"They asked if I would be ready in September 25th" - Francis Ngannou claims UFC booked interim title bout after he agreed to a fight date
Francis Ngannou recently claimed he was ready to fight on September 25, but the UFC scheduled an interim heavyweight title bout between Cyril Gane and Derrick Lewis anyway.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Francis Ngannou revealed:
"They asked if I would be ready in September 25 and I remember the exact email that we sent [said] 'Francis will be more than ready again whoever, whenever.' That was September 25... but that was I don't know maybe, uh, Wednesday or something and by, uh... by Monday I just saw the interim title get announced. It was funny and the meantime it was shocking. That's how it plays out."
Ngannou said he was ready to fight before the end of this year. However, he was told that significant events for July and August had already been planned.
The UFC then offered 'The Predator' a bout in June, but he couldn't accept because he was in Cameroon. He was also dealing with visa issues at the time. Ngannou was then offered a fight on September 25, to which he readily agreed.
However, days after making the offer to Ngannou, the UFC announced an interim title fight between Cyril Gane and Derrick Lewis. The sequence of events came as a surprise to the reigning heavyweight champion.
Francis Ngannou feels UFC discredited him during the Gane vs. Lewis fight
In the interview, Francis Ngannou also mentioned that he was not happy with how the UFC had presented him in promo videos for the Ciryl Gane vs. Derrick Lewis interim title fight. The promotional material suggested that 'The Predator' would rather go on vacation than defend his title.
Ngannou said:
"What's bothering me is the fact that to promote that fight they were trying to discredit me and pretend, ‘if you want to go on vacation, keep yourself and when you want to fight, we are here.’ No, I want to fight and I wasn’t on vacation. And they use a video from Embedded to play that game, to pretend to discredit me and show that I was on vacation."
Watch the full video here:
Francis Ngannou is set to defend his title against Ciryl Gane
'The Predator' is set to face interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in a highly anticipated bout at UFC 270. Francis Ngannou will enter the contest on a five-fight winning streak. On the other hand, Cyril Gane has not lost a professional MMA bout. His record stands at 10-0.
The matchup promises to be an intriguing affair.
Francis Ngannous is renowned for his power, while Cyril Gane enjoys the superior footwork and fight IQ. In a battle of contrasting styles, one misstep could mean the end for either heavyweight.
Impressive performance from Gane !
He's now a legit contender.
See you soon boy. When you know you know.
#ufc265