Fernand Lopez disputes narrative that Ngannou improved after leaving Paris gym

Coach Fernand Lopez strongly challenged the common perception that Francis Ngannou's success came after leaving Lopez's MMA Factory in Paris for Las Vegas. Lopez pointed out that Ngannou's losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis both occurred when he was already training in Las Vegas with his American-based team. After two consecutive defeats, when Dana White wanted to cut Ngannu and he was given Curtis Blaydes as what was meant to be a final test, Ngannou actually returned to Paris to train with Lopez. Lopez insisted on specific conditions before agreeing to work with him again. The resulting camp in Paris led to Ngannou knocking out Blaydes in seconds in China, and similarly his preparation for the Velasquez fight was also done entirely with Lopez in Paris. Lopez emphasized that he discovered Ngannou when he was 28 years old with a 1-1 record after losing to Zoumana Cisse, and that he was the one who believed in and promoted the future heavyweight champion despite documentation difficulties.