Renan Ferreira clarified that his comments about Francis Ngannou‘s tough year were misinterpreted due to a translation error, emphasizing he was referring to Ngannou’s professional challenges and not making personal remarks about his family.
Renan Ferreira reached out to his PFL opponent, Francis Ngannou, to clear the air. This came after a comment during Thursday’s press conference in Washington D.C. was misinterpreted.
Ferreira’s remark was taken as saying their fight would be tougher than Ngannou losing his 15-month-old son. In reality, Ferreira was referring to Ngannou’s rough year in fighting. The PFL translator, however, added an unintended personal twist.
The translator said, “Francis has been going through a tough year in his life.” Ferreira never mentioned “in his life” in Portuguese. This led to criticism on social media.
“There was a bad misinterpretation of everything I said,” Ferreira told MMA Fighting. He clarified he was talking about Ngannou’s losses in boxing and time away from MMA. Not anything personal.
Ferreira emphasized he would never get personal. As a father of two, he felt Ngannou’s loss deeply and had already sent condolences.
His team reached out to Ngannou to explain the misunderstanding. According to Ferreira, Ngannou never took it the wrong way.
The two heavyweights are set to face off on Oct. 19 in Saudi Arabia. It’s all good now between them.
“He knows the respect I have for him,” Ferreira said. “Just like he respects me a lot.” They both understand the delicate nature of such topics.
Ferreira reiterated he wouldn’t stoop so low to promote a fight. His comments were strictly about Ngannou’s career challenges, not personal issues.
In conclusion, misunderstandings happen. But respect remains intact between these fighters.