MMA Junkie's 2024 Comeback Fighter of the Year: Francis Ngannou

The road back to MMA was long and winding for Francis Ngannou.

But when it was time to step back into the cage again, he did so with a bang. In what was his first fight in 34 months, Ngannou smashed the towering Rennan Ferreira in PFL: Battle of the Giants in October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He finished the fight with strikes at 3:32 of Round 1.

Ngannou’s win came in his first appearance since his UFC exit that was announced in January 2023. The split was highly-publicized with both...