Francis Ngannou, being from Cameroon, had a tough journey to the top of mixed martial arts. His life before making it to the fight scene was full of struggles, but his motivation and determination paid off. Things took a turn for the better when Ngannou was spotted by MMA coach Fernand Lopez, who also helped UFC heavyweight star Ciryl Gane make his MMA debut.

It appears that Fernand Lopez has a knack for finding talented fighters, especially those who hail from the continent of Africa. New reports claim that the veteran coach, after Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, has taken another prospect under his wing. And guess what? That fighter also has a pretty huge stature. Here’s what we know!

Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane’s coach unveils 22-year-old prospect

So after Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, Fernand Lopez found another heavyweight to coach. The fighter in context is Dave Fotsing, who is 22 years old and has opened his professional MMA career with a 2-0 record. Furthermore, reports also claim that Fotsing is of African-French heritage and is primarily a grappler. This may come as a surprise to many people since Lopez’s gym, MMA Factory, is well known for producing great strikers.

Moreover, there have been pictures floating around on social media of Dave Fotsing. In one of these pictures, the 22-year-old looked bigger than Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, which could prove to be a problem for his future opponents moving forward. But if we take a record, Fernand Lopez’s new find has one decision and one submission win.

Well, Dave Fotsing seems to be a welcome addition to Fernand Lopez’s gym as he’s one of the rare grappling-heavy fighters on his team of elite strikers. His addition also proves that Lopez’s aim to find African talents has been successful so far, since he claimed that was his plan a few years ago. Let’s take a look at that front.

Ngannou’s first MMA coach has always been on the lookout for African talents

Fernand Lopez’s MMA Factory has been very successful in producing world-class talents. But back in 2020, he revealed that his primary aim was to find fighters from France, and most importantly, Africa. Just like Francis Ngannou, he wanted to find others, and that’s how his Ares FC promotion came into existence. Not only fighters, but Lopez also wants MMA events to become regular events in Africa.

“We’re just trying to bring a good show in Africa, in France, in Europe, and then bring a lot of good quality content, and opportunities to give to the fighters,” Francis Ngannou’s coach told MMA Junkie. Meanwhile, Fernand Lopez also added that he’s got ambitions to create a successful promotion with the fighters he brings up and promotes. “But, at the end of the day, we will become (one of) the top major promotions around the world.”

Well, the Ares FC is slowly growing as it is still a young promotion. But Francis Ngannou’s coach’s fighter scouting is going strong. It remains to be seen how many more fighters from Africa he takes under his wing, as we wait to see how Dave Fotsing’s career pans out. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.