- Renan Ferreira made controversial comment ahead of fighting Francis Ngannou
- Some fans interpreted the barb to be in reference to Ngannou’s deceased child
- The Brazilian heavyweight later insisted that his words had been misinterpreted
PFL heavyweight Renan Ferreira has come under heavy scrutiny online for comments he has made ahead of his highly-anticipated clash with Francis Ngannou.
The Brazilian fighter is scheduled to welcome Ngannou back to the cage in the main event of PFL’s Battle of the Giants pay-per-view set for October in Saudi Arabia.
The showdown marks Ngannou’s first MMA fight in nearly three years after he departed the UFC as the promotion’s reigning heavyweight champion before embarking on a career in boxing.
Speaking at a press conference to the promote the fight on Thursday, Ferreira appeared to reference his opponent’s personal life as part of pre-fight trash talk.
‘Francis has been going through a tough year in his life,’ he said, via a translator.
Renan Ferreira appeared to reference Francis Ngannou’s deceased child in pre-fight trash talk
The Brazilian is set to welcome Ngannou back to MMA in October in the main event of PFL’s Battle of the Giants event
‘But the toughest challenge in his life and his year, is going to be me. I’m gonna be the biggest problem of his year.’
Many observers noted the the comment appeared to reference the death of Ngannou’s 15-month-old son Kobe.
Ngannou’s heartbreaking announcement in April revealed the loss of his son, where he said; ‘Too soon to leave but yet he’s gone.
‘My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he’s laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he’s not responding.
‘I was my best self next to him and now I have no clude (clue) of who I am. Life is so unfair to hit us where it hurts the most.
Leading MMA journalist Ariel Helwani wrote on social media: ‘Sincerely hope Renan was referring to the AJ loss and not the tragedy Francis’ family endured recently.
The comments seemingly referencing the death of Ngannou’s son earlier this year prompted outrage on social media
‘If the latter – and I’m told he said the same line elsewhere too – man, that’s truly one of the most despicable things I’ve ever heard in the buildup to a fight. Shameful and disgusting.
Chisanga Malata added: ‘Incredibly crass thing for Renan Ferreira to say. Francis Ngannou will send this man to shadow realm.’
Ferreira later took to social media to claim that his comments has solely been directed at Ngannou’s losses inside the boxing ring and had nothing to do with his personal life.
‘I just want to make something clear. @francisngannou is a great man & i respect him. When i said that i was going to be his biggest this year i was talking about Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury, not about his family. I am a father myself.’
But the 34-year-old insisted that his comments were solely in reference to Ngannou’s boxing career
Ferreira triumphed in the 2023 PFL Heavyweight tournament is currently riding a four-fight win streak, all via knockout.
In February the 6ft 8in striker took on Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in a non-tile crossover fight and promptly stopped the UFC veteran just 22 seconds into the first round.
