Francis Ngannou Knows He Won’t Likely Get A Suitable UFC 215 Opponent

We previously reported that Junior Dos Santos was pulled from a UFC 215 fight with Francis Ngannou for a possible doping violation. While Ngannou asked for a fight with Alistair Overeem, he admitted in an interview with MMA Junkie that he’s not likely to get a suitable replacement for JDS. Here are highlights:

On losing the chance to fight Dos Santos: “Every day of my life right now was about the fight, focus about the fight. I feel like I’m lost. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to say. That was not good news.”

On if JDS may have taken a tainted supplement: “I think anything is possible. I could not judge him because I know that problem exists. … Some manufacturers use illegal products to make it be more – to make it work more. But for us fighters, it’s no good, so I never take it.”

On a replacement opponent: “For the top 10, Alistair Overeem is the only one who is free, who is open right now. The last time I spoke to (UFC matchmaker) Mick (Maynard) he told me they were still looking for something. I don’t think they will have something because I checked the heavyweight division, and I see that all of the top-10 fighters have a fight coming up.”