"More determined than ever" - Fans react as Francis Ngannou goes hard on the battle ropes with Renan Ferreira fight approaching

Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira will soon step into the PFL smart cage, which makes several MMA fans excited about the former's return to the sport. Ngannou vs. Ferreira 'Battle of the Giants' marks the organization's move into promoting super fights and it all goes down on Oct. 19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The lineal MMA heavyweight champion will compete in the four-ounce gloves on ESPN+ pay-per-view and he seems locked in. Ngannou posted a video to his personal Instagram account working with the battle ropes. The man who held the UFC heavyweight title and never lost it inside the cage spoke about rebuilding and how he was not born different but that he is built differently.

Instagram users took to the comment section in droves to offer up their thoughts on how the prolific knockout artist was looking as his mixed martial arts return looms ever closer.

@jonathan.m_j said:

"More determined than ever"

@silvah_official stated:

"Keep working"

@val_the_animal quipped:

"Lets go brother!!!"

Check out more comments below:

[Image courtesy: @francisngannou comment section on Instagram]

Check out the workout video of Francis Ngannou that is getting fans talking below:

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Francis Ngannou and the lineal MMA heavyweight championship existing outside the UFC

Francis Ngannou has long been known to get in work at Xtreme Couture with the titular figure being MMA legend Randy Couture. Both men have several parallels in their respective careers with one being that each combatant left the UFC while being the promotion's reigning heavyweight champion.

Couture would lose his lineal champion distinction to Enson Inoue under the Vale Tudo Japan banner in October 1998. The belt would then trade hands under the Pride FC banner between Mark Kerr, Kazuyuki Fujita, Mark Coleman, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Fedor Emelianenko.

'The Last Emperor' would defend the lineal MMA heavyweight belt with organizations like Bodog, Affliction, and Strikeforce before being unseated by Fabricio Werdum.

Alistair Overeem would then hold this unofficial distinction with the lineal MMA heavyweight title then being interwoven into the broader UFC title history after Antonio Silva beat Overeem in a UFC title eliminator and then fell short in an official UFC heavyweight title bid to Cain Velasquez.

From October 1998, to, October 2024, the lineal MMA heavyweight title has been fought for under several promotional banners. The tradition will resume for the first time in over 11 years after solely being fought for inside of the UFC cage.