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Francis Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick has admitted he talked ways with Tom Aspinall earlier than Saturday’s PFL title win.
Ngannou knocked out Renan Ferreira within the first spherical in Saudi Arabia, within the Cameroonian’s first MMA struggle since January 2022, when he outpointed Ciryl Gane.
A yr after retaining the UFC heavyweight title in opposition to Gane, Ngannou left the promotion. He quickly signed with the PFL however delayed his debut so as to field twice.
The 38-year-old shockingly dropped Tyson Fury earlier than shedding a controversial resolution final October, then suffered a KO loss to Anthony Joshua in March.
However Ngannou bought again to profitable methods in his traditional sport on Saturday, taking down Ferreira after the pair briefly traded leg kicks, then surviving a submission try and sealing the KO on the mat.
Nicksick has since mentioned the gameplan for the struggle, revealing to Ariel Helwani that he went to UFC champion Aspinall for recommendation.
“I sat down with Randy [Couture, UFC legend] and went over some stuff, I truly talked to Tom Aspinall. I simply actually wished to verify – in my thoughts – I used to be seeing the identical issues that lots of these guys had been seeing.
“Tom and I are fairly shut buddies. I verify in with him, he checks in with me. He’s been an amazing ally […] I believe there’s a mutual respect between Tom and Francis. That’s sportsmanship.
“Tom was writing me and simply saying, ‘Right here’s what I see within the struggle, what do you suppose?’ The struggle performed out how Tom and I sort of thought, then he wrote me and was like: ‘Hey, that’s precisely what we stated.’”
Aspinall received the interim UFC heavyweight title in November, knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in spherical one, earlier than retaining the belt in July – once more with a first-round KO, this time versus Curtis Blaydes.
The Briton, 31, is awaiting the winner of Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic, which headlines UFC 309 in November. In that struggle, Jones defends the common heavyweight title in opposition to ex-champion Miocic, a yr after Jones withdrew from the match-up with an harm.
