Jake Paul (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images)
The Professional Fighters League will promote Battle of the Giants, their first Superfights PPV, which will take place on October 19th.
The headliner will be former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou taking on reigning PFL heavyweight king Renan Ferreira. Jake Paul will host the press event on Thursday, August 22 at The Anthem in Washington, DC. The venue and possibly additional fights on the card are expected to be announced.
The easiest way to follow the event is via the PFL YouTube channel.
The embedded content of the press conference is below and begins at 1:00 p.m. ET:
The giants will battle for the first PFL Superfights heavyweight title, pitting two of the best heavyweights in the world against each other for one of the sport’s most important prizes.
Had Ngannou not left the UFC, he might still be the promotion’s champion. He was never defeated for his title, so he goes into his fight with Ferreira with just as big a target on his back as the PFL champion.
In addition to the clash between Ngannou and Ferreira, another pair of champions is scheduled to appear at the press conference. The co-main event of the October 19 show will see Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg take on two-time PFL champion Larissa Pacheco, one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year.
When the PFL took over Bellator in 2023, some potential dream fights became more realistic for Cyborg. Epic clashes with Kayla Harrison or Pacheco are fights that caught Cyborg’s eye.
With Harrison moving to the UFC and Pacheco being the reigning champion, it made sense for Cyborg to face her Brazilian fighter counterpart.
Although Paul is listed as the event’s host, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he had news to report or promote. Paul is scheduled to face Mike Tyson in November in the first live sporting event on Netflix.
It would be a surprise if Paul didn’t mention his upcoming fight with the boxing icon. Additionally, Paul has signed a contract with the PFL for a mixed martial arts fight in early 2023, but he has yet to set a date or confirm an opponent for his debut in the sport.
Could Paul surprise the crowd? We’ll see.
In addition to the PFL Superfights press conference, the organizer will host four semifinal fights for the featherweight and welterweight world championships on August 23 at The Anthem.
Here’s a look at the menu on offer.
PFL 9 Main Map
- Brendan Loughnane vs. Kai Kamaka III
- Magomed Umalatov vs Neiman Gracie
- Gabriel Alves Braga vs Timur Khizriev
- Shamil Musaev vs Murad Ramazanov
PFL 9 Provisional Map
- Ray Cooper III vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov
- Eric Alequin against Luca Poclit
- Enrique Barzola vs Tyler Diamond
- Jose Perez vs Jesse Stirn
- Maxwell Djantou Nana vs Kent Mafileo
- Shido Boris Esperanca vs Tyler Hill
