Francis Ngannou explains why he believes fighting is more "instinct" than "game plan": "You process during the fight"
Francis Ngannou recently opened up about his views on fighting and explained why he believes there is too much emphasis on a game plan for a fight. He noted that natural instincts usually take over once the fight begins and at times can result in the game plan being altered.
'The Predator' became one of the most feared strikers and earned a number of highlight-reel knockout wins. Although his coaches helped put together a game plan for his opponents, the former UFC heavyweight champion admitted that he sometimes steered away and trusted his instincts instead.
During his appearance on Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's JAXXON PODCAST, the PFL star shared his beliefs on fighting and the thought process of fighters when actually competing. Ngannou mentioned that coaches are there to remind fighters of a game plan, but a fighter's instincts when competing is the determining factor of whether or not they will win. He said:
"Fighting is instinct. You can do whatever you want...There is not a game plan that would tell you in real time that there's a punch coming your way, move your head...You process during the fight. You see, you do...Yes, you have a game plan, which is kind of like a guideline...and that's why your coach [is] there, [they'll] remind you to come back into the game plan but as far as fighting, it's instinct."
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments below:
Francis Ngannou recounts moment he used his instincts
In addition to sharing his views on the game plan being emphasized too much, Francis Ngannou recounted using his own instincts in fights.
During the aforementioned appearance, Ngannou mentioned that there have been times he's pulled off something impressive in his fights that were spontaneous decisions he made rather than something he had prepared for ahead of time. He said:
"Sometimes the reaction between the information and the action, and the reaction of your hand is quite surprising. I've been in the fight so many times that they say, 'Oh, this was beautiful...How did you [do] it?' I'm like, 'I don't know, it just happened.'"
Check out the full episode of JAXXON PODCAST with Francis Ngannou below: