Francis Ngannou opens up and reveals why he adopted a strategy to beat Renan Problema

Francis Ngannou Won Renan Problem (Photo: Instagram)

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In the fight between Francis Ngannou e Renan Problem, valid for the PFL heavyweight belt (up to 120,2 kg), held this Saturday (19), in Saudi Arabia, there was a lot of expectation about who would fall first. Due to the knockout power of the athletes, fans and experts expected a quick fight, and it really was, but in a different way than many imagined.

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Known for producing great knockouts on the feet, the Cameroonian reinvented himself and entered with a strategy unusual for his style. Although the fight was not the striking war that many expected, in a post-fight press conference, Ngannou stated that he knew he was a more complete fighter than 'Problema' and chose the path of least resistance to secure victory.

“I could have tried to stay in the exchanges and see who is better at boxing. But at the end of the day, what matters is the win. Even though he has good jiu-jitsu, I knew my wrestling was good enough to control his jiu-jitsu and his ground position if I was on top,” Francis said.

Francis Ngannou, grappler?

It wasn't the first time that the 'Predator' abandoned his instincts and used his grappling skills to secure a victory. In his previous MMA fight, the Cameroonian, after being at a disadvantage in the first two rounds, invested in wrestling takedowns and inhibited the actions of Cyryl Gane to 'turn' the fight around, win by unanimous decision and keep the UFC heavyweight belt (up to 120,2 kg).