After defending the PFL heavyweight belt with a devastating knockout in PFL vs. Bellator, the focus of Brazilian Renan Problema is clear: facing Francis Ngannou. However, this may take time.
The confrontation against American Ryan Bader, former Bellator heavyweight champion, was stipulated under the premise of giving the winner the opportunity to face Ngannou in his first fight in the organization upon his return to MMA. However, the problem is precisely this: when the Cameroonian, who is focusing on his boxing career and will face Anthony Joshua next Friday (08), he will return to the cage to resume his career in the sport.
During an interview with “MMAJunkie Radio”, Renan spoke about the confrontation with Ngannou and stated that he is willing to wait until the end of 2024 to face Francis Ngannou in the PFL cage. The Brazilian, who will receive a guaranteed scholarship of 2 million dollars for the clash, wants to use the time to recover physically from the injuries suffered in recent years, as he has been competing in the organization’s tournament consecutively since 2021.
– I’m happy to wait. I’m okay with waiting until mid-year, until the end of 2024. It works well for me. I will use this time to recover. I have been participating in PFL tournaments for three years in a row, so I know that my body will benefit from this rest and my evolution. I’m going to use this time to sharpen some weapons, learn new moves, some new things to use when I face Francis,” he said.
Renan Ferreira knocks out Ryan Bader in 20 seconds in the #PFLvsBellator main event! 😳
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) February 24, 2024
pic.twitter.com/rjyG3TpfPR
If Ngannou beats, Renan Problema makes bold prediction
Champion of the 2023 PFL season tournament in the heavyweight category, Renan built his name within the organization and became a respected athlete worldwide. At 34 years old, the ‘Problem’ is very clear about his mentality if he beats Francis Ngannou: he will be the best fighter in the world.
– I don’t think I even need to say anything. Fighting him and getting the victory puts me in a position to say that I am the best heavyweight in the world in the current sport – he said.
