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Francis Ngannou will face Ciryl Gane this Saturday in a title unifier at UFC 270. Ahead of the upcoming heavyweight clash, Ngannou's coach Eric Nicksick revealed what he likes most about his student in the gym.
According to Nicksick, Ngannou is a child at heart, even though he might seem scary at first sight. Nicksick claims the counterbalance between a scary heavyweight and a man with a big heart is the best part about 'The Predator'.
In a recent interview with Mystic Black MMA, Nicksick said:
"But for me when it comes to Francis, you are talking about one of the scariest heavyweights. This big ominous figure, he just walks into a room and he just takes over the room and you're like, 'Oh man, this dude is scary looking.' And this guy has the biggest heart, he's the one that's gonna hug the kids, he's gonna have the biggest smile on his face. He's the most playful, energetic, he's like a little kid. So I think the conterbalance between the scariest man on the planet to actually the guy with the biggest heart in the room is, for me, the funnest thing to watch when it comes to Francis Ngannou. It's really his personality."
Catch Eric Nicksick's interview with Mystic Black MMA below:
Francis Ngannou claims to have nothing personal against Ciryl Gane
Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane were former training partners at the MMA Factory in Paris, under the tutelage of head coach Fernand Lopez. However, Ngannou didn't cast a glance at either Gane or Lopez when they came across each other at UFC 268.
According to Francis Ngannou, there is nothing personal between him and Gane. 'The Predator' told Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole:
"There's a rivalry, I mean, you're going to fight a guy, you are going to the octagon on Saturday and you're going to try to take each other's heads off. Yes, obviously there is a rivalry, but other than that there is nothing. The reason why I walk past them wasn't because of him, you know. I mean, even though I don't really see why I needed to acknowledge him, he is my opponent and he is not my friend. He's not my co-worker that I meet him in the office, I'm going to go grab some coffee for us, you know. He's my opponent."
