A bad start eventually led to a phenomenal ending for Renan Ferreira after he delivered a blistering knockout to finish Denis Goltsov and become the new PFL heavyweight champion.
The Brazilian spent almost five full minutes on his back fending off submission attempts from Goltsov but the momentum shifted in dramatic fashion in the second round. Ferreira came out firing as soon as he left the corner and an overhand right clipped Goltsov and put him on wobbly legs.
Ferreira wasted no time seizing on the opening as he continued to throw punches until another right hand dropped Goltsov to the canvas. Ferreira quickly jumped on his opponent with a barrage of shots that left the referee with no choice but to stop the fight and save Goltsov from further harm.
The end came at just 26 seconds in the second round.
“I’ve worked my entire life for this,” Ferreira said. “Trust your dreams, you can accomplish it all.”
An early takedown from Goltsov led to Ferreira getting stuck in a bad position throughout the opening round as he fended off kimura attempts and even an Ezekiel choke. While Goltsov was able to get into the mount, he just couldn’t secure the submission, which allowed Ferreira to get the restart on his feet.
Ferreira obviously had no desire to give Goltsov that same opportunity as he came out gunning for the knockout, which is exactly what he delivered. The finishing sequence saw Ferreira find a home for several stinging right hands to get the knockout and claim the title in the PFL World Championship.
Afterwards, Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader complimented Ferreira on his performance with the chance that they may fight in early 2024.
“First off, congrats,” Bader said about Ferreira. “He’s a huge guy. I’m interested to get back in the cage and it’s a logical next fight, champ versus champ. Let’s go.”
While that fight might make sense for Bader, it didn’t take long for Ferreira to instead turn his attention to ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who is also slated to debut in the PFL next year.
“I’m the new PFL heavyweight champion,” Ferreira shouted. “Francis, I’m here, I’m waiting for you. Let’s make this fight happen.”
