Francis Ngannou pens heartfelt message for Philipe Lins

Francis Ngannou has penned a heartfelt message for his opponent Philipe Lins, whom he knocked out in the first round of MVP MMA’s fight.

Ngannou faced Brazilian Lins on the undercard of Ronda Rousey’s comeback fight against Gina Carano.

Rousey submitted fellow icon Carano in 17 seconds of her mixed martial arts comeback fight.

Ngannou did not win the contest easily, but still, he finished the job in the first round, knocking out Lins with a huge left hook.

Many believe Lins was an easy target for Ngannou, but the former UFC heavyweight champion’s respect for the Brazilian has grown very quickly.

Lins, the former UFC and PFL star, was always going to be at a disadvantage given Cameroon’s weight and power, but the 41-year-old almost survived the first round of the bout.

Ngannou lauded Lins after the match and even gifted a $100k performance bonus to him. The former UFC star took to Instagram to write an incredible message for the Brazilian.

“I really want to take a moment to thank my opponent @phillipelins for taking the fight and bringing the fight this past weekend. He was definitely tougher than I expected,” Francis Ngannou wrote.

“Nothing but respect to him and his team for the professionalism and sportsmanship they showed all week. As I said, I saw a lot of people all week counting him out, but this guy is tough and I will continue to advocate for him”

According to Uncrowned, Ngannou earned $1.5m for fighting Lins – a former PFL champion – who reportedly earned $100,000. The publication learned these figures from the California State Athletic Commission.

So, with Cameroonian’s apparent monetary gift, Lin’s pay might have doubled.