Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg will headline the biggest fight card in Professional Fighters League history.

On October 19, Ngannou will battle PFL Heavyweight Champion Renan “Problema” Ferreira for the new PFL Super Fights Championship. In the co-main event, Bellator Women’s Featherweight champion and MMA legend Cris Cyborg will face two-time and two-division PFL champion Larissa Pacheco in one of the most highly anticipated women’s MMA fights ever.

A few days before the announcement went public, I spoke to Cyborg about the Pacheco fight, a potential boxing match with Claressa Shields, and her rivalry with Ronda Rousey.

While the rest of the card hasn’t been made official, the PFL will likely do its best to stabilize the rest of the lineup of fights with solid bouts.

Seeing a few splash debuts for the event wouldn’t be surprising. Ngannou has n’t competed in MMA since January 2022, when he successfully defended his title against Cyril Gane at UFC 270. Since then, he has had two high-paying boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou lost a split decision to Fury in October 2023 but was savagely knocked out by Joshua in March 2024. Ngannou has also had to deal with tragedy this year as he lost his 15-month-old son in April. The soon-to-be 38-year-old will debut in PFL after signing with the organization in 2023.

Ferreira is a 6-foot-8 monster with excellent athleticism. Since he began training at American Top Team, his game has elevated. Ferreira battled through the 2023 PFL Regular Season and Playoffs to claim the annual title in the heavyweight division.

Since his win, Ferreira has been on a collision course with Ngannou, and in October, the baddest heavyweight in the PFL will be revealed.

“Renan is a great fighter; I have been watching him for years,” said Ngannou. “I have been studying him for years, in fact I’ve been telling people to watch this guy. He’s quite unique, he’s athletic, fast, his size does n’t impress me as much as his skill.”

Cyborg’s legendary career has seen her clash with multiple elite competitors. She scored KO wins over Gina Carano, the WWE’s Shayna Baszler, Marlos Coenen (twice), Julia Budd, and Cat Zingano. Cyborg also owns a victory over Holly Holm.

“It’s going to be an exciting fight,” Cyborg said during our interview. “When I was starting fighting, she (Pacheco) was nine years old. I believe it is going to be a great fight. She is a tough girl.”

After losing her first MMA bout, Cyborg didn’t lose again until she was stopped by Amanda Nunes in 2018. The matchup with Pacheco represents the latest marquee matchup with another elite competitor. Pacheco has established herself as arguably the greatest women’s fighter in the PFL’s short history.

She has won two of the organization’s annual championships, and she scored a career-defining victory over Kayla Harrison in November 2022 after losing to her in the previous two meetings.

Pacheco’s only pro losses have come to top-notch competition (twice to Harrison, Macy Chiasson in The Ultimate Fighter, Germaine de Randamie, and Jessica Andrade). If she can add a victory over Cyborg, Pacheco would immediately elevate herself on the list of the greatest female MMA fighters of all time and solidify herself as the best on the current PFL landscape.

The location for the event has yet to be shared, but that announcement should be coming soon. Stay tuned for more information on the event as it is made public.