Fernand Lopez Credits Kamaru Usman For Keeping Peace With Francis Ngnanou

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.

Lopez was once Ngannou’s coach. The two ended up having a nasty split. Lopez was in Gane’s corner.

Ultimately, Ngannou won the match by using his grappling. The bout went the distance and “The Predator” was awarded the unanimous decision win.

Usman was in Ngannou’s corner for the big heavyweight title match. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Fernand Lopez told Ariel Helwani that Usman kept peace between him and Francis (h/t MMANews.com).

“When I shake Kamaru Usman’s hand, he stopped me and said to me, ‘Fernand, we are brothers. Let’s stop this. Let’s just move on.’ And I said, ‘You’re right. Let’s move on…’ I’m done. I’m exhausted with that topic,” said Lopez.

Ngannou has built a bond with Usman and UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya given their African roots. Last year, Adesanya talked to the local media about having an iconic moment with “The Predator” and “The Nigerian Nightmare.”

“Imagine when Francis gets that belt, [it’ll be] me, Kamaru and Francis: three African-born champions holding UFC belts currently, at the same time,” Adesanya said. “That’s powerful. That image is powerful. That image itself is iconic and historical, and it would do a lot for the people from our continent.”

Ngannou is currently having some issues with the UFC brass. He entered his bout with Gane on the last fight of his deal. Since “The Predator” won, his champion’s clause is now in effect.

With that said, Francis Ngannou has made it clear that he’s content with sitting on the sidelines if he doesn’t get his way in the negotiation process. Ngannou has expressed his dismay with the lack of “freedom” despite being labeled an independent contractor.