Francis Ngannou claims he believes in himself now more than ever before.
Ngannou is set to take on Curtis Blaydes in a rematch this Saturday morning (Nov. 24). The heavyweight clash will take place inside the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China. This will be the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) debut in Beijing.
Francis Ngannou Says He Isn’t Doubting Himself Anymore
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Ngannou insisted that he’s put his performances against Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis behind him:
“I was under high pressure, I put myself in some place that I couldn’t manage. When I realized things were wrong I just took a step back. I tried to remind myself why I am here. What made me take the decision [to be a fighter]. And then I realized that it was my dream. It wasn’t a random choice. What made me be here? It’s my talent. At some point I forgot that thing. Last time I was still dealing with my loss to Stipe. I carried that loss with me. But you can make sure that won’t happen again. You will now see the Ngannou that you saw before.” It might sound selfish but you need to remind yourself that you are good. You need to remind yourself that you are not at the bottom. It hurt me a lot to get out of that. On Saturday night, I am sure I have dealt with the past and I am going to move forward. Even when I lost two fights I didn’t think I was at the bottom, I still had something in my heart. Now I believe in myself more than before. I learned a lot from my last two fights. Now I am coming back stronger, and you guys are going to agree with me.”
Ngannou challenged Miocic for the heavyweight title back in January after going on a knockout spree. “The Predator” was beaten down from pillar to post for five rounds on his way to a unanimous decision loss. In his next outing, Ngannou and Lewis turned in a stinker. In the end, Ngannou lost that fight by unanimous decision as well. Blaydes recently said he believes Ngannou’s swagger is gone.
Do you think Francis Ngannou can turn things around?
