Pouya Rahmani Says His Wrestling Can Overwhelm Francis Ngannou

Pouya Rahmani sees a clear route to beating Francis Ngannou: get him down, stay on top and make the matchup a grappling contest. The unbeaten PFL heavyweight’s confidence is striking, but his prediction meets a complicated record. Ngannou has been dominated by elite wrestling before, then shown meaningful improvement in that area.

Rahmani, 34, has won all six of his professional MMA bouts, with four submissions and two knockouts. He brings a strong base to the cage: he’s an Iranian national wrestling champion, has described himself as a world champion in freestyle wrestling and holds a world champion black belt in jiu-jitsu. Those credentials give his claim substance, even if they don’t settle what would happen against Ngannou.

Rahmani’s case starts with control

“Brother we talk about grappling, there is levels in this game,” Rahmani said in a recent interview with Home of Fight. He argued that his wrestling and jiu-jitsu set him apart, then painted a vivid picture of what he expects if he gets Ngannou to the mat.

“When I put him down, brother, all of his country will have to come to help him get up from under my hand,” Rahmani said. “When I am on top of you, you are over, bye, bye, you know?”

That’s a confident forecast built around a specific sequence: secure the takedown, establish top position and keep Ngannou from returning to his feet. In MMA, each step carries its own challenge. A wrestler has to enter safely, finish against resistance and hold position while accounting for strikes and submission threats. Rahmani’s background gives him reason to back his ability, but those demands are part of what makes a matchup with Ngannou a different test from wrestling or jiu-jitsu competition.

Ngannou’s grappling record cuts both ways

There’s a clear precedent for Rahmani’s argument. At UFC 220 in 2018, Stipe Miocic controlled Ngannou with wrestling over five rounds. That performance exposed how difficult it could be for the heavyweight to work from underneath and gave opponents a blueprint to consider.

But the result came early in Ngannou’s career, and it doesn’t describe the full picture. In 2022, Ngannou used his own wrestling to beat Ciryl Gane. That performance showed he could apply grappling as a weapon, rather than simply endure it. Rahmani’s confidence rests partly on the Miocic fight; Ngannou’s later showing against Gane is a reminder that his skills have developed since that defeat.

The key question in a hypothetical bout would be whether Rahmani could impose his preferred style before Ngannou made him pay for an unsuccessful entry. Ngannou’s power makes the distance and timing of any wrestling attempt consequential. If Rahmani does reach the top position, his submission record suggests he has finishing ability there. Still, the source offers no direct evidence of how he would fare against a heavyweight with Ngannou’s combination of striking threat and later grappling experience.

A six-win run meets a much larger test

Since switching to MMA, Rahmani has finished four opponents by submission and two by knockout. He has also competed outside the cage, earning victories in Real American Freestyle and ACBJJ. Those results underline his activity and grappling experience, while leaving the central matchup question open: how reliably can he carry those skills into a high-level MMA fight against Ngannou?

Ngannou’s next fight has not been confirmed after he finished Philipe Lins on Netflix this past May. Rahmani, meanwhile, is scheduled to make his seventh professional MMA appearance at the PFL event in Dubai on November 14. That bout gives him another chance to add evidence to a résumé that is still taking shape.

Rahmani’s challenge is compelling because he has a defined strength and isn’t shy about naming the opponent he believes he can control. Yet Ngannou has already faced a dominant wrestler, and his win over Gane showed that his own grappling can change the equation. For now, Rahmani’s prediction is a claim backed by credentials; his upcoming appearance in Dubai is the next step toward demonstrating how far those credentials carry inside the cage.

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