Francis Ngannou claims he previously badly KO’d Ciryl Gane in sparring

The mind games between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane continued on Wednesday with ‘The Predator’ claiming he previously KO’d the Frenchman.

Ngannou (16-3 MMA) and Gane (10-0 MMA) are set to meet in the main event of UFC 270 this Saturday with the promotions undisputed heavyweight title up for grabs.

While the matchup alone is a fascinating one, adding to the intrigue is the fact that ‘The Predator’ and ‘Bon Gamin’ used to be training partners under Fernand Lopez.

Ngannou and Lopez had a very public falling out and ever since then the ‘MMA Factory’ owner has done his best to antagonize Francis.

PhotoCred: MMAnytt

In his most recent effort to get under the champ’s skin, Lopez threatened to leak sparring footage which allegedly showed Gane getting the better of Ngannou.

While Francis Ngannou has taken the high road for most of the leadup to his UFC 270 showdown with Ciryl Gane, today he decided to issue his own version of mental warfare.

Speaking with reporter Oscar Willis at today’s media day event, Ngannou disclosed that he previously knocked out Ciryl Gane in sparring. ‘The Predator’ added that it was a bad knockout caused by a head kick (accidental).

At media day, Francis Ngannou tells @oscarswillis he knocked out Ciryl Gane in sparring. He said he knocked him out bad, with a head kick. Said it was an accident and he's never felt the need to talk about it before.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) January 19, 2022

“At media day, Francis Ngannou tells @oscarswillis he knocked out Ciryl Gane in sparring. He said he knocked him out bad, with a head kick. Said it was an accident and he’s never felt the need to talk about it before.”

While the bad blood between Team Ngannou and Team Gane is clearly evident ahead of UFC 270, Fernand Lopez is hoping to squash the beef once the dust settles on Saturday night.

“I’m really open to shaking his hand any time or talk with him any time, but I can’t work with him anymore,” Lopez continued. “It’s like you were working in a very complicated job, and you discovered how to work in a comfort zone, in the best comfort zone that you can have. So, yeah, I will not go back to work with Francis ever. But, I think as a gentleman, we should be able to say hello, how are you doing? That’s it, and be polite.”

Fernand Lopez continued to discuss his former pupil Francis Ngannou:

“We choose our friends, and you can be friends with this guy and not be friends with that guy. I don’t think we really can keep working or do any friendship. I think we just have to be polite to each other and be respectful.”

What do you think of Francis Ngannou’s recent claim that he previously KO’d Ciryl Gane with a head kick in training?