Fernand Lopez strongly disputed the narrative that Francis Ngannou improved after leaving his MMA Factory gym in Paris. Lopez pointed out that Ngannou's two losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis occurred while training in Las Vegas, not under his guidance. When Ngannou faced potential dismissal from the UFC after these defeats, he returned to Lopez in Paris for his preparation against Curtis Blaydes, whom he knocked out in seconds. Lopez emphasized that he also trained Ngannou for his fight against Cain Velasquez, with all camp work done in Paris where Ngannou sparred with Ciryl Gane. The coach criticized what he sees as bias in crediting his work, noting that people overlook who discovered Ngannou when his record was just 1-1 after losing to Zumana Sisse, and who developed him despite documentation difficulties.
