RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – In addition to the tremendous emotional and mental burden Francis Ngannou carried into PFL: Battle of the Giants following the tragic death of his son, he also overcame physical hurdles. Ngannou (18-3) revealed to MMA Junkie post-fight after Saturday’s first-round knockout of Renan Ferreira (13-4) to claim the inaugural PFL superfight heavyweight title, that his camp was troubled by a rib injury that led to a degree of contemplation about pulling out of the fight. He ultimately moved forward with the contest and got the job done, but his head MMA coach Eric Nicksick admitted there was a degree of concern, especially if Ngannou was forced to fight from bottom position at any point against Ferreira. “It was bad enough to where you’ve got to think: He blew out his knee and wasn’t going to pull out of the Ciryl Gane fight, (but almost pulled out of this one),” Nicksick told MMA Junkie in an exclusive interview on Sunday
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