For Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick, having Francis Ngannou back in the gym is such a good feeling on both a personal and professional level.
“When he’s not here, you kind of miss a part of you, not only me but my family, my kids. Everybody loves him,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio. “So just having him back in the room is super important, I think, for all of us. … He raises the standard in the room the moment he walks in the door.”
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Warm and fuzzy feelings aside, Nicksick is hard at work preparing Ngannou for his first MMA fight in 19 months when he takes on Philipe Lins on the MVP card headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano that streams live on Netflix on May 16 from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. According to Nicksick, Ngannou arrived at camp “beyond in shape” and “shredded,” already weighing 265 pounds compared his usual 280.
Ngannou is expected to smash Lins, with oddsmakers listing the former UFC heavyweight champion a gigantic -1400 favorite to win. Not to look past Lins, but the question is what will come after May 16 for Ngannou? Considering he’s shown to prefer boxing – he lost to both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in lucrative high-profile fights – instead of MMA ever since leaving the UFC in January 2023, it’s up in the air.
While Nicksick said he will support whichever path Ngannou wants to take with his career, the coach does wish they could reestablish “The Predator” as a dominant force in MMA.
“It’s honestly up to him,” Nicksick said. “On a personal level, I think we have so much to offer in the MMA space and we’re continuing to grow. Before the knee injury in the Ciryl Gane fight (in January 2022), I don’t think there was anyone on the planet that was gonna be able to beat Francis, and that was a while ago. Now obviously with boxing and having minimal MMA time, it’s hard because you start hitting your stride and then it’s like, now we’re gonna go do this and that. But I’ve learned to just really trust the process with him.
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“It’s not my life. It’s not my expectations that he’s going to follow. But on a personal level, I truly feel like he’s the baddest man on the planet. I would love to be able to showcase that, not only for him but for the fans, as well.”
But where?
Ngannou back in UFC? So you’re telling me there’s a chance …
Francis Ngannou, Dana White – UFC 270 press conference
In a surprising move, Ngannou parted ways with the PFL earlier this year. And while MVP is venturing into MMA for the first time with the Rousey vs. Carano card, it’s unclear how much the promotion wants to be involved in the sport.
That seemingly would leave the one most obvious option, although Dana White said two months after Ngannou left that “he’ll never be in the UFC again.” Since then, White has piled on Ngannou and only escalated tensions.
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Still, Nicksick is in never-say-never mode when it comes to a UFC-Ngannou reunion – and a superfight with Jon Jones especially.
“I’m never really gonna close the door on the UFC thing,” Nicksick said. “Maybe I’m a hopeless romantic and hope they can get that Jon Jones fight and maybe ride off into the sunset. But we’ll see how these guys and whatever ego they’re butting heads with, if they can ever put that to rest.”
He continued, “I don’t know where Dana is at with the whole situation. I think that’s a question you’d have to ask him. Ultimately I know Francis is a businessman, and to him, it’s not about the ego or ‘I don’t want to fight for the UFC ever again’ or anything like that. I think if the right matchup, the right opponent and the right dollar amount make sense, he’s all for it. It’s truly up to the promotion on what they decide.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Francis Ngannou’s coach ‘hopeless romantic’ on potential UFC reunion
