"Shouldn't exchange punches" - Fedor Emelianenko discusses how Francis Ngannou can be defeated in MMA

Fedor Emelianenko understands that Francis Ngannou can knock his opponents unconscious. Thanks to the UFC heavyweight champion's punching prowess, he has finished 12 of his rivals via KO/TKO.

Emelianenko, who is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, believes engaging in an all-out brawl with Ngannou isn't the way to beat him. Stating the somewhat obvious, the legendary Russian suggested Ngannou should be taken to the ground instead.

Emelianenko recently had an interview with Russian outlet Telesport. He gave his thoughts on former UFC fighter Oleg Taktarov claiming he could beat Francis Ngannou under the old UFC rules. Under them, fights would often last more than 30 minutes.

The 44-year-old said the recipe for success against Ngannou is to keep a simple gameplan and wrestle him as much as possible.

"I think you shouldn't... shouldn't do too much with him. Shouldn't exchange punches, should better go to the ground. Better break the rhythm, work more on the ground." (Translated by YouTube channel Fighting Flashback).

Catch Fedor Emelianenko's comments in the video below:

Watch Emelianenko's full interview with Telesport here.

Emelianenko is scheduled to make a comeback after staying on the sidelines for almost two years. He will take on Timothy Johnson at Bellator 269 on October 23.

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Francis Ngannou set to face former teammate Ciryl Gane

Francis Ngannou is expected to fight Ciryl Gane in his next UFC outing. The title unification bout is likely to take place next year.

'The Predator' won the UFC heavyweight championship earlier this year by defeating Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. Avenging his previous loss, Ngannou viciously knocked out Miocic in the second round.

Gane, meanwhile, captured the interim UFC heavyweight title with a win over Derrick Lewis at UFC 265. 'Bon Gamin' dominated Lewis before finishing him via a TKO in the third frame.

Ngannou and Gane have trained together at the MMA Factory gym in France. After the Cameroonian's devastating loss to Miocic in 2018, he decided to part ways with the Paris-based gym. He is currently training at Xtreme Couture.