Francis Ngannou steamrolled Brazilian man-mountain Ronan Ferreira in a first-round demolition to retain his lineal heavyweight title on Saturday night.
The 38-year-old was making his first return to the octagon in nearly three years, after a brief spell that saw him cause a seismic impact in the world of boxing.
And yet, Francis Ngannou instantly proved that there were no cobwebs to dust off, as he ultimately produced an emphatic and dynamic performance in Saudi Arabia.
Having now made his PFL debut, too, ‘The Predator’ will undoubtedly be looking to get his MMA career back on track before a potential return to boxing.
Francis Ngannou makes his MMA return in style
Prior to his statement finish against a highly-touted but largely unproven Ferreira, Ngannou was forced to take back-to-back defeats in professional boxing.
The Cameroonian shocked the world when he floored Tyson Fury in the third round of their showdown last year, but then lost a highly contentious split decision.
And indeed, against two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, Ngannou was again compelled to remain out of the win column, suffering a brutal second-round stoppage loss.
Still, it would seem that the lack of victories in recent outings had no bearing on his MMA comeback, with the knockout artist taking his 6ft 8 inch opponent down to the canvas early doors.
As Ngannou then proceeded to unleash a hellacious ground-and-pound attack on Ferreira, veteran referee Dan Miragliotta, eventually, drew a halt to the one-sided contest.
While fans have been quick to slam Miragliotta for his display, it would appear that Ngannou’s performance has nonetheless been put on a pedestal by the world of combat sports.
Jake Paul hails Francis Ngannou’s PFL debut
YouTube star Jake Paul, whose multi-fight contract gives him an equity stake in the PFL, was delighted to see Ngannou get back to winning ways under the same promotional banner.
Both Paul and Ariel Helwani – in awe of the former UFC heavyweight champion – summed up their live reactions by saying, “he’s back!”
Ngannou, of course, left MMA’s flagship promotion due to a contractual dispute that seemingly boiled over following his victory against Ciryl Gane.
But now, the combat sports star looks to secure the biggest fights in his division, hoping that he can tempt UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones into a mouthwatering dustup.