It is no secret that Francis Ngannou and his former coach Fernand Lopez no longer get along. However, prior to Ngannou’s UFC 270 bout against interim champion Cyril Gane, Lopez seems to want to squash his beef with the heavyweight champion.
Lopez still coaches Gane, whereas ‘The Predator’ stopped training under him back in 2018 as their relationship became bitter. Hence, it might be easy for the coach to train ‘Bon Gamin’ to capitalize on Ngannou’s weak points.
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In an interview with Submission Radio, Lopez was asked to speak about the differences in training both fighters. However, he refused to answer it.
Instead, he said, “I am a father. I have two sons. And you want me to tell you who is better than who and just get me in trouble.”
So it looks like Lopez still has a soft spot for his former student. However, Ngannou was having none of it.
In a conversation with Harry Davies, the fighter was asked his thoughts on the ex-coach calling him his ‘son’. Ngannou looked genuinely puzzled and had a hilarious initial reaction to Lopez’s comments.
‘The Predator’ said, “What the f*** is that? Father to who? Screw him. I don’t play that game. I know exactly what he’s planning, he’s not a son of s***. He’s nothing.”
Francis Ngannou gave a hilarious response when I asked him about his former coach's comments today…😂 More soon on #UFC270 @MirrorFighting pic.twitter.com/I5X4GLsXvT
— Harry Davies (@harrydavies14) January 19, 2022
“After all what he’s been doing out there he can answer ‘oh it’s my son’, stop being a hypocrite. You don’t like somebody, speak clear about your mind?” (h/t Mirror)
Fernand Lopez may have a soft spot for Francis Ngannou, but he will prefer to see Ciryl Gane win
While coach Lopez may consider both the fighters like his sons, they will soon be clashing in an exciting bout. And, as he is training Gane, one can imagine whose victory will be sweeter for the coach.
Imago
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MAY 09: Francis Ngannou of Cameroon prepares to fight Jairzinho Rozenstruik of Suriname in their heavyweight fight during the UFC 249 event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 09, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
UFC 270 takes place on January 22 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The main event will see ‘Bon Gamin’ defend his UFC interim heavyweight title against Ngannou, who will put his UFC heavyweight belt up for grabs.
What are your predictions for this heavyweight title fight? Let us know in the comments below.
Watch this story: Francis Ngannou’s Grueling Training Routine Ahead of his Title Defense Against Ciryl Gane
