Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have played a more impactful role than it initially seemed in Francis Ngannou’s latest win.
The soccer legend was cageside at the PFL Super Fights event in Riyadh last weekend, as Ngannou faced off with 6’8 giant Renan Ferreira. He went to visit Ngannou backstage before the fight, which is somewhat standard for A-list celebrities who attend big boxing and MMA events.
But he stayed in the dressing room for a lengthy period, and now coach Eric Nicksick has detailed how he actually made a key move behind the scenes. Ronaldo and Ngannou have been friends for years, and his appearance marked a massive moment in the PFL’s cultural relevance.
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Cristiano Ronaldo gave Francis Ngannou emotional speech moments before win
When cameras showed Ronaldo and Francis Ngannou meeting backstage during the final moments before his PFL debut, it seemed that it was standard fare for a celebrity appearance. They were laughing and joking, all while posing for the cameras.
But coach Eric Nicksick has now revealed that there was a much deeper conversation going on when the cameras weren’t around. The entire build-up to Ngannou’s comeback was set against the backdrop of his 15-month son Kobe’s passing in April, which made him reconsider his fighting career.
And Ronaldo has experience in this regard, losing his own son during childbirth in April of 2022. Nicksick said that the pair discussed this right before the fight, leading to an emotional moment backstage.
“He was so cool and super down to earth,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie yesterday. “He was a super cool guy and actually a huge fighting fan, so he had a bunch of questions, he was talking to me about [Sean] Strickland, this and that, whatever fight it was.
He was really down to earth and then at one point Francis got up to wrap his hands, and Ronaldo was kind of talking about how he could feel Francis’ energy, and he goes, ‘I’m just going to give him words of encouragement…’
“He was talking about the loss of one of his children and kind of how he related to that and things like that. It was kind of cool. I know how big of a star he is, but sitting next to me and having this very personal conversation made him feel like he was part of the team right then and there.
“His son was in there with us and hanging out so it was a very much welcomed energy to have in the room. Especially someone of that stature who understands the highest of pressure, so it was cool and he was a great guy.”
Francis Ngannou lands massive KO in first PFL fight
On an emotional night in Riyadh, Francis Ngannou made his return to MMA action for the first time since January of 2022 when he last defended his UFC heavyweight title. It all came just months after a KO loss to Anthony Joshua in boxing and his proceeding personal struggles.
Given that he didn’t take a handy fight to ease back into the cage, there was a belief that Saturday might just be Renan Ferreira’s night. The Brazilian had won his PFL title with a knockout before cementing his spot as the top heavyweight outside of the UFC by knocking out Bellator champion Ryan Bader.
However, Ngannou brought a different energy into the cage as he entered with a new sense of purpose. The pair engaged on the feet early, but the surprise of the night was that the lineal champion opted to use his wrestling and bring the fight to the ground.
Ferreira managed to throw up a triangle at one point, but it was too early in the bout for Ngannou to be caught by something like that and he escaped. From there, the champion managed to get in top position and rain down a number of unanswered shots to stop the fight.
Some viewers felt that ref Dan Miragliotta should have jumped in much earlier as Ngannou landed punch after punch without response before Ferreira flopped to the ground. But it didn’t matter as the legendary Cameroonian marked his return to action.