‘What Usman Was There for’- Francis Ngannou on Kamaru Usman’s Crucial Corner Advice That Secured Him a Win

UFC’s undisputed heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou secured the biggest and most important win of his career at UFC 270. The highly-anticipated clash between two of the most dynamic heavyweights was under a lot of scrutiny because of Ngannou’s conflict with UFC supremo Dana White.

Everyone thought the Frenchman would get the better of him. However, at last, the Cameroonian emerged victorious in the bout and one of the most important figures who played a huge role in his win was none other than UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, ‘The Predator’ explained how ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ kept him calm after the initial blunder in the match.

“Part of the strategy as well and that was what [Kamaru] Usman was there for. He was like just put this guy pressure. We knew that I didn’t have all the ability to like stand there and knock him out, so put him in pressure. We knew that this fight can go to the fifth round. But if it go to the fifth, if I put him in pressure in the two rounds,” Ngannou explained.

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“Obviously, I am gonna take, I definitely gonna take some damage basically on my front leg, but I am gonna get him to the point that he’s tired as well and stop moving a lot. Stop doing all that stuff. So, by the second round, I am like, ‘Man, I am losing this fight’ and then came back in the third round, handle it pretty good.” 

Francis Ngannou claims he saw his past self in Ciryl Gane

‘The Baddest Man on The Planet’ Francis Ngannou shared an intriguing moment during his clash with former sparring partner Ciryl Gane. He claimed that while he was fighting ‘Bon Gamin’, he observed that Gane was out of the game.

This reminded ‘The Predator’ of how he himself lost to Stipe Miocic during their 5 round war at UFC 220. He told Ariel Helwani in the same conversation that it was in that moment that he realized Gane was ‘done’.

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“By the end of third round, I look at him; I saw me. When I fought Stipe [Miocic] the first time. I am like this guy is done. He wasn’t even able to listen to his coach. I was listen to his corner talk to him and he wasn’t reacting. I am like he’s done. This exactly me when I fought Stipe the first time. That was the moment I knew I won the fight.”

What do you think of the exchange between Usman and Ngannou? Did Gane repeat the same mistakes that ‘The Predator’ once committed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.