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Dan Hardy has given his thoughts on why Francis Ngannou is under so much pressure heading into UFC 270 this weekend.
On Saturday night, Francis Ngannou will step into the octagon to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. It'll mark the first defence of his belt since defeating Stipe Miocic last year. Many fans believe it could serve as his biggest test to date.
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While Gane is already interim champion, Ngannou has been waiting for another chance to further prove himself as the king of the mountain since his loss to Stipe back at UFC 220. Since defeating Miocic in a rematch last year, Ngannou has been absent from the octagon.
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With the countdown to fight night well underway, MMA analyst Dan Hardy has spoken about Ngannou's state of mind and the challenge he faces:
“I think there are a lot of pressures. I mean, not only is he fighting his former coach, he’s fighting a former training partner and for the belt. The insult of the interim title being created when he was only just crowned champion, that’s something that would’ve annoyed me if I was the champion. Then the whole disrespect around the fighter pay conversation, and the loggerheads with the UFC that he’s currently in. I think it layers the pressure that’s already on this fight, and I don’t know where Francis is at psychologically, but it is a lot of pressure. Probably more than he’s ever experienced.”
Catch Dan Hardy's thoughts here:
What's next for Francis Ngannou?
Regardless of whether he wins or loses this fight, Francis Ngannou is going to have to face some real demons in the aftermath of this contest. His contract situation with the UFC is incredibly uncertain. While he may fancy his chances at transitioning to pro boxing, he'd likely be more successful in the UFC.
Of course, the money factor comes into play heavily here, with the champion already suggesting that he wants bigger sums to compete if he's going to stay in mixed martial arts.
As Hardy noted, it's not outrageous to suggest this is the most pressure Ngannou has ever been under in the sport. It'll be interesting to see how he deals with it.
