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UFC heavyweight title contender Francis Ngannou claims that he took his loss against Stipe Miocic at UFC 220 as a learning experience, instead of a crushing defeat.
When Francis Ngannou faced Stipe Miocic back in 2018, the Cameroonian-French fighter was relatively inexperienced. That led him to be over-zealous during the fight, which ultimately led to his downfall. However, Ngannou claims he took the loss in his stride and learned a lot of things from it, which he is hoping to show if and when he rematches Miocic for the title down the line.
In a video released on his own YouTube channel, Francis said that there is a huge difference between the man that fought Stipe three years ago and the man who is preparing to fight him now, in 2021.
In his own words, Ngannou was an 'amateur' back then and in retrospect, feels that he wasn't prepared to fight someone like Miocic at the time.
"The Francis who fought Stipe three years ago and the Francis today are hugely different. I would call myself an amateur in the combat sports world back then. I didn't know much and was inexperienced. There were a lot of things that I questioned myself about back then. There were a lot of things I wasn't even aware of and to be honest, I wasn't prepared and I wasn't ready to face that level of combat."
The loss against Stipe Miocic prompted Francis Ngannou to become a more well-rounded fighter
Francis Ngannou then went on to say that Stipe taught him a lot of important lessons in the fight which have contributed towards making him a much well-rounded fighter now. The knockout artist said that the loss against Miocic prompted him to learn about other aspects of the sport, apart from striking.
Ngannou said that in these three years, his game has improved a lot and he understands the sport much better than he used to. He believes that the lessons he took from the fight against Miocic have transformed him into a different fighter.
"He [Stipe] taught me a lot and I have learned different aspects of this sport and I'm still learning and will continue to do so. That makes a big difference compared to where I was three years ago so its way more different now. I understand fighting and how to manage fights."
Will Francis Ngannou be able to get the better of Stipe Miocic the second time around? Let us know in the comments section.
