Ngannou bet – Francis Ngannou says he placed his money on Justin Gaethje to beat Ilia Topuria, calling Gaethje the fighter who “always shows up and puts on a show.” He also praised the event after weighing in on the co-main matchup involving Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.
Francis Ngannou watched the numbers and still stepped into the underdog story.
Speaking to TMZ Sports on Monday, the former UFC champion said he “put my money on Gaethje” for the Freedom 250 fight, insisting he already knew Justin Gaethje would get it done. “I knew. I put my money on Gaethje,” Ngannou told the outlet.
Ngannou didn’t mince words about why he trusted the upset when most people didn’t. “I bet on Gaethje. I saw the odds and I’m like there’s something wrong with these bookmakers. What’s wrong, this is Justin Gaethje,” he said. He added that even when Gaethje loses, he expects the same kind of intensity. “Even when the guy loses, he always shows up and puts on a show.”.
For Ngannou, the matchup wasn’t just a gamble—it was a belief. “He’s a guy who’s good at taking people’s souls out. I was like he’s being counted out, why? I put money on Gaethje.”
He wrapped the comments by pointing to how the outcome played out for him. “Thanks to him, I had a wonderful day. I’m having a beautiful week,” Ngannou said, smiling.
Ngannou’s backing came as Gaethje entered the fight as a major underdog to Ilia Topuria. The favorite status was clear in the odds as well: Topuria was listed around a 6-to-1 favorite over Justin.
The conversation moved on to the co-main event, where Ngannou brought his own connection to Ciryl Gane into the picture. He noted he is only one of two men who have beaten Ciryl Gane in the UFC.
Gane wasn’t treated the same way in this matchup—he wasn’t the heavy underdog against Alex Pereira like he was in the main event’s storyline—but many fans still expected Pereira to prevail and become the first fighter to ever be champion in three weight classes. Ngannou said he saw that direction coming too.
He referenced what he said in March during a conversation with TMZ Sports. saying he’d already mapped out how things would go. “I wasn’t very surprised. If you remember us talking about this two months ago. I was telling you exactly how it was going to go. ” he said. Ngannou added that his thought had been that [Alex] Pereira could have lasted a little more—maybe “one more round.” He said his prediction stayed steady from start to finish. “All along the way that was my prediction. Never changed. I never had a doubt about it.”.
By the end, Ngannou’s take on the event was simple: he liked what he watched. “It was a beautiful event. It was great. It had a lot of great fights that were entertaining,” he said. And then he circled back to the main event, reacting to it with real emphasis. “But the main event, woah, that was a hell of a fight!”.
Francis Ngannou Justin Gaethje Ilia Topuria Freedom 250 UFC Alex Pereira Ciryl Gane TMZ Sports betting odds prediction
So he’s just rich and lucky? Bet on the underdog then acts like he knew it all. Congrats I guess.
I don’t get why people care about betting odds like that isn’t always rigged somehow. He says something was wrong with bookmakers… like okay Francis.
If Topuria was 6-to-1 how is that even an upset lol. I feel like the odds were telling you what was gonna happen anyway. Also “taking people’s souls out”?? I mean… sure.
Wait he beat Gaethje? no, sorry, I mean he bet Gaethje. Names blur together. But he also says Pereira couldve lasted one more round which like, ok, but isn’t that just hindsight talk? Anyway TMZ loves this stuff.