Francis Ngannou created history by becoming the UFC heavyweight champion at last month’s UFC 260. ‘The Predator’ knocked out the consensus greatest heavyweight of all time, Stipe Miocic, in the second round of their contest and leveled their head-to-head score at 1-1.
Now, new footage has emerged on Instagram of Ngannou polishing his boxing ahead of UFC 260 with the legendary trainer Teddy Atlas. Atlas is the trainer of many boxing legends and stars, including one Mike Tyson. In the footage, Atlas was seen rectifying Ngannou’s errors and pointing out the changes the heavyweight needed to make to be successful.
“That’s it stop, just think. There it is again. There it is. That’s it. Hard, Okay, that’s how you snapping, well get involved throw that and then draw that. Right. Tall stand up. Being tall is nice except when you’re tall right in front of a guy. Then it’s not so nice. You know why? Your big building with windows and some people like to break the windows,” said Atlas.
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Those adjustments certainly helped Ngannou as he showed up with a rejuvenated and improved version of himself at UFC 260. Rather than swinging for the fences and trying to take his opponent’s head off, ‘The Predator’ was much more measured in his approach. And it made a world of difference.
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Can Francis Ngannou establish a long-lasting dominance in the UFC’s heavyweight division?
Right after Ngannou conquered the throne, fans speculated about his next opponent. A possible showdown with Jon Jones was touted to be the most possible next outing for Ngannou, as ‘Bones‘ looked all set to make his heavyweight debut sooner rather than later.
A trilogy against Miocic is almost certain to happen once the former champion heals up. Also, Derrick Lewis is the only man apart from Miocic to beat Ngannou in the UFC.
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So, one might think that ‘The Predator’ will want to avenge the loss, especially as ‘The Black Beast’ is on the brink of a title shot should the UFC’s negotiations with ‘Bones’ fall through.
A fight between the had-hitters can result in fireworks, unlike their first bout. So, there are options aplenty for the Cameroonian. However, it remains to be seen if he can stay at the helm for long.
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‘The Predator‘s improved ground game and lessons from Teddy Atlas show that he is not intending on departing soon.