“It’s Not What I Thought It Was”- Francis Ngannou Says Stipe Miocic Loss Changed Everything for Him

The UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, is slowly rising to the top of the promotion each time he makes an appearance in the octagon. The Cameroonian fighter is famous for having the hardest punch in the world.

Ngannou goes by the moniker of ‘The Predator’ and it’s safe to say that the fighter does justice to it. All of his wins to date have been via knockout, or by submission. Currently, his professional fight record stands at sixteen wins and just three losses. Twelve of his sixteen wins have been via his vicious knockout punches. 

READ MORE: The Fallout Between Francis Ngannou and UFC – An Entire Timeline of Events and What Led to an Interim Title

Francis Ngannou has managed to get the better of most of his opponents in the octagon and reach number 4 in the pound for pound rankings. Among all those that he has faced, very few gave the Cameroonian a run for his money. One of these fighters is the former UFC heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic. 

Stipe Miocic faced Francis Ngannou for the very first time in January 2018 at UFC 220. The American dominated Ngannou for most of the fight and walked away victorious after a unanimous decision in his favor. This fight apparently changed the perspective of the sport for Francis Ngannou. 

Recently, the ‘Predator’ appeared in an interview with the UFC legend and sports analyst, Daniel Cormier. In the interview, he discussed a variety of topics, one of them being his loss against Stipe Miocic at UFC 220.

“Oh, he was clear (Stipe Miocic),” said Francis Ngannou to Cormier.

“The truth is at that time, I didn’t understand anything about the game… Then I get in that fight and it was something different. By the moment that I left that octagon, I knew that I had a better understanding of the game from more than what I have learned in the past four years. I’m like, oh, that game is something else… Like it’s not what I thought it was,” he added.

What’s next for Francis Ngannou?

Francis Ngannou will be facing off against his former MMA Factory teammate, Cyril Gane at UFC 270. The event will be taking place in January 2022. Both fighters will battle it off to unify the UFC heavyweight champion title and fans can expect it to be a nail-biter. 

Recently, there has been a lot of animosity between Francis Ngannou and his former team, MMA Factory. Both fighters will be fighting for something bigger than themselves and the title at UFC 270. Knowing the history Gane and Ngannou share, fans can expect an entertaining showdown.