The ex-wife of famed MMA coach Fernand Lopez is speaking out after allegations of domestic violence were levied against both of them.
Known best for coaching some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts, including Ciryl Gane, Nassourdine Imavov, and previously, Francis Ngannou, Lopez came under fire after one of his former fighters, Cédric Doumbé, made accusations that he had overheard Lopez physically assaulting his ex-wife during a phone call.
The claim came during a post-fight interview shortly after Doumbé scored a vicious nine-second knockout against his countryman Jordan Zébo at PFL Paris.
Fernand Lopez has since responded to the allegation in a feature published by French news outlet Le Parisien. Lopez confirmed that he had been sentenced to four months in prison following a 2018 arrest for domestic violence. The MMA coach admitted to slapping his former partner but also alleged that she had become violent toward him, his daughter from a prior relationship, and his granddaughter at one point.
On Tuesday, Lopez’s ex-wife released a statement amid all the public attention that their story has received.
“All of this is a tsunami for me, I never wanted to talk about it or let anything from my private life show. However, despite remaining silent and calm for all these years, it’s clear that I’m still being smeared, and a new life is being invented for me. So yesterday, it was impossible not to react to so many lies in the article I read. It was this (rag?) article from Le Parisien that made me react. If he hadn’t opened his mouth, I had no reason to open mine, since until now, I had never done so despite the numerous public slanders I’ve been a victim of since 2022.
“So yes, yesterday I dared to say (even though in reality, I didn’t reveal anything) that yes, it’s all lies, victimization, turning the situation around, manipulating the masses, and using his media firepower that I never had and never will. And he knows it. And he plays with it. In short, everything I went through. but at the time it was in private, so I couldn’t have it documented. I thought I was crazy because my brain had been turned. And I’ve just HAD ENOUGH! These actions with impunity must stop” (h/t MMA News).
Fernand Lopez’s Ex-Wife Disputes His Claim That He Had Only Slapped Her
She goes on to dispute the claim that she was ever violent toward Lopez or his family members. She also added that the “slap” Lopez admitted to delivering was anything, but, suggesting that the blow was strong enough to knock her unconscious and that it had happened on at least two separate occasions.
“Let it be clear: I don’t want to air my private life in public. But the victim is me and my daughter, who witnessed everything. And I refuse to be portrayed as a violent woman and that the situation would have ‘escalated.’ That’s false. And for a newspaper like Le Parisien to relay this information without verifying it is a disgrace. To the point that it was this morning that the journalist asked me for the judgment, proof that they hadn’t checked anything before publishing their article.
“Furthermore, I am one of those people who ‘freeze’ in danger situations. I had zero reaction other than enduring the blows. We’re all fighters; you all know it’s the worst Neanderthal reflex. When I lose consciousness, and it happened twice, it’s my daughter’s crying that “wakes” me up. So no, it wasn’t a slap, and no, we were not a violent couple.
“I sincerely loved the father of my child like never before. More than I should have. Everyone who knew us was aware of it. I endured and tolerated everything. That’s why I’ve always protected him for years and never said anything. He knows it and abuses this dominant position over me, over the media, and over the entire MMA sphere, which is also my sphere. But at some point, I just can’t take these attacks and this nonsense anymore.”
This is far from the first time that Fernand Lopez has been cast in an unsavory light. He previously engaged in a nasty back-and-forth with former student Francis Ngannou and he was also embroiled in a contract dispute with fighter Slim Trabelsi.
Of course, neither of those are as serious as the allegations Lopez is now facing.
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