Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou returns to the cage on May 16 against Philipe Lins in the co-main event of the Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix produced Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano mixed martial arts event. It will be the first MMA fight card promoted by MVP and Netflix.
Just over two weeks out from the event, Ngannou is deep in training camp and his coach, Eric Nicksick, couldn't be happier with how preparation has gone.
"Camp's going amazing. I'm super happy with the weight and the cardio that Francis came into camp with. Usually have about a two week kind of pre-camp, but this time around he came in really in shape. Weight was down and cardio was up. So, couldn't be happier," Nicksick said on MVP UNCUT.
"The first thing I noticed about Francis is definitely his mindset. He's super excited to get back into camp. For him, he spent so many years at developing his MMA and we saw what he was able to do and then, you know, he stepped over into boxing and MMA kind of took a back seat. But during that time, he was always telling me, 'Man, I really miss MMA. I'm excited to get back in.' And as a coach, I think that's refreshing because we all understand how difficult not only MMA is, but the wrestling element, the kicking, the striking, all of these things put together.
"And it takes a lot out of you. So, for somebody to be eager to get back into a sport that's inherently tougher, I was excited to have him back in the room."
Ngannou doesn't mind putting in the work. He's often at the gym early and leaving late. He's a coach's dream and an example to the rest of the fighters in the room.
"There's going to be a constant evolution with Francis just because of his work ethic alone. He's going to stay in the gym. He's going to do all the extra things," said Nicksick. "He has that championship mentality for a reason. And it's always great when he's in the room because other fighters get to see how he works and how he operates and hopefully those guys mimic what he does."
Lins is a tough, experienced fighter. He may not have the name value as some of Ngannou's recent opponents, but he's no easy out. But according to Nicksick, Ngannou doesn't look past opponents and approaches each in the same way and with the same seriousness.
"I don't think there's much pressure on Francis that I've noticed whether it's, you know, Tyson Fury, or fighting Philipe Lins. He takes every opponent very seriously. So, you're going to get a dialed in, serious Francis come May 16," Nicksick said.