all he wanted to talk about.
“My son Kobe, I only took this fight because of him,” Ngannou said during an emotional post-fight interview. “I hope we can remember his name because without him we wouldn’t be here tonight.
“It’s been tough this past week. Not only the training camp was tough but the last two days were tough, full of emotion. I couldn’t do anything without thinking about it. It’s hard. This is for Kobe.
“Please remember my son, Kobe. I dedicate this to him. This is for Kobe.”
As soon as the fight started, Ngannou knew that his time away from MMA hadn’t done him any harm.
The 38-year-old isn’t sure what’s next, but he knows that he’s got a bright future in combat sports after bouncing back from back-to-back boxing defeats against former world champion Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Ngannou added: “I knew I didn’t miss a step. I wasn’t worried about it because I knew everything was still there. It was just about me being able to manage my emotions.
“I think my next move in combat sports all depends on me, how I feel, how I deal with my life right now.
“I always thought I still had a lot to give in combat sports and hopefully I keep thinking that way.”