'He's going to be in my corner for the fight' - Kamaru Usman joins Francis Ngannou's training camp to help him prepare for Stipe Miocic's ground game
Francis Ngannou has confirmed that UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will be in his corner at UFC 260.
Ngannou is set to challenge Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight championship at the end of the month in what will serve as his second attempt at winning the title. The first time around, back at UFC 220, “The Predator” started brightly but once Miocic was able to get him down to the ground, it was a completely different fight.
Usman x Ngannou = success?
Ngannou looked completely lost and was visibly tired after the first round. In the end, Stipe ran away with the fight as the clear winner, securing a unanimous decision to retain his belt and send Ngannou back down the pecking order.
It has taken three years for him to get back to this point but he has finally arrived, and will be looking to give Miocic his toughest test yet.
“Yeah, so Kamaru is gonna be in my corner for this fight. So it’s good having him here, helping me out for the fight. It’s good for him to see where I am and to bring his own assets into the game.
“He’s helping me with my wrestling, which is great. It’s good.”
It goes without saying but Usman will be able to add an entirely new dynamic to Ngannou’s game. While he may also be a sharp striker with his jab being one of the keys to his victory over Gilbert Burns, Francis doesn’t need too much help in that department.
But with Miocic clearly planning on going after the takedown again, Usman needs to give Ngannou the tips he needs to stand a fighting chance.
If Ngannou manages to get his hand raised, he’ll become the third African-born fighter to become a UFC champion after Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya - and we highly doubt he’d be the last.
The conditioning side of things is also going to be vital because if Miocic does get out of the first round, he knows that there’s a chance Ngannou is going to slow down. That isn’t a guarantee but we do have the first fight as evidence of that, which makes Usman’s presence in his corner all the more intriguing.