Francis Ngannou's coach Erick Nicksick weighs in on beef with former trainer Fernand Lopez - "It does kind of suck"

Ciryl Gane with Fernand Lopez (Left) and Francis Ngannou with Erik Nicksick (Right) [Images via @lopez_fernand and @eric_xcmma on Instagram]

Francis Ngannou's current coach Erick Nicksick has finally spoken about the UFC heavyweight champ's strained relationship with his former trainer Fernand Lopez. Lopez is currently the head coach of Ngannou's upcoming opponent at UFC 270, Ciryl Gane.

The battle of the 𝑩𝑨𝑫𝑫𝑬𝑺𝑻 𝑴𝑬𝑵 𝑶𝑵 𝑷𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑬𝑻 𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑯 🌎

@Francis_Ngannou vs @Ciryl_Gane goes down TOMORROW NIGHT

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Ahead of the fight, Eric Nicksick weighed in on the beef between Francis Ngannou and Fernand Lopez. According to Nicksick, the situation is very unfortunate and he'd have wanted the two of them to have be on better terms because of the incredible work they've done together in the past.

Nicksick said he respects Lopez for helping bring up world-class talents like Ngannou and Gane and feels sorry that his relationship with 'The Predator' has soured over the years. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Nicksick said:

"I got nothing but respect for these guys you know. This man has built a great lineage of fighters out there in France. He's time and time again proven these guys are fighting at the highest level. I don't really try to bring more to that other than the fact that yeah, they used to be each other's former coach and training partners and [I feel] a little bit of empathy too. I feel bad that they don't have that relationship anymore because they did a lot together you know and it does kind of suck that that's where it ended and they don't have this like relationship that you would hope that they would but it is what it is..."

Check out the interview below:

Fernand Lopez opens up on emotional attachment with Francis Ngannou despite their differences

Despite having their differences, Fernand Lopez regrets falling out with Francis Ngannou. The veteran coach said he grew close to 'The Predator' after helping him train and prepare for fights over the years. He spoke about how they used to share rooms, flights and train together and how that created an emotional connection between them.

Looking back at those moments, Lopez regrets all the public back-and-forth between him and Ngannou in the leadup to UFC 270. Although he wishes things had gone differently, the 43-year-old asserted he's more than happy with his "new family" and wasn't disappointed by Ngannou's decision to change teams.

According to Lopez:

"What I regret the most is the falling down with Francis. Because when you spend that amount of time with someone, sharing the rooms, sharing the flights, sharing the training, you certainly get attached to him. And when you get a fallout, it’s disappointing. That’s it. What happened next is very fine for me, I’m good for that. I’m in this sport family and I have my own new family, and we are fine with that.”

Coach Fernand Lopez admits he has regrets about the way his relationship with Francis Ngannou deteriorated.

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