Fernand Lopez disputes narrative that Francis Ngannou improved after leaving MMA Factory

Fernand Lopez, Francis Ngannou's former coach, has strongly refuted the idea that Ngannou became a better fighter after leaving the MMA Factory in Paris. Lopez pointed out that Ngannou's losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis both occurred when he was training in Las Vegas, not in Paris. When Ngannou returned to Lopez for fights against Curtis Blaydes and Cain Velasquez, he won both decisively. Lopez emphasized that he was the one who discovered Ngannou when the fighter was 28 years old with a 1-1 record and helped him reach the UFC. He accused observers of bias for crediting Ngannou's success to his U.S. training camps while ignoring Lopez's role in rebuilding him after back-to-back defeats. Lopez noted that the fights he prepared Ngannou for resulted in highlight-reel finishes.