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Francis Ngannou's coach Eric Nicksick recently opened up about the knee injury that 'The Predator' sustained just three weeks prior to his championship fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour podcast, Nicksick detailed how Ngannou picked up the injury. The Xtreme Couture head coach revealed that a heavyweight sparring partner was brought in for the UFC heavyweight champion in preparation for the fight against Gane.
During a training session, Ngannou's sparring partner shot in for a very low single-leg takedown which caused the Cameroonian's right knee to buckle. Nicksick said:
"It was about three and a half weeks ago, I believe, during sparring... Ali [Abdelaziz] had a big heavyweight come in town. He was a guy that was going to be on The Contenders [Dana White's Contender Series]. He was a great training partner and a great look for Francis."
He continued:
"On Tuesday, Francis was standing southpaw, he was kind of piecing him up a little bit and I could tell the guy was getting anxious so the guy shot a very, very low single... It was really low and went on to Francis' lead leg which was his right leg being southpaw and with the shin pads and knee pads on, the knee kind of buckled."
Francis Ngannou apparently felt the pain but went on to finish the sparring session regardless. Following the session, Nicksick said Ngannou had an MRI done which revealed he had suffered a full MCL tear and a damaged ACL.
Check out the latest episode of The MMA Hour podcast below:
Francis Ngannou could've been sidelined for two years had he further damaged his knee at UFC 270
Eric Nicksick revealed that doctors suggested Francis Ngannou should pull out of the fight due to his knee injury. According to a doctor in Los Angeles, Ngannou could've had a couple of years taken off his career if he further damaged the knee in the fight at UFC 270 against Ciryl Gane.
He'd apparently have to undergo full knee-reconstruction surgery, which would take at least a year-and-a-half to recover from. Following this, Nicksick told Ngannou he should pull out of the fight, but the champion opted to fight anyway.
Nicksick told MMA Junkie:
"We got word from a second opinion doctor out here in L.A. that he was adamant that Francis should pull out. He thought that he could ultimately lose a year-and-a-half to two years after a full knee reconstruction surgery if that leg would have gone wrong, something would have gone wrong."
Francis Ngannou, known for his vicious knockouts, surprised the world by putting on a grappling masterclass at UFC 270. The Cameroonian edged out Ciryl Gane on the judges' scorecards and came away with a unanimous decision victory.
