Cristiano Ronaldo Inspired Ngannou To KO Ferreira – ‘He Was Part Of The Team’
Cristiano Ronaldo gave Francis Ngannou some words of encouragement before The Predator would eventually knock out Renan Ferreira on his PFL debut.
Ngannou was having his first MMA fight since 2022 when he stopped Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. He entered into the fight with major obstacles since leaving the UFC last year. He had only two boxing fights since then. Francis lost to Tyson Fury on his boxing debut in a narrow split decision. But some felt he should have been granted the win. Anthony Joshua knocked him out in the second round, bringing his early boxing career to a major halt. To make matters even more difficult, Ngannou announced the passing of his 15-month-old son Kobe.
That raised doubts about whether the MMA fighter would ever enter the cage again. But he put that all behind him as he stopped Ferreira in the first round. That made him arguably the best heavyweight in the sport. Before the fight took place, Ronaldo was seen with Ngannou backstage. They both have something in common. Ronaldo has also experienced the tragic loss of his child as his wife gave birth to twins, but only one of them survived, as his son passed.
That is something the pair were able to relate to. Ronaldo managed to bounce back from that tragic loss and still show the world he is one of the best soccer players. Ronaldo took the time to offer some words of encouragement, which ultimately paid off, as Francis dedicated the win to his late son in his post-fight comments. Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, looked back at Ronaldo’s words of encouragement.
Ngannou And CR7
“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,” Nicksick said
Ronaldo and Ngannou’s friendship is something people can see. He also gifted Ngannou a watch worth over $100,000 before his fight with Tyson Fury. Ngannou has also come through very difficult circumstances from humble beginnings, much like Ronaldo.
Ngannou used to dig sand mines during the early parts of his youth before eventually making the sacrifices to become a world champion in the UFC and the PFL. Ronaldo has also been very vocal about how he would often be hungry. He would knock on the back of a McDonalds door in search of any leftover food. And now Ronaldo has become arguably one of the best soccer players that ever existed. Fans had plenty to say about the interaction between the pair.
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