Francis Ngannou News
Ciryl Gane explains his decision to go for a leg lock in the final round against Francis Ngannou
Harry Kettle - February 17, 2022
UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane has explained why he decided to go for a leg lock in the final round of his title fight against Francis Ngannou. In the main event of UFC 270 last month, Ciryl Gane fell short in his pursuit of the UFC heavyweight championship. For many fans, pundits and judges alike, he did enough to win the first two rounds of his bout with Francis Ngannou – only to lose the final three to leave him on the wrong end of a decision defeat.
Khabib Nurmagomedov shares his thoughts on Francis Ngannou’s contract dispute with the UFC: “If someone pays you more money then go and take”
Susan Cox - February 16, 2022
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently shared his thoughts concerning Francis Ngannou and his ongoing dispute with the UFC over contract negotiations. Ngannou (17-3 MMA), reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion, last fought Ciryl Gane (10-1 MMA) at UFC 270 in January.
Derrick Lewis reveals he didn't watch Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane: "I tried to stream it but they kept getting shut down"
Josh Evanoff - February 10, 2022
Derrick Lewis has revealed that he didn’t want the UFC 270 main event between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. The news comes as a bit of a surprise, given that ‘The Black Beast’ has a history with both men. Lewis defeated Ngannou via unanimous decision in one of the worst fights ever at UFC 226. Unfortunately, he faltered in his interim championship clash with Gane at UFC 265.
Chad Mendes claims he'll make more money in his BKFC debut than Francis Ngannou made for UFC 270
Cole Shelton - February 4, 2022
Chad Mendes is finally set to make his BKFC debut and is apparently getting paid quite a bit of money for his services. Mendes hasn’t fought since 2018 at UFC 232 and he later retired in the summer of 2019. ‘Money’ recently announced his intention to return and signed with BKFC where he will face Joshuah Alvarez in a 155-pound bout on Feb. 19 at BKFC: Knucklemania 2.
Francis Ngannou on the possibility of his UFC career being over: “I’m proud of myself and of what I have achieved”
Harry Kettle - February 2, 2022
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has said that if his time in the promotion is over, he’s proud of what he’s accomplished. At UFC 270 last month, Francis Ngannou successfully defended the UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. “The Predator” overcame some early adversity and used his wrestling to grind out a decision win, with UFC president Dana White failing to be the man who put the belt on him when Bruce Buffer announced the result.
Brendan Schaub slams Dana White for not putting the UFC belt on Francis Ngannou: "You can’t even fathom who you’re f*cking with"
Christopher Taylor - February 1, 2022
Brendan Schaub has sent a warning to Dana White suggesting the UFC boss think twice before feuding with Francis Ngannou. Ngannou (17-3 MMA) successfully defended his heavyweight title at last month’s UFC 270 event, scoring a unanimous decision victory over former training partner Ciryl Gane (10-1 MMA).
Randy Couture sounds off on the “horrible” Ultimate Fighter contracts handed out by UFC: “A one-sided mess”
Cole Shelton - January 31, 2022
Randy Couture doesn’t like the contracts the UFC hands to the contestants of The Ultimate Fighter. Couture owns Xtreme Couture and was a coach on TUF, so he has seen first hand what fighters’ contracts are like coming off the show. He claims TUF contracts are extremely one-sided and are very favorable towards the UFC.
Michael Bisping shares his thoughts on a potential super fight between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury
Susan Cox - January 31, 2022
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has shared his thoughts on a potential Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury super fight. It appears that both Fury and Ngannou are in agreement that they want to meet in the boxing ring in 2022.
Fernand Lopez Credits Kamaru Usman For Keeping Peace With Francis Ngnanou
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 30, 2022
MMA Factory head coach Fernand Lopez has some praise for UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. Going into the UFC 270 PPV, the beef wasn’t between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. Instead, the bad blood between Ngnanou and Lopez came to a head. The two exchanged some harsh words in the build-up to the undisputed heavyweight title bout.
