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Francis Ngannou goes out of control, beats up sparring partner

Originally posted on MMA Weekly | By Joshua Ryan | Last updated Nov 28, 2024 12:04 PM ET

Francis Ngannou is arguably one of the scariest men to ever step into a mixed martial arts cage, but rumors suggest that he keeps the same energy in the gym.

'The Predator' paved the way to superstardom with a selection of violent knockouts, quickly earning him the title 'The Baddest Man on the Planet'. Things often don't go against the Cameroonian, but when they do, he allegedly doesn't respond positively.

According to PFL heavyweight Denis Goltsov, Francis Ngannou can be a real handful in sparring. Goltsov revealed that he understands more about Ngannou having spent time with him in the lab—and would love to fight him in the SmartCage one day.

"I worked with him, I basically understand what his strengths are," Goltsov told Russian outlet Ushatayka. "I understand how he feels the distance, how he works at a distance."

"Therefore, in principle, naturally it would be a cool fight. I would really like [to fight him], any heavyweight in the season definitely wants to [fight him]."

Goltsov later discussed the time he sparred with Ngannou.

"It was just during the time when there was a pandemic. I was in Vegas because we had a fight, I think we had it in Atlantic City and the next one was in Vegas."

"Well, I immediately went there and got ready there with guys in the Extreme Couture. He also came and got ready."

"He kind of works [tough], yes. He doesn't know how to work. Let's just say, he works the same regardless of the weight category, even if it's a women's category."

The PFL competitor claims that nobody wants to work one-on-one with Ngannou and they instead decide to pair up away from the powerhouse.

Goltsov gave an example of Ngannou's recklessness in the gym, revealing a moment the former UFC heavyweight champion lashed out at his sparring partner.

"There were cases, the guys told me a lot [about] him. In general, there are a lot of interesting cases in the gym," Goltsov said.

"When there is training or sparring there, [during] the fight, people are on the ground fighting with him, [if] a triangle is fasted on him [and] he understands that there is no way out of there, he begins to simply beat the person."

"Well, I think that this says a lot about the person, about his personal qualities."

Denis Goltsov then spoke of his personal experience training with Francis Ngannou.

"[Nothing major happened] when we worked with him. I had a nose injury a few months ago. I asked him to work more carefully."

"He said with the nose, well, it's not as if it's not visible. Yes, I realized that it wouldn't be easy to build a relationship with him."