Departing UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s legacy, with free agency ahead of him, is on the line. One thing that’s for sure, according to his head coach Eric Nicksick, is that the towering Cameroonian is not afraid of anyone, no matter what Dana White and the UFC has to say. Nicksick appeared on a recent episode of The MMA Hour to discuss Ngannou’s departure from the promotion.
“The one narrative that I have been seeing is that Francis is scared, and that s*** just makes me laugh. They’re going to say what they want to say, they’re going to run the narrative the way they want to run it, but I’m going to have my guy’s back 110 percent.”
Nicksick: Ngannou Is Not Scared of Anybody
Nicksick specifically cited Ngannou’s willingness to face up-and-coming talent during his run to the top, most recently squaring off against Ciryl Gane. Ngannou fought, and defeated, Gane despite a debilitating knee injury that kept the champ out of the Octagon ever since.
“We fought [Ciryl Gane], the next up and coming phenom on one f****** leg — and against all of our advice. He’s not scared of anybody. He’s doing what he feels is right for him.
I’ll tell you this: We met with Dana and Hunter after the fight, we had a great dinner. Things were going in the right direction, I felt. We got in the car and Francis looks over at me, and says, ‘If I sign this deal, if I do this without making any change, without doing all the things I said I was going to do, I’m just another sell out. I refuse to do that.’
He goes, ‘I’m happy, I have more money than I could’ve ever imagined, I’m in a position that I could never envision, and I have a stance where I can make a difference.’ I went home thinking, this dude is willing to stand up for what he believes in, for what’s right, and I’m going to have that dude’s back 110 percent. We walked away from a lot of money, a lot of us did, but I believe in the next chapter because I know the offer. I know what he’s capable of doing and I love him. That’s my guy. That’s what makes our team so dynamic is the love and respect we have for one another. So it is what it is.”
Do you think Francis Ngannou is afraid of anyone? Let us know in the comments.
