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Francis Ngannou to make MMA return, PFL debut in October

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Francis Ngannou to make MMA return, PFL debut in October

“The Predator” is back. For the first time in 33 months, Francis Ngannou will make the walk to an octagon.

The former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion will return on Oct. 19 to face PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira for the PFL Super Fight belt in Ngannou’s debut with the promotion.

Since defending his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in January 2022, Ngannou has endured more than two years of negotiations, triumphs and heartbreak.

After spending 2022 recovering from surgery and waiting out the end of his contract to become the most sought-after free agent in MMA history, he spent the first half of 2023 negotiating a deal with the PFL that would allow him to compete as a boxer.


Francis Ngannou knocks down Tyson Fury in their bout in November 2023. (Photo: Justin Setterfield / Getty Images)

And then — after a world-class performance against lineal heavyweight champ Tyson Fury and a loss against Anthony Joshua — Ngannou suffered tragedy when his 15-month-old son died in April.

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On Monday, Ngannou told The Athletic the loss left him with “a lot of insecurity, a lot of uncertainty,” and compared it to someone popping his life with a needle.

With Wednesday’s announcement, the 37-year-old said he has eagerly returned to the normalcy of his professional career.

And even after establishing himself as one of the most feared strikers in MMA history, he talked like a fighter hungry to prove himself.

“I have to prove that I can win this fight,” he said.

“The purpose (of this sport) is competing, giving your best every day. So yes I think I have something to prove, that I can still give my best.”

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As for what kind of fighter fans can expect nearly three years after his last MMA bout, Ngannou was bluntly simple: Much of what they’ve already seen.

“Just the same thing,” he said, later adding, “I think I show up doing everything to win the fight, knowing that I didn’t leave any stone unturned and that’s what I’m expecting to bring.”

If he’s right, he could change the landscape of the industry. The PFL has long been seen as a second-tier, if not third-tier, promotion to the UFC. Ngannou debuting with the same one-punch power that turned UFC’s heavyweight division upside down would give the PFL its most important moment.

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Ferreira will be a formidable first opponent. The 6-foot-8, 34-year-old Brazillian is 13-3 and coming off a 21-second TKO of Ryan Bader in February for the “PFL vs. Bellator Champion” Super Belt. Before that, Ferreira defeated Denis Goltsov to win the 2023 PFL Heavyweight Tournament.

In an MMA era when “superfights” and long-hyped returns cause opponents to turn down years of other opportunities, such as Michael Chandler waiting for Conor McGregor in the UFC, this bout marks something different.

Ferreira took a calculated risk in sitting out the 2024 PFL season while he waited for Ngannou’s return after earning the shot by defeating Bader. He told MMA Fighting in March, “I’m very happy for this opportunity, and I hope it happens soon.”

Ngannou doesn’t talk lowly of Ferreira’s patience, comparing it to his own situation with becoming a free agent.

“When you have that opportunity, you just jump on it,” Ngannou told The Athletic. “Just as I went after my own opportunity in leaving the UFC when I chose that was necessary, I did what I had to do for my own opportunity.”

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In the 15 months since signing with the PFL, Ngannou’s tactic of waiting out his contract hasn’t been duplicated by many others. But he doesn’t lose hope in changing the industry and believes his risk in 2022 built MMA-wide awareness of how fighter contracts work.

He even said some fighters have approached him for guidance on how to negotiate their future deals.

“Rome wasn’t built in one day. Change isn’t going to come around from one day or one year, maybe not five years,” he said. “But you can be certain that a lot of people today make moves and decisions using that as an example.”

He also doesn’t lose any sleep over the years that he did lose.

“I wasn’t missing anything. … My decision was for what I wanted and I what I think I should have done for me, so I don’t have regret.”

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“At the end of the day, look at me. I think things played out for me just perfectly.”

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(Top photo courtesy of PFL)

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Eli Manning fires back amid debate comparing ex-Giants star to Falcons great Matt Ryan

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Eli Manning fires back amid debate comparing ex-Giants star to Falcons great Matt Ryan

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Eli Manning retired in 2019 and missed out in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility in 2025. He was passed over again earlier this year but still fired back at a fan who claimed one of his contemporaries was the better quarterback.

On Tuesday, a social media user floated a theory about former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan, who now oversees football operations as the team’s president, last played in an NFL game in 2022. He announced his retirement in 2024, making him eligible for Hall of Fame consideration beginning in 2028.

