Kamaru Usman reacts to Francis Ngannou's successful title defense at UFC 270

Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou [Credits: @usman84kg via Instagram]

Kamaru Usman expressed his satisfaction on social media after Francis Ngannou defended his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

Usman, who is among the three African UFC champions alongside Francis Ngannou and Israel Adesanya, said:

"Words can't express how proud I am of this man @francis_ngannou. Only the strongest soldiers are built to fight the strongest battles #AndStill #UFC270"

Word can’t express how proud I am of this man @francis_ngannou Only the strongest soldiers are built to fight the strongest battles #AndStill #UFC270

Ngannou stunned the MMA community at UFC 270 by defeating Ciryl Gane using his wrestling skills.

After getting picked apart on the feet by Gane's technical striking, Ngannou decided to take the fight to the ground. 'The Predator' successfully landed takedowns at will and retained his title.

BREAKING: Francis Ngannou beats Ciryl Gane to retain heavyweight title at #UFC270

mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sp… https://t.co/kXiUOVHPae

'Bon Gamin' looked visibly shaken by Ngannou's adjustments and had no answer to the African's strength on the ground. Ngannou defeated Gane via unanimous decision.

Kamaru Usman was seen helping 'The Predator' throughout fight week. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was also present at Ngannou's corner on fight night.

.@chiney linked up with Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman before #UFC270 🔥 https://t.co/Hf1oiSugZD

Francis Ngannou brings up knee injuries coming into Ciryl Gane fight

In the post-fight interview, Francis Ngannou revealed that he sustained a torn MCL and injured an ACL ahead of the showdown.

Following the bout, 'The Predator' was interviewed by Megan Olivi backstage. He shared details on how the knee injuries affected his UFC 270 performance. Ngannou said:

"I have enough confidence on my grappling, but I was a little concerned about everything like moving forward, [am] I going to slip, is he [Gane] gonna kick my leg if I switch stance, you know, all that stuff. Then I saw that he's like trying to wrestle which is something that I knew for sure that I'm pretty good at, at least more than him. [It] was an opportunity for me. I couldn't be stable on my stance. I couldn't move with confidence so I was very afraid. Even though certain positions were hurting, I was able to deal with that better than the striking."

Watch Ngannou's full interaction with Megan Olivi in the video below:

Ngannou should have some time off to deal with his injuries after this win. However, he did not share what the next course of action will be with regards to his recovery.