Francis Ngannou frustrated about his situation in UFC; believes his prime is being wasted
Francis Ngannou is in a frustrating position in the UFC, and his success has taken the Heavyweight division by storm. Francis Ngannou established himself as the #1 Heavyweight contender again following emphatic first-round finishes over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
The issue that Francis Ngannou has faced is that he has been ready for a title shot for a while now, but the Stipe Miocic-Daniel Cormier trilogy essentially held back the Heavyweight division between 2018 and 2020. The lack of title defenses and the priority given to Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier has meant that Francis Ngannou has had to wait in line.
Dana White has virtually guaranteed that Francis Ngannou will be next in line to face Stipe Miocic for the Heavyweight title, but that hasn't stopped The Predator from expressing his frustration over his current situation. Speaking to Morning Kombat (H/T MMA Junkie), Francis Ngannou said he feels like his prime is being wasted due to the inactivity:
“I’m in a position which is very complicated,” Ngannou said. “… I’m in my prime age and I’m wasting time without fighting, so it’s kind of frustrating.
Francis Ngannou stated that there needs to be some motivation - something that he finds tough right now despite being in a prime position:
“We have to get something to motivate us. We have to make money. We have to do something for fighting. Sometimes when you wake up, it’s really hard to go to the gym and train because you need that motivation. Like, ‘OK, I’m training, but for what? When will I fight?’ I don’t know. So you have no clue about anything and it’s tough to find motivation.”
Francis Ngannou then stated his issue over the fact that the Heavyweight division hasn't moved forward since 2018:
“If things were moving on, this wouldn’t be an issue,” Ngannou said. “Many divisions have three or four title defenses a year. We’re talking about a division where there’s been one title defense a year, so it gives a lot of complicated positions for contenders. And then they get lined up and lined up, but no one really moves.
Why Francis Ngannou is right in being frustrated
It seems as though Francis Ngannou has become a victim of his own success. Having cleared out most of the top-ranked fighters in the Heavyweight division except Derrick Lewis and Stipe Miocic, Ngannou has had to wait it out due to the Daniel Cormier-Stipe Miocic trilogy.
As great as the trilogy was, there's no doubt that it had a negative impact on the Heavyweight division by stalling it for three years. Hopefully, the upcoming Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou fight will serve to move the Heavyweight division forward.