"He has that immigrant mentality" - Ciryl Gane's coach commends Francis Ngannou for his toughness, expects fireworks at UFC 270

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Ciryl Gane with Fernand Lopez (left), Francis Ngannou (right) [Image Courtesy: @lopez_fernand and @francisngannou via Instagram]

Long before Ciryl Gane captured the UFC interim heavyweight title, he was coming up alongside Francis Ngannou as part of the MMA Factory gym under head coach Fernand Lopez.

The bitter nature of Ngannou's relationship with his former coach is no secret. Now, as his former student and his current pupil get set to collide, Lopez is well acquainted with 'The Predator' and his abilities as a competitor.

During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Lopez lauded Ngannou's toughness. The 43-year-old expects nothing but fireworks when his Gane goes up against the current heavyweight champion at UFC 270.

"He [Ngannou] is f*****g strong and he has that immigrant mentality. He is solid so we are really expecting fireworks on Saturday. Man, this is the fight you don't miss."

Watch Fernand Lopez's appearance on Submission Radio in the video below:

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Fernand Lopez has no interest in working with Francis Ngannou ever again

Francis Ngannou trained under Fernand Lopez while rocketing to the top of the UFC rankings ahead of his first title bout against Stipe Miocic back in 2018. 'The Predator' came up short in a lopsided defeat to the consensus heavyweight GOAT and it didn't long for him to split with Lopez and leave the gym.

While Lopez is willing to squash his beef with Ngannou, he has no intention of working with the reigning heavyweight champion in the future. Discussing the matter on Submission Radio, Lopez said:

"I'm really open to shake his hand anytime or talk with him anytime. But I can't work with him anymore. It's like you was working in a very complicated job and you discover how to work in the comfort zone, in the best comfort that you can have. So yeah, I will not. No. I will not go back to work with [Ngannou] ever. But I think he's a gentleman. We should be able to say, 'Hello, how you doing?' That's it, you know, and be polite. "

Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane are set to clash in a UFC heavyweight title unification bout in the main event of UFC 270 on January 22.

The event will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and will mark UFC's first pay-per-view of 2022.

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