Kamaru Usman shares how Francis Ngannou's PFL triumph over Renan Ferreira brought tears to his eyes
Kamaru Usman recently opened up about Francis Ngannou's incredible win over Renan Ferreira at PFL: Battle of the Giants this past weekend and disclosed that it brought him to tears. The former UFC heavyweight was understandably emotional following the win as he dedicated it to his late son Kobe's memory during his post-fight interview.
Usman and Ngannou have been close friends for years, and so he was emotionally invested in the fight. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was impressed by his performance, especially showcasing other skills in his arsenal like calf kicks and takedowns.
During the latest episode of Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman told co-host Henry Cejudo that 'The Predator' showed no signs of rust during his performance, which made it even more impressive. He said:
"It was clear that...[Ngannou's] timing is there, the speed was there and once he got the fight down to the ground, I mean, Francis is just a guy that you don't want throwing fists at you head in any way, shape or form or fashion. I did cry, I did tear up a little bit. My daughter was next to me, so I had to hold it together. It definitely made me tear up seeing him go out there and do that."
Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below:
Henry Cejudo heaps praise on Francis Ngannou
In addition to Kamaru Usman opening up about Francis Ngannou's win over Renan Ferreira, Henry Cejudo also heaped praise on the PFL heavyweight Super Fights champion.
During the aforementioned clip, Cejudo mentioned that Ngannou showcased improvements he has made and proved that he isn't a one dimensional fighter:
"The fact that he's a knockout artist but yet he's bringing out the wrestling and the crazy vicious ground and pound. Getting rid of Ferreira in the fashion that he did, I think Daniel Cormier said it best. I do believe that Francis Ngannou, because of this performance and what he was able to do, you gotta put him up there with the greatest heavyweights of all time."
Check out the full episode featuring Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo's comments about Francis Ngannou below: