Coach shares incredible story of Francis Ngannou defying the odds in UFC title fight with Ciryl Gane: “There’s a certain profoundness in having the courage to step off that cliff”
Coach Dewey Cooper has taken a look back at Francis Ngannou’s title triumph over Ciryl Gane back at UFC 270.
It’s been a long time since we last saw Francis Ngannou compete inside the Octagon. When he did, he took on Ciryl Gane, successfully defending his UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 270. Ever since then, fans have been intrigued to see what his next move would be – and now, we know he’ll be debuting for PFL next year.
RELATED: UFC 270 RESULTS: FRANCIS NGANNOU DEFEATS CIRYL GANE (HIGHLIGHTS)
In the aftermath of the Gane win, it was revealed that Ngannou had suffered some serious knee injuries in the lead-up to the bout. Despite that, he was still able to get his hand raised.
In a recent interview, Dewey Cooper spoke candidly about that magnificent accomplishment.
“There’s a certain profoundness in having the courage to step off that cliff. Because you could die from that fall, or you could be lifted to astronomical levels. Going into that Ciryl Gane fight, Francis looked spectacular in the gym, I’ve talked about it many times. I was like, Francis is gonna kill someone – he destroys his knee three weeks out.”
“Everyone, myself, coach Eric, Marquel, everyone, was saying man, this is your last fight, you refused to sign your restructured new contract, you are crazy to take this fight. If you lose you’re gonna get banished and you’re gonna get lowballed. Francis knew the repercussions of losing. In all actuality, with the injury he had, success went from 100% to, I don’t wanna say the percentage, but it wasn’t very high!”
Cooper praises Ngannou
“I believed in him but I thought man, we’re in trouble. Anyway, for him to still get a multimillion-dollar offer a few days before the fight, which most people would’ve signed right there… For Francis not to sign, take that fight and win it the way he won it, and to then take a year off because of the championship clause, it’s crazy. But guess what? All of his thoughts on what he wanted were bigger than the money, man.”
What’s next for Francis Ngannou? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!
