After Francis Ngannou stopped Renan Ferreira in the primary occasion of PFL Battle of the Giants, Ngannou’s head coach Eric Nicksick did one thing he’s by no means performed earlier than.
“It was heavy,” Nicksick informed MMA Combating. “I’ve by no means jumped a cage earlier than, ever. My feelings had been like, I simply wished to get to my man. Dewey [Cooper] was like ‘Rattling white boy, I’ve by no means see you soar a cage like that.’ I went. I used to be gone. I used to be like, ‘Oh shit, are we gonna get fined?’ Like I used to be so nervous however within the second it’s like, dude, I simply wished to hug him. That was all I saved pondering. Now, I simply need to get to my man. I simply need to hug him. I simply need to inform him I like him.”
Ngannou returned to MMA after practically three years away and knocked Ferreira out chilly with ferocious ground-and-pound within the first spherical. “The Predator” entered the combat with a particularly heavy coronary heart after tragically dropping his son Kobe earlier within the yr.
The previous UFC heavyweight champion determined to push ahead along with his PFL debut, and carried the burden of his tragedy with him all through the buildup to the combat. Nicksick revealed a memorable second the place Ngannou gathered up everybody near him previous to heading to the world.
“We met with the household, the prolonged household and we had this, form of like a non-public little room space and all people mentioned a prayer, all people mentioned a second of encouragement to Francis,” Nicksick mentioned. “It was stunning, bro. After which Francis spoke and he cried. He set free plenty of this emotion proper earlier than we left for the combat.
“And he mentioned, ‘That is for Kobe,’ and dude, there wasn’t a dry eye in that room. We’re all emotionally hooked up to the scenario and I couldn’t be happier for him in a time of nonetheless grieving. It was an honor to be by his facet.”
Nicksick wished to do his half to be there for Ngannou all through combat week, letting his fighter put together to face a harmful knockout artist in nonetheless method he wanted to. On Friday, Ngannou and Ferreira had their ultimate staredown on the ceremonial weigh-ins, and Ferreira received in Ngannou’s face.
In Nicksick’s eyes, that’s when the whole lot went to a different stage for Ngannou.
“That dude, after that ceremonial weigh-in, that woke him up,” Nicksick mentioned. “He was like, ‘All proper, motherf*cker,’ and he mentioned that. We had been there, and he’s like, ‘The king is again, I’m going to point out this man what’s up. I’m like, ‘Hell yeah.’
“It had an vitality to it and all of us had been form of comfortable that Renan did that. We’re all form of comfortable that he received in his face, and no matter it did, it woke the enormous up.”
After the victory, the feelings poured out of Ngannou, together with all people that stood within the cage with him. In a sport with a lot turmoil, it was a uncommon second of readability and a proverbial weight being lifted from a fighter and a father — and people near him.
From there, nothing else mattered. It wasn’t about accolades, accomplishments, or championship belts. It was a few win which means greater than only a new spot on an already-impressive résumé.
“We didn’t actually say a lot of something,” Nicksick defined. “It was so bizarre as a result of we received a world title [on Saturday] and it [felt] just like the title didn’t matter in any respect. I didn’t even see the belt. Often we’re taking an image with the belt and that was an afterthought. This was a win for Kobe. That was all we cared about was to get this performed for Kobe.
“And as soon as it was performed, bro, actually, we grabbed our shit and left. It was very completely different as a result of I don’t suppose the win can ever exchange something, if that is sensible. [Later on] we had been like, ‘Oh we received a world title,’ it didn’t even cross our thoughts. That is for Kobe, that is for our boy Francis.
“I didn’t suppose he was ever going to combat once more after Kobe’s passing. I didn’t suppose he was going to combat once more. So for him to have the ability to flip round after which exit and carry out the best way that he did versus a excessive stage opponent, I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Ngannou received the combat to the bottom early, softening up Ferreira for the eventual ending sequence. As he started unleashing his punches, you can really feel a little bit of weight being lifted off of his hefty shoulders with every punishing blow.
The pictures continued, maybe greater than wanted, as Ferreira was unconscious earlier than referee Dan Miragliotta lastly stepped in.
“Dan Miragliotta should’ve owed him cash,” Nicksick mentioned.
“It was proper in entrance of me, like proper to my left and I jumped up prematurely as a result of I assumed — as a result of I noticed his physique simply go limp — and I’m like, ‘All proper, dude, he’s out, it’s over,’ after which Miragliotta is simply standing there nonetheless. The combat’s over and I went as much as Dan, I used to be like, ‘Rattling early stoppage.’ He’s like, (I don’t know movement). It was like a kind of issues like, f*ck this, this man’s useless.”
