To say that Ngannou’s heavyweight co-main event vs. Derrick Lewis at UFC 226 this past Saturday was a letdown would be an understatement given the hellacious knockouts that both men have authored in the past. Instead of another memorable finish, fans were treated to 15 minutes of almost zero output from the fighters.
Afterwards, UFC president Dana White suggested that Ngannou’s rapid rise up the ranks had gone to his head, while Lewis blamed himself for having to battle through a back injury.
Ngannou was not present at the UFC 226 post-fight press conference, but he released a statement Monday in which he apologized for his lackluster performance.