“Matt Ryan was a better QB than Eli Manning… people just worship rings. Agree or nah,” the post read.

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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning greets Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 22, 2018. (Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports)

Manning caught wind of the suggestion and weighed in, pointing to the two Super Bowl-winning teams he was part of during his standout run with the New York Giants.

“I will ponder this while I play with my rings…,” Manning wrote in a quote-tweet.

Ryan’s statistical production surpasses Manning’s, at least on paper. He was named NFL MVP in 2016, an honor Manning never earned. Ryan is also the most accomplished player in Falcons history and finished his career with more than 62,000 regular-season passing yards, compared with Manning’s 57,023.

NFC head coach Eli Manning leads a huddle during a practice session before the NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 4, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

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Both quarterbacks were selected to four Pro Bowls, but the key difference lies in championships. Manning won the Super Bowl in 2007 and 2011, while Ryan reached it once but fell short. Manning threw for a single season career-best 4,933 during the run leading up to the second Super Bowl title.

Ryan threw for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to help the Falcons build a 25-point lead in the championship game — a matchup remembered for the New England Patriots engineering the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan passes the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Jan. 2, 2022. (Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports)

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The Falcons have reached the Super Bowl twice in franchise history, first in 1998, but the team is still chasing its first elusive championship.

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The Giants marked their 100th season in 2024, winning four Super Bowls over the franchise’s century-long history.

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Rams coach Sean McVay says Puka Nacua is ‘doing really well’ after rehab stint

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Rams coach Sean McVay says Puka Nacua is ‘doing really well’ after rehab stint

Star receiver Puka Nacua will fully participate in voluntary offseason workouts, the Rams are getting closer to another contract adjustment with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead hope backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo decides to put off retirement and return for a third season and possible Super Bowl run.

McVay and Snead addressed those topics and the NFL draft on Tuesday during a videoconference with reporters.

Nacua led the NFL in receptions last season but also was involved in a string of off-the-field incidents the last few months, including an alleged biting incident that led to a civil lawsuit. Those situations put the brakes on any immediate discussion between the Rams and Nacua about a massive extension for the fourth-year pro.

In March, Nacua began a rehabilitation program in Malibu, but he was present for the first day of workouts on Monday.

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Nacua, 24, “looks great” and is “doing really well,” McVay said. McVay declined to detail discussions he’s had with the All-Pro, who was a finalist for NFL offensive player of the year.

“He and I have a great relationship,” McVay said. “Feel really good about kind of the direction we’re going.”

Stafford, 38, led the Rams to the NFC championship game last season and is the reigning NFL most valuable player. According to overthecap.com, he is due to carry a salary-cap number of $48.3 million this season.

But Stafford has no doubt demanded, and will receive, a raise and a possible additional year in a deal that the Rams acknowledged two years ago is essentially a year-to-year situation.

“Progress has been made,” Snead said of negotiations.

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There is no timeline, Snead said, “but don’t expect any drama, per se.”

Garoppolo, 34, has backed up Stafford for two seasons, and he has been invaluable.

Last year, with Stafford sidelined for training camp because of a back issue, Garoppolo ran the offense and prepped the defense with a skillset honed during a 12-year career that included a Super Bowl appearance. Stafford joined workouts before the season and remained healthy throughout, but Garoppolo was perhaps the most valuable insurance policy in the NFL.

Last season, Garoppolo played on a one-year contract and earned $4.5 million, according to overthecap.com.

McVay expressed confidence in fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett, but said he was hopeful that “when the time is right,” Garoppolo will “change his mind,” and return.

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“You leave the door open,” McVay said when asked if there was a point that Rams would press Garoppolo to return. “I don’t think you want to press. What you don’t want to do is ever force a guy to play if in his mind he’s ready to move on.

“But you don’t want to minimize that, ‘Hey, if you do decide you want to play, let’s make sure it’s here with us.”

The Rams have the 13th pick in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday in Pittsburgh. They have one pick in the second and third rounds, one in the sixth round and three in the seventh.

Receiver, offensive line and edge rusher are among the positions the Rams could address with their first top-15 pick since they selected quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in 2016.

“There’s a lot of possibilities,” McVay said. “We don’t control what happens in those 12 picks before, and so what we’ve done is a lot of contingency planning and a lot of conversations, and feel really good about that.”

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PGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule

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PGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule

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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.

The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area. 

An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)

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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.

Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.

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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.

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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.

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