Benson Henderson weighs in on Francis Ngannou's contract dispute with the UFC
Chris Taylor - January 29, 2022
Former lightweight champion Benson Henderson has shared his thoughts on Francis Ngannou’s contract dispute with the UFC. Despite cementing his status as the “baddest man on the planet” at last weekend’s UFC 270 event, Ngannou’s future with the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion remains up in the air.
Jon Jones’ advisor to meet with the UFC to discuss potential title fights against Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic
Cole Shelton - January 28, 2022
Jon Jones’ advisor, Richard Schaefer will be meeting with the UFC brass this weekend to discuss ‘Bones’ returning to the UFC. Jones has not fought since February of 2020 where he defeated Dominick Reyes by decision to defend his light heavyweight title. After that, he vacated his 205lbs strap in hopes of moving up to heavyweight. However, as of right now ‘Bones’ has yet to make the official move, but the hope for many fans is he returns to face Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic in the very near future.
Kevin Lee says his UFC release was retaliation stemming from Francis Ngannou’s contract dispute
Susan Cox - January 28, 2022
Kevin Lee, 29, (18-7 MMA) former UFC interim lightweight title contender was released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in November 2021. Lee’s manager, Marquel Martin, of Creative Artists Agency, had indicated that ‘The Motown Phenom’ had multiple fights left on his contract but the UFC decided to terminate him anyways.
Sean O'Malley says Francis Ngannou is not in a "great position" after UFC 270 win: "You can't do that to your boss"
Christopher Taylor - January 27, 2022
Bantamweight standout Sean O’Malley does not envy the current situation of UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Despite cementing his status as the “baddest man on the planet” at last weekend’s UFC 270 event, Ngannou’s future with the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion remains up in the air.
Fernand Lopez says he warned Ciryl Gane that Francis Ngannou’s alleged knee injury could be “bait” ahead of UFC 270
Susan Cox - January 27, 2022
Francis Ngannou squared off with Ciryl Gane last Saturday at UFC 270 in Anaheim, California. The headliner event between the two resulted in Ngannou retaining the heavyweight belt. It was Ngannous’ sixth win in a row and Ganes’ first career loss.
Francis Ngannou's coach reveals "unbelievably classy move" from Team Miocic at UFC 270
Jeffrey Walter - January 26, 2022
Eric Nicksick, the coach of Francis Ngannou, has praised Team Miocic for making an “unbelievably classy move” at UFC 270. Ngannou (17-3 MMA) put his UFC heavyweight championship on the line against former training partner Ciryl Gane (10-1 MMA) in the headliner of last Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Anaheim.
Dana White reacts to Francis Ngannou’s win at UFC 270, claims he meant no disrespect by not presenting the belt
Cole Shelton - January 26, 2022
Dana White has provided a reason as to why he didn’t put the belt around Francis Ngannou’s waist. At UFC 270, Ngannou defended his heavyweight title for the first time with a decision win over Ciryl Gane. The big storyline, however, was the fact this was the last fight of Ngannou’s UFC deal and he and the Las Vegas-based promotion were not seeing eye-to-eye.
Sean Strickland suggests special rules to set “the middle ground” for a potential Francis Ngannou vs Tyson Fury fight
Cole Shelton - January 26, 2022
Sean Strickland has an idea on how to level the playing field for Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury. In the lead-up to UFC 270, which served as Ngannou’s first heavyweight title defense, it was made clear he was not happy with his contract and if he lost, he would be a free agent. Yet, the champ ended up being Ciryl Gane by decision and now, he has talked about wanting to box Tyson Fury.
John McCarthy weighs in on a potential heavyweight fight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones
Susan Cox - January 25, 2022
In speaking in a recent episode of the ‘Weighing In’ podcast, John McCarthy gave his opinion on a Francis Ngannou vs Jon Jones potential fight: “Jon would have taken Ciryl down and beat him to death on the ground. Francis can knock him out, he can hit him with a shot. Ciryl can knock him out. Anyone can get knocked out. But, if you are looking at these guys fighting, (if) they fight 10 times, Jon Jones is definitely gonna win 9 out of 10 times.”