“Problema” wanted to make sure that what he said did not cause a problem.
At the “Battle for the Giants: Brace for Impact” press conference on Thursday, heavyweights Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira took the stage in Washington, D.C., to help sell their upcoming slugfest. The two will throw down atop an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 19 to define the Professional Fighters League heavyweight champion. During the presser, one comment was potentially misinterpreted by the Brazilian speaking through a translator, sparking controversy from fans and fighters alike.
Ngannou, who is still recovering from the loss of his 15-month-old son Kobe, mockingly used Ferreira’s nickname of “Problema” to question the Brazilian’s ability inside the cage. Ngannou considered retiring after his son’s passing, but decided to instead honor his memory by competing.
“Everyone is a problem, and he certainly is a problem for some people. But in my opinion, it is not a problem. It’s going to be the Problem vs. the Predator. I think the nicknames speak for themselves,” the Cameroonian said with a laugh.
In response, Ferreira, without directly mentioning Ngannou’s son, stated that his opponent will have a big problem with him.
“Francis has been going through a tough year in his life, but the toughest challenge in his life and in his year is gonna be me. I’m gonna be the biggest problem of his year,” Ferreira appeared to have said.
The Brazilian’s retort received a wave of criticism on social media. Ferreira, who is also a father, followed up when learning of the backlash, posting a video in Portuguese clarifying what he meant.
“I saw that some things were completely distorted in the press about what I said,” Ferreira weighed in. “Obviously, I was referring to the fight. I’m a father, I have children too, and I would never consider something so low. I had already given my condolences to him and I would never do that. We were promoting the fight and, in my response, when he said that I wouldn’t be a problem, I referred to the fact that he had two setbacks in boxing and is two years away from MMA. I would never mean something like that [towards his child].”
