UFC Hall of Famer shares eye-opening insights from wrestling session with Francis Ngannou: "Haven't been blasted like that in forever"
A UFC Hall of Famer recently shared an eye-opening insight from his past wrestling session with Francis Ngannou prior to his departure from the promotion. He noted that the former heavyweight champion surprised him with his ability, especially considering he has been known for his punching power.
When 'The Predator's contract negotiations with the UFC became more tense, there had been a comparison made to that of former two-division champion Randy Couture, who had his fair share of disagreements and a fallout with Dana White.
The Hall of Famer also happens to own Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, which is the gym Ngannou trains at with coach Eric Nicksick.
During his latest appearance on Verse Us with Eric Nicksick, 'The Natural' recalled his wrestling sessions with 'The Predator' during the pandemic. Couture noted that he was filming content for the PFL because they decided not to hold their annual regular season due to the shutdowns and restrictions.
Couture mentioned that his wrestling sessions with Ngannou were quite an eye-opening experience due to his power and technique:
"It was a wrestling day...But man, first two were great, smaller guys. It felt good. And then, that third go, here's Francis [Ngannou]. I'm like, 'Oh God, here we go'. He blasted me with a double, man, I haven't been blasted like that in forever. Sun disappeared. The whole five minutes I was on the bottom like, 'Oh, this is going to look great.'" [8:09]
Check out the full episode featuring Randy Couture's comments about Francis Ngannou below:
Randy Couture clears air regarding conversations with Francis Ngannou during dispute with UFC
In addition to recounting his wrestling session with Francis Ngannou, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture cleared the air regarding conversations with 'The Predator' during his dispute with the UFC.
During the aforementioned appearance, Couture mentioned that contrary to public perception, he actually didn't have too many conversations with Ngannou during his contract talks with the promotion or influence his decision:
"I've never talked to Francis [Ngannou] about this once, I talk to [Nicksick] a few times cause Francis stood up...on his own before I ever had any influence on him or said anything to him. And then, I was like, 'Oh my God, okay', and then of course, Jon Jones and Jake Paul and so many other people started filing in behind what was going on." [48:47]
Check out Francis Ngannou's first PFL walkout below: