Francis Ngannou reveals that he bet on Justin Gaethje to beat Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250

Francis Ngannou heaped praise on Justin Gaethje after the latter's win over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250.

Ngannou has revealed that he'd bet on Gaethje to defeat Topuria. For context, Gaethje handed "El Matador" his first loss in the sport of MMA, stopping him via fourth-round TKO and capturing the undisputed UFC lightweight title. 

The historic UFC Freedom 250 event transpired at the White House, on its South Lawn, in Washington, D.C., on June 14. It was headlined by a UFC lightweight championship unification showdown between Gaethje and Topuria. 

Francis Ngannou placed a bet on Justin Gaethje to beat Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250

During an interview with TMZ Sports, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou expressed his appreciation for the grand UFC Freedom 250 event. 

Ngannou stated, "It was a beautiful event. It was great and had a lot of great fights that were entertaining -- basically, the main event, though. Wow! That was a hell of a fight." 

When asked if he was surprised by Gaethje beating Topuria and how some touted it as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history -- although it featured the unpredictable Gaethje -- Ngannou said, "I knew. I put my money on Gaethje." 

Additionally, upon being asked whether he actually bet money on that fight, "The Predator" said, "Oh, no. I bet. I bet on Gaethje." 

Ngannou alluded to how many bookmakers had Topuria as a massive favorite to beat Gaethje. The Cameroonian-French fighter further indicated that he was surprised to see a bookmaker had "The Highlight" as a huge underdog in the matchup. 

The ex-PFL star noted, "This is Justin Gaethje, man. Like, I mean, even when the guy lost, he always show up and give you the show, put on the show. And I'm like, he's a guy that's good at taking people out... No, I put money on Gaethje." 

The former PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Champion spoke about how he was having a good day and week thanks to his winning bet on Gaethje.

Nevertheless, when an allusion was made to UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan's rumored million-dollar bet on Gaethje against Topuria, Ngannou clarified that he didn't bet as substantial an amount as Tsarukyan supposedly did. 

Furthermore, Ngannou underscored that it was his way of supporting Gaethje in the fight. 

 

Watch Francis Ngannou shed light on his bet on Justin Gaethje beating Ilia Topuria below: 

Francis Ngannou was once one of the top stars in the UFC

On one hand, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has vowed to rematch ex-BMF champ and reigning lightweight kingpin Justin Gaethje. Elsewhere, Charles Oliveira has also issued a call-out to Gaethje. 

On the other hand, there's an air of mystery surrounding Francis Ngannou's MMA future in regard to which organization he could compete in next. He departed the UFC after contract negotiation disputes in 2023. 

"The Predator" competed in a pair of boxing matches, losing on points in a close fight against Tyson Fury and then getting knocked out by Anthony Joshua. Ngannou later returned to MMA, knocking out Renan Ferreira to win the PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Championship. 

However, he eventually exited the PFL as well and most recently knocked out Philipe Lins in the inaugural MVP MMA event in May. Intriguingly, Ngannou's longtime coach, Eric Nicksick, recently hinted that he'd be open to his student fighting kickboxing great Rico Verhoeven after the latter's recent boxing match against Oleksandr Usyk.