“Walking Like This on Fight Week”- Kamaru Usman’s Injury Forced Ex-UFC Champ to Take Drastic Measures as Francis Ngannou Reveals Insider Details to Joe Rogan

Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman, along with Israel Adesanya, were part of the ‘African Champions’ era in the UFC. All three men held titles in their respective weight classes at the same time but not anymore. Usman is now set to take on Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. And Ngannou on his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) has revealed the intense struggle Usman faces every time he steps into the Octagon.

Kamaru Usman joined the UFC 294 card on short notice. Paulo Costa, the original opponent for Chimaev was removed from the bout after his complications due to an arm infection came to light. Usman, a former welterweight champion, decided to take on ‘Borz’ in a middleweight bout. And as Ngannou revealed to Joe Rogan, Usman, and his mental strength is exceptional as proven by the issues he has overcome before his fights!

Kamaru Usman and his incredible resilience revealed by Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, parted ways with the organization due to contract disputes. He was a free agent before he signed with the PFL. Now, Ngannou is set to take on boxing heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury. The super fight is scheduled for October 28th in Riyadh. And it will be Ngannou’s first appearance in combat sports since UFC 270.

In his appearance on the JRE MMA Show no. 146, Ngannou spoke about how the differences in the contracts between PFL and other organizations were “night and day”.  He also revealed that going into the Ciryl Gane fight, he had an injured knee. And it was Kamaru Usman who made him believe he could fight the injured by showing him his incredible toughness!

Francis Ngannou shared with Joe Rogan that after learning about the extent of his knee injury, he became concerned. He recalled a conversation with Kamaru Usman, who had been in a similar situation before a fight. He talked about meeting Usman in Vegas before a fight where he stated, “…the guy was messed up man.”

He further revealed that he had witnessed Usman’s physical struggles on fight week. He stated, “He was walking like this on fight week, getting cortisone shot here (points to his leg) and I was like, damn this guy is going to fight?”

But to his surprise, Usman performed exceptionally well on the night of the fight! This experience reinforced Ngannou’s belief that his fighting instinct would prevail when the moment came. And it was indeed the case as he defeated Ciryl Gane with an injured knee at UFC 270 via decision.

Now that Usman is stepping up to face a returning Khamzat Chimaev in the higher weight class, it raises questions about his performance in this new division. And with rumors about him sustaining a knee injury during the UFC 294 open workouts, Usman has come out with strong words against the reports!

Usman shuts down ‘clickbait’ before UFC 294

The rumor mill was abuzz as posts were shared across the internet about Kamaru Usman sustaining an injury during his open workout with Justin Gaethje. Fans were sharing video of an interaction between Usman and Gaethje where it appeared the fighters were talking about something “popping” in Usman’s knee.

Usman has now released a YouTube video where he strongly refutes the claim. In the video, Usman dismissed the rumors of a knee injury with frustration. And emphasized that people often believe everything they read or hear on the internet without verifying the facts.

He expressed disbelief at the false reports and criticized the spread of clickbait stories by stating, “People believe anything you put on the internet… stop with the clickbait… clearly I’m fine”

Read More: Conor McGregor Sheds Rivalry With Khamzat Chimaev & Forecasts a “Perfect Fight” Against a Declining Kamaru Usman at UFC 294

It remains to be seen if Usman will be able to handle the surging ‘Borz’. But with Francis Ngannou’s statements about his toughness and resilience, Kamaru Usman might just shock the world at UFC 294.

Do you think Usman will be the one to snap Chimaev’s streak? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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