Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick has hit back at UFC president Dana White following his claims regarding Francis Ngannou’s release.
The news that Francis Ngannou was gone from the Ultimate Fighting Championship hit hard for the MMA community. The former UFC heavyweight champion is now set to explore other options outside of the promotion, and perhaps even outside of mixed martial arts.
Dana White, meanwhile, made some interesting comments regarding the decision. He noted that he thought Ngannou was at a point in his career whereby he wanted to fight lesser opposition for more money.
Many pundits, fans and fighters took exception to that. Perhaps none more so, though, than Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick.
During a recent interview, Nicksick gave his opinion on what White said and how everything went down.
“He fought the next up-and-coming Ciryl Gane, the phenom, on one f***ing leg,” Nicksick said of Ngannou. “Against all of our advice. You mean to tell me that Francis is scared? He’s not scared of anybody. He’s doing what he feels was right for him.
Nicksick defends Ngannou
“We met with Dana, and Hunter, after [UFC 270] and had a great dinner. Things were going in the right direction, I felt. Got in the car, and Francis looks over at me and says ‘If I sign this deal, without making any chance, without doing all of the things I said I was gonna do, I’m a sellout. And I refuse to do that. I have a stance where I can make a difference.’”
Quotes via MMA News
Nicksick coached Sean Strickland and Dan Ige to big wins on last weekend’s UFC card.
What are your thoughts on the Francis Ngannou situation? Do you agree with Dana White or was he pouring gasoline on the fire? Let us know in the comments, BJPENN Nation!
