Eric Nicksick, coach of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, has spoken out about his mentee's failed fight with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
There were a few things he was concerned about. Francis said: "If I lose that fight (with Jones), I'll lose all my patronage and the fees will go down drastically. Yes, he was going to get paid a lot of money to fight Jon Jones, but there was another problem. What would happen if he lost? He would go back to the bottom.
Eric Nicksick for YouTube channel John Eric Poli
Earlier it was announced that Ngannou had left the UFC. His last fight was against Frenchman Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022. Francis won by unanimous decision.
Ngannou made his UFC debut in December 2015 against Brazilian Luiz Henrique. The bout ended in Francis' favor with a second-round knockout. He has 17 wins and three losses in mixed martial arts.