'I was in the same spot' - Francis Ngannou looks back on last UFC win and how it impacted his career
The last time Francis Ngannou stepped foot inside the Octagon, he got his hand raised after a 20-second knockout of Jairzinho Rozenstruik. However, 'The Predator' feels that he was in the same spot after UFC 249, as Ngannou drew parallels with Justin Gaethje's title-winning performance on the same night.
During a recent interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Francis Ngannou revealed that both he and Gaethje were on the back of three consecutive wins. However, at UFC 249, it was 'The Highlight' who walked out with a title, whereas Ngannou was yet to be officially named the contender to Stipe Miocic's heavyweight title.
The #1 ranked UFC heavyweight contender added that after seeing Gaethje's victory over Tony Ferguson, he felt that he could have walked out of UFC 249 with an interim title.
"Actually, like the same night, and this is not like taking credit or something from Justin Gaethje but I love this guy. He was on the main event and he got the title, the interim title. I was just thinking, we refer to this interim title to request our own. Like he was on three consecutive first-round knockouts and I was in the same spot. The lightweight division was having trouble waiting for Khabib fight because of COVID," said Francis Ngannou.
"The heavyweight division was having trouble as well, with the trilogy and all those things. I was going back to my hotel room like, 'I would've gone back home at least with an interim belt tonight and be able to fight sooner instead of like waiting on a fight.' So, yes, I kind of have a frustration about that," revealed Ngannou.
Francis Ngannou has the opportunity to walk out with a title this weekend
Despite not being able to walk out with UFC gold around his waist in 2020, Francis Ngannou now has the opportunity to win the UFC heavyweight title this weekend.
The Cameroonian-French fighter will be fighting Stipe Miocic in a highly-awaited rematch between the pair. The heavyweight duo is set to headline the UFC 260 card at the Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday