“Somehow I always knew it,” he said. “Even when I was a kid, everything that I tried to do with other kids was exaggerated. I found out that I was strong because when I would lock something, nobody could open it, and stuff like that. There were a lot of things like that happening that made me realize it, and the power effect was something that I liked.”
That power covered up any technical shortcomings that would eventually be addressed, and after tearing through his first five UFC foes, earning four knockouts and one submission in the process, he was set to face Dos Santos in September 2017.
Ngannou Laying A Foundation For His People | Fight by Fight Preview | Ngannou Top 5 Finishes | Free Fight: Ngannou vs Overeem
That fight didn’t happen, and the two went their separate ways. Dos Santos dealt with a suspension that was later overturned due to a tainted supplement, ultimately winning three in a row over Blagoy Ivanov, Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis. As for Ngannou, his next fight after the JDS fight was cancelled saw him knock out Alistair Overeem in less than two minutes. A title fight in January 2018 against Stipe Miocic was next, and Ngannou found out that there were some things he wasn’t ready for in the Octagon. Yet despite losing a lopsided decision, he felt until the final horn that he had something to even the score.
It was that old reliable.
