Francis Ngannou explains why he did not withdraw from the UFC 270 title fight. The Predator has explained why he chose to fight despite a knee injury at UFC 270 rather than withdraw.
Ngannou’s successful defence and ability to overcome adversity this past weekend were impressive. Even without considering the ailment, he was carrying into the bout. “The Predator” fell behind in the first two rounds of the competition and could not come close to his former comrade Ciryl Gane.
However, one takedown in the third round turned the tide. Ngannou put his improved ground game on whole show as it became evident that he could find success and dominance in the wrestling area. Ngannou successfully defended his title after winning the fight via unanimous decision. Winning the final three rounds was vital.
Ngannou Clarifies “Dumb Decision”
Ngannou stated that allegations of a pre-fight injury were accurate following his victory, which his decision to wear kneepads also suggested. The Cameroonian revealed during his post-fight interview that he had suffered a grade 3 MCL tear and a damaged ACL just 25 days prior to the year’s first pay-per-view.
Ngannou addressed his decision to go forward with his unification clash against Gane rather than withdraw and push for a new date to the media immediately after, a decision he admits was perhaps “stupid.”
“Leading up to this fight, I get injured. But you don’t know what will happen. I could have withdrawn from this fight, and then get into another fight, get (injured) even worse, you know?” Ngannou said. “We are doing a sport that is very dangerous, and you can hurt yourself all the time. So if you feel like there is a chance that you can do it, I think you have to do it.
“AND I BELIEVE IN MYSELF. I’VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF STUFF IN MY LIFE,” ADDED NGANNOU. “SO I WAS SURE (I COULD DO IT). I MEAN, THAT MUST BE A DUMB DECISION, BUT I DIDN’T WANNA WITHDRAW FROM THIS FIGHT. I WAS VERY CONFIDENT IN MY SKILLS IN THIS FIGHT.”
Ngannou’s impressive defence, combined with Dana White’s choice not to wrap the belt around his waist and skip the post-fight news conference, may have raised more concerns than it answered.
With his contract issue with the organisation still unresolved, the question is whether “The Predator” will continue to defend the championship or opt to sit out the rest of his contract and go to boxing next year.
One thing is sure: with the possibility of knee surgery looming, the UFC will likely have several months to reach an arrangement before the champion is ready to return to the Octagon.
