PFL Battle of the Giants takeaways: Ngannou’s two-sport plans, the need for a Cyborg-Pacheco rivalry

PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was headlined by three title fights across PFL and Bellator. Johnny Eblen successfully defended his title in a rematch against Fabian Edwards, while PFL debutants Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg won Super Fights belts against Renan Ferreira and Larissa Pacheco, respectively. Now that the dust has settled, what’s next for the three winners? Andreas Hale, Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim offer their final thoughts on the event.

What’s next for ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’?

A break — although I must say, I don’t know how long of a break Ngannou will want to take.

It was incredible that he wanted to take this fight. Kobe, his son, died in late April, and we’re only in mid-October. He hasn’t even had six months to process his loss. He took the fight to honor his 15-month-old son and, I believe, grieve. Ngannou is the kind of human being who grieves in motion rather than sitting still. This fight gave him something to invest his pain in.

Now that it’s over, what’s changed? At the post-fight press conference on Saturday, he essentially said he will grieve for the rest of his life — which, of course, he will. I expect that once the dust settles from this fight, it won’t be long before Ngannou starts to crave another challenge to invest that pain in, because he’s not the kind of person to sit with it. The good news is that I believe he will have options. Somehow, he continues to find unbelievable new ways to inspire every year. As he said in his post-fight interview, he has found something of a home in Saudi Arabia, which has hosted his last three fights (two boxing, one MMA) and promotional powers that be will surely want him back — and pay for it.

My gut is that his next fight is in a boxing ring, but it will depend on how certain dominoes fall. The PFL has already stated it wants its Super Fights champions to defend belts. I believe we’ll see Ngannou in competition again in the first half of next year, and I believe, one way or another, he will get two appearances. — Okamoto

A Cyborg-Pacheco rivalry is best case scenario for PFL, women’s MMA

Cris Cyborg won a competitive unanimous decision over Larissa Pacheco to become the PFL Super Fight women’s featherweight champion. Picking up another world title at age 39, Cyborg still has a claim to being one of the greatest women’s mixed martial artists in the sport’s history. However, due to the competitive nature of the fight, where Cyborg’s face was left a bloody mess of cuts and bruises, this may have been the best possible outcome for PFL.

With Ngannou and Eblen winning dominantly and without a worthy challenger, the PFL could benefit from a rivalry that would bring eyeballs back to the product. A rematch between Cyborg and Pacheco remedies that as something fans can sink their teeth into.

It’s only natural, given how the fight played out.

Although the scores were 49-46, the fight suggested that Pacheco, 30, could eventually be Cyborg’s successor. Cyborg was forced to deploy a different game plan, fighting tactfully rather than blowing the competition away with her power. The multi-promotion world champion fought intelligently, mixing takedowns with her striking, a stark departure from her calling card of overpowering the opposition. But Pacheco — the only woman to defeat current UFC title contender Kayla Harrison — is younger, faster and arguably stronger than her counterpart.

It was a battle of youth vs. experience, with Cyborg winning on points, but Pacheco doing more damage. It was the first time Cyborg was forced to use her intelligence rather than strength to win a fight. A fact that was crystalized in the third round when Pacheco beckoned to meet her in the center of the cage for a firefight. A younger Cyborg would have gleefully answered the call. However, this wiser version of Cyborg relented and played it smart rather than allow her ego to pull her into a fistfight that could have ended badly for her.

Even though Pacheco lost, she has something to build upon for a return bout. She now knows what she is dealing with, and the rematch would undoubtedly carry some intrigue due to the adjustments they must make.

Rivalries are always best for business in the fight game, and the PFL has one that helps bolster their product and women’s MMA. With two more fights on Cyborg’s contract, a rematch seems likely — and necessary. — Hale

Little left to do for Johnny Eblen in new PFL

Eblen was in a no-win situation, stepping into the cage to defend his Bellator middleweight championship against a challenger he had knocked out barely a year ago. How was he supposed to surpass that performance? He didn’t surpass it, as things turned out, but Eblen, 32, managed to get his hand raised against Fabian Edwards, 31, for a second time. This one went the distance and was competitive.

So, should they just run it back again?

I’m being facetious. There’s no need to go the trilogy route when one fighter is 2-0 versus the other. But I raise that scenario to lead me to this question: What is left for Eblen?

He is one of the best 185-pounders in the world — No. 5 in the ESPN divisional rankings — but he’s a champion without a clearcut challenger. He’s twice defeated Bellator’s No. 2 middleweight, Edwards. The next in line might be Anatoly Tokov, and Eblen has beaten him, too. A better rematch would have been against Gegard Mousasi, but Bellator’s parent company, the PFL, released him and Mousasi’s fight is with the company, as he’s suing.

A move over to the PFL isn’t in the cards for Eblen, since there’s no 185-pound division. So what will the matchmakers do next with Eblen? Or is it time to consider a move to the UFC? — Wagenheim