By The Numbers: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira

Professional Fighters League movers and shakers made a massive investment in ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Francis Ngannou, and they figure to soon find out whether or not it was worth their while.

“The Predator” will do battle with Renan Ferreira for the company’s newly minted superfight heavyweight championship when they square off in the PFL Super Fights “Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact” headliner on Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. After his lucrative but unsuccessful crossover into the boxing world, Ngannou returns to the mixed martial arts scene on a six-fight winning streak. He last suited up at UFC 270, where he took a five-round unanimous decision from Ciryl Gane on Jan. 22, 2022. Ferreira, meanwhile, has stopped four opponents in a row, three of them inside one round. The reigning Professional Fighters League heavyweight champion last competed on Feb. 24, when he needed just 21 seconds to dispose of Ryan Bader with punches at PFL Super Fights “PFL vs. Bellator Champs.”

As Ngannou and Ferreira make final preparations for their blockbuster showdown in the Middle East, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

38: Years of age for Ngannou, who was born on Sept. 5, 1986 in Batie, Cameroon.

4: Ngannou wins by submission, accounting for 23% of his career total (17). His methods of choice: one armbar, one arm-triangle choke, one guillotine choke and one kimura. Ngannou holds 12 other wins by knockout or technical knockout (71%) and one more by decision (6%).

36: Rounds started by Ngannou as a professional mixed martial artist. He has involved the judges on four different occasions and carries a 1-3 record in those bouts.

6: Countries in which Ngannou has plied his MMA trade. He has gone 10-2 in the United States, 3-1 in France, 1-0 in Switzerland, 1-0 in Bahrain, 1-0 in Croatia and 1-0 in China.

61: Combined victories between the three men—Derrick Lewis, Stipe Miocic and Zoumana Cisse—who have beaten Ngannou. They boast a cumulative .763 winning percentage at 61-19.

34: Years of age for Ferreira, who was born in Porangatu, Brazil, on Nov. 23, 1989.

11: Ferreira victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 84% of his career total (13). His list of PFL victims: Bader, Denis Goltsov, Maurice Greene, Matheus Scheffel, Jamelle Jones and Stuart Austin. Ferreira owns one other victory by submission (8%)—he turned away Jared Vanderaa with a second-round triangle choke under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner in 2019—and another by decision (8%).

798: Days since Ferreira last experienced a setback. He succumbed to first-round punches from Ante Delija in their PFL 8 heavyweight semifinal on Aug. 13, 2002. Ferreira has compiled a 4-0 record with one no contest in five subsequent outings.

8: Mixed martial arts promotions for which Ferreira has suited up. In addition to a 7-1 mark with three no contests in the PFL, he has gone 1-1 in the Legacy Fighting Alliance, 1-0 in MMA Fest, 1-0 in Acai do Japa Fight, 1-0 in Festival de Lutas da CUFA, 1-0 in New Corpore Extreme, 1-0 in Future Fighting Championships and 0-1 in Fam Fight.

.762: Cumulative winning percentage between the three men—Delija, Brett Martin and Vinicius Moreira—who have defeated Ferreira. They sport a combined record of 48-15.