Francis Ngannou to be Present at UFC 261- Will Corner Kamaru Usman

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman recently revealed to ESPN that he’ll be having the newly minted heavyweight champion in his corner. Usman takes on Jorge Masvidal in one of the biggest rematches of the year.

Francis Ngannou will step to the plate for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ as Usman’s brother will be unable to corner him. Chiefly, Usman was in Ngannou’s corner for his fight against Stipe Miocic and ‘The Predator’ is returning the favor.

Both the African stars have grown close to each other as of late, with their shared heritage playing a role. Usman revealed that Francis Ngannou was a massive inspiration to him and would serve him well to have the Cameroonian in his corner. It’s clear that there’s plenty of admiration and respect on both sides of the equation.

“Who better to replace someone like that than with the heavyweight champ himself, Francis Ngannou? “It motivates me so much,” Usman said. “I said that to him. It motivates me so much to even just be around him.”

Francis Ngannou is the most recent entrant into the winner’s circle, as there are now three African-born champions. All three champions have a huge fan-following in the sport, and the UFC will potentially look to bring a show to Africa.

Also Read: Rafael Dos Anjos to Fight a Top Contender on Conor McGregor’s Card on July 10

Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal 1- An Overview

The first fight took place back in July at UFC 251 after Gilbert Burns fell out with just 6 days left. Masvidal stepped in for Burns and made a run at becoming the undisputed welterweight champion. However, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ had other plans and stood his ground against the ‘BMF’.

From heavy clinch action to foot stomps, Usman used all the tricks in the book to neutralize Masvidal’s striking threat. ‘Gamebred’ found himself rather depleted as the fight wore on, as the short-notice booking took its toll. He believes that with a full camp, he can make good on his goal of becoming a champion.

The rematch goes down with 15,000 roaring UFC fans in attendance at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. What’s more, this will be the first event to boast a full capacity stadium since UFC 248.

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