Watch the UFC heavyweight champ land some kicks as he nears his long-awaited Octagon return.
Francis Ngannou says it ‘feels damn good’ to be kicking again after spending the better part of the year injured and unable to train.
The heavy-hitting knockout artist posted a video of him kicking the pads for the first time since he blew out his knee against ex-teammate turned heavyweight rival Ciryl Gane this past January at UFC 270.
Despite entering the bout with a pre-existing knee injury, ‘The Predator’ beat ‘Bon Gamin’ via unanimous decision to retain his heavyweight title, marking his first defense as champion.
He underwent ACL and MCL surgery earlier this year and is expected to return to the Octagon in 2023, although he is still yet to reach a deal with the UFC, claiming his “contract situation hasn’t been sorted”.
It could be at least another few months until we see Ngannou back in action, so for now, enjoy the following footage courtesy of his Instagram.
“Slowly getting back into kicking, It feels damn good. Thank you @eric_xcmma for having me.”