Francis Ngannou is glad to be back in the win column and he has an explanation for the turnaround.
Earlier this morning (Nov. 24), Ngannou took on Curtis Blaydes in a rematch at UFC Beijing. The action took place inside the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China. It only took Ngannou 45 seconds to finish Blaydes via TKO. It was a much-needed win and performance for Ngannou, who had gone 0-2 in 2018 after riding a wave of momentum.
Francis Ngannou Believes He’s Back
Ngannou told UFC color commentator Dan Hardy that he learned his lesson after losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis. Speaking to reporters at the UFC Beijing post-fight press conference, “The Predator” said he’s having fun again (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I came back tonight to have fun. My last fight wasn’t that good, just because I was too concerned about what’s going to happen. I put a lot of stuff in my mind. Then, after that, I took time and thought about why I started this sport. Because, at the beginning, my dream was to become a world-class boxer. And why I stepped into MMA, it was to have fun. I had to kind of remind myself what was the purpose, what was the goal – first of all, have fun. Then I came here tonight about having fun. It happened really great, which is good. I didn’t get any damage, so I’m ready to go.”
With the win, Ngannou may have put himself back in title contention. “The Predator” was counted out by many going into his fight with Blaydes, but he proved that the punching power never left. It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for Ngannou.
Do you think Francis Ngannou is back, or are you skeptical?
