Francis Ngannou can now proudly call himself the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. He won the title back in March 2021 at UFC 260 after beating Stipe Miocic. However, he had been out of action since then, and during his absence, UFC had an interim title fight.

Ciryl Gane claimed the interim title at UFC 265 after a dominating performance over Derrick Lewis. Ever since he did that, the MMA community had been waiting for Ngannou and Gane to go head-to-head. The time finally came when the two met, and it surprised everybody how the fight played. ‘The Predator,’ instead of using his striking power, displayed his grappling ability. He looked comfortable on the mat and didn’t let Gane use his speed and skills on the feet.

However, it seems like Ngannou was nursing a knee injury heading into the fight. As reported by Caroline Pearce from BT Sport, he said, “The knee injury is quite serious and likely needs surgery.”

He talked about his injury during the post-fight interview as well. While talking to Joe Rogan, he said, “It’s been an incredible journey. It’s been a very tough training camp, very tough 10 months. I came three weeks ago, I hurt my knee, tore my MCL completely. Hurt my ACL and all those stuff. Wanted to call out this fight but couldn’t see myself retreat from this fight. Because it was a moment for me to make a statement and to remind people that I’m the champ.”

What’s Next for Francis Ngannou After UFC 270 Victory

The win over Gane was Ngannou’s first career win via decision.

I wasn’t very stable – Francis Ngannou

Watching Francis Ngannou take his opponent to the ground and grappling took everyone by surprise. It is not something that he is known for and the fans were taken aback. However, this was not 100 percent the game plan, according to him.

WATCH THIS STORY – Best Highlights From UFC 270: Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane Press Conference

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Ngannou, in the post-fight press conference, talked about the grappling. He said that he wasn’t sure if it was going to be a grappling match, but had that as an option. According to him, he was not comfortable on his feet and wasn’t very stable. He was not able to move properly, so when the opportunity presented itself, he took Gane down.

The struggle to stand up might be because of his injury, and he might want to get it looked at as soon as possible. What do you think is next in store for Francis Ngannou? Let us know in the comments below.