Eric Nicksick is discovering how quickly remarks in the MMA world can be misinterpreted or blown out of proportion, which is precisely what happened with his recent statements regarding Francis Ngannou.
In an interview with Home of Fight, Ngannou`s head coach mentioned that his fighter would be “100 percent” open to a UFC comeback purely from a business perspective, emphasizing Ngannou holds no personal animosity towards the promotion. Nicksick also shared his thoughts on the UFC`s heavyweight landscape, which quickly sparked speculation about a potential Ngannou return and dream matchups against Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall – questions even posed to Dana White at a post-fight press conference.
Nicksick was later asked to clarify these remarks and revealed he had a conversation with Ngannou after some of the misleading headlines started appearing.
“It was more about exploring potential scenarios from a fan`s perspective, like what matchups would be exciting,” Nicksick explained to MMA Fighting. “Naturally, I`ll always say Francis and Jon represent the top competition out there. So Francis texted me with one of those clickbait articles, asking, `Bubba, did you say this?` And I replied, `No.`”
He continued, describing the headline as essentially, “`Francis Ngannou wants back in the UFC.` That`s it. I was like, `Bro, what kind of non-journalistic post is this?` It was wild. But yeah, we got a laugh out of it because Francis and I were actually on the phone discussing other matters, and then he said, `Oh crap, look, Jones just tweeted,` so we were just joking about the whole situation.”
Nicksick confirmed that Ngannou has been in Las Vegas recently and has been training at Xtreme Couture. However, he stressed that he`s not the person to ask about Ngannou`s next career move, explaining that he typically only receives information after a contract is finalized by Ngannou and his management team.
“[Francis] is just back in the gym, training with the guys, really – nothing related to business yet,” Nicksick stated. “That`s why I found it amusing; it was almost as if I was giving away insider information when I actually know nothing. I`m the type of guy who, honestly, it makes me laugh, I`m like the character from Zero Dark Thirty who is just told, `Alright, you`re going tonight.` That`s when I find out what we`re doing. They keep me completely in the dark about everything.”
“I`m a fan of the sport, that`s all,” he added. “I`m a fan of Tom [Aspinall]; I want to see Tom get his opportunity. He`s earned and deserves it. But I do believe the heavyweight division is currently in a difficult spot. It truly is. And that`s just me talking about what could potentially revitalize this division that needs some assistance; there are options available. I have no knowledge of Francis`s contract details with the PFL, none of that stuff. This is just me and you chatting, and I`m telling you how I perceive and see things, and if that option [a UFC return] is ever available, Francis is a businessman – that`s all I know.”
A potential clash between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou would still be a monumental event, even looking ahead to 2025, and it certainly held immense appeal several years ago when the UFC attempted to book the fight.
Eventually, Ngannou decided to move to the PFL and relinquish his UFC heavyweight title. Following this, he competed in two massive, multi-million dollar boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Last October, Ngannou made his PFL debut, where he quickly defeated Renan Ferreira in the first round at the Battle of the Giants event.
Every mixed martial arts enthusiast has a dream fight that never happened; for Nicksick, the inability to see Jones vs. Ngannou would be a significant disappointment.
“For me personally, it has to be the number one,” Nicksick remarked, although acknowledging Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko is also high on the list. “Obviously, I was involved for a portion of that era. But yes, definitely John and Francis, simply due to the nostalgic appeal of two heavyweight titans colliding. One is arguably the greatest of all time, and the other is striving to be recognized among the greatest heavyweights to ever compete.”
“So, yeah, I think it ranks up there pretty high.”
