"I don't know what happened along the way" - Francis Ngannou says he had more submission wins than KOs early in his career
Francis Ngannou is probably the scariest knockout artist on the planet right now. 'The Predator' put a host of top contenders and former champions to sleep en route to becoming the UFC heavyweight champion. Ngannou has incredible power in his hands and one clean strike is all it takes for him to send his opponents into the shadow realm.
Surprisingly, before making his UFC debut, Francis Ngannou had more submission wins than knockouts in his professional career. While he is rarely seen trying to take the fight to the ground inside the octagon, Ngannou does have a solid submission game that he can tap into when required.
Francis Ngannou took to Twitter to react to the statistic, claiming that he doesn't know what changed along the way.
"This is actually true. Idk what happened along the way but I have nothing against knockouts !!!" Ngannou wrote.
This is actually true. π€
Idk what happened along the way but I have nothing against knockouts !!! twitter.com/LyricSMMA/statβ¦
Since signing with the UFC, Francis Ngannou has picked up 10 wins via KO/TKO and just one win via submission.
Ngannou is set to defend the heavyweight title against his former teammate Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January next year. Gane became the interim champion after beating Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 and will be looking to unify the title by defeating Francis Ngannou.
Francis Ngannou claims he always knew he'd have to face Ciryl Gane inside the octagon someday
Francis Ngannou is set to take on Ciryl Gane at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on January 22nd, 2022. The Cameroonian used to train with Gane at the MMA Factory in Paris under the tutelage of Fernand Lopez, before opting to switch to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Your #UFC270 poster has landed!
π @Francis_Ngannou vs @Ciryl_Gane π https://t.co/NSuxGGiBG6
Ciryl Gane is currently undefeated and Ngannou will want to put an end to his perfect record when they meet in January. Speaking to Daniel Cormier recently, Ngannou praised Gane for his skillset and said he always envisioned they'd end up fighting inside the octagon. He said:
βYeah, I didnβt know when or how long, but I imagined that it could happen. Heβs a very talented guy. Heβs really good. And in this sport, the landscape can change at any time. It can move. So it was a possibility. I knew that he was a possibility."
Check out Ngannou's conversation with DC below: