Francis Ngannou Frustrated With Wasting His Prime Years Without Fighting

Francis Ngannou has been on an absolute tear in his last four fights. His four knockout wins in a row have earned him the right to fight for the title next. However, for reasons that are completely out of his hands, Ngannou is yet to get his second shot at UFC gold. Consequently, he is getting very frustrated at his forced inactivity.

While talking with Morning Kombat’s Brian Campbell, Ngannou explained what’s going through his mind after staying away from the sport for over six months. The UFC heavyweight last stepped inside the Octagon at UFC 249 when he made quick work of Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Three of his last four wins have landed him a Performance of the Night bonus.

Despite such a stellar run, he has yet to receive a confirmation for a title shot. The Cameroonian is, thus, finding it hard to maintain his motivation to train.

“I’m in a position which is very complicated…because technically I am in my prime age. Wasting time and being out without good reason, time that I should be fighting and not waiting. It’s kinda like frustrating,” Ngannou said.

“We have to have…something to keep motivate us. We have to make money; we have to do anything by fighting. So when you don’t fight sometimes it’s really hard to go to the gym and to train because you need that motivation,” he added.

Francis Ngannou is trying to keep up his training despite a dip in his motivation

In the current scenario, Ngannou is merely a victim of circumstances. The combined time of his last four fights comes out to be less than three minutes. Despite such sheer dominance, his path to the title hasn’t been very smooth.

The heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic was recovering from eye surgery in the earlier half of the year. Following that, he had his business to settle with Daniel Cormier. With the Cormier fight done and dusted, Ngannou hoped that he would get his title shot by December this year.

However, as of now, he is being told that Miocic is looking to return around March next year. Therefore, Ngannou has no option but to wait and stay ready.

“Okay, I’m training. But for what? When will be the fight? I don’t know. When this…? I don’t know. When that…..? I don’t know. You don’t have a clue about anything. It’s kinda tough to find your motivation. You really have to get some motivation to move your hand,” Ngannou said.

The silver lining amidst all this for Ngannou is that he has the support of Dana White as the next challenger in line for a title shot. Therefore, he needs to stay on his toes to fully use the opportunity that will come soon.

Read More: Francis Ngannou Still Training Hard Despite Not Booking a Fight With the UFC in 2020