Francis Ngannou 's head coach delivered a motivating speech to his fighter before the deciding round of his UFC 270 title fight with Ciryl Gane.
Ngannou defended his heavyweight title against former training partner Gane at the promotion's first pay-per-view of the year at the weekend.
The fight played out differently to many people's expectations, with Ngannou being forced to wrestle after two rounds due to knee injuries he suffered in training.
Heading into the fifth round, two judges saw the fight evenly whilst one had it three rounds in favour of Ngannou.
But coach Eric Nicksick would ensure there was no controversy as he motivated Ngannou to win the final round and earn the unanimous decision victory.
"Francis look at me, I believe in you mother******, we've been through so much s*** together, this is you. You understand me? Let's go," he told Ngannou.
Nicksick has since responded to the video posted by MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, stating he has "unwavering belief" in Ngannou.
"Thank you, Ariel! And you’re right, I knew he’d pull it out. I have an unwavering belief in this man’s heart, I just wanted to remind him," he replied.
Ngannou partnered with Nicksick and striking coach Dewey Cooper in 2019 after moving from Paris to Las Vegas.
'The Predator' fell out with former coach Fernand Lopez at the MMA Factory gym following consecutive losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis.
He is now unbeaten in six fights since relocating to Xtreme Couture, with his win against Gane marking the first time Ngannou has ever won on points in his MMA career.
Ngannou is out of contract with the UFC after defeating Gane and will be free to leave the promotion in December.
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He has teased a crossover fight with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, but insists he won't make plans about his next bout just yet.
"It's been a long time and a lot of things have been going on. At this point, I think my feelings doesn't matter," he said after the fight.
"I've felt a lot of things in the past year, I've expressed my willingness to stay in the UFC and have a contract just to be respected.
"The only reason we are here is because at some point I wasn't respected. It could have took way less to get this deal done, but it went to a power position.
"I didn't grow up dreaming about this sport I just got into it because it was fun. Then you get to the point where you find another side of it that's frustrating and it messes with your mind.
"But I'm pretty good, trying to stay focused, think about the sport and nothing around it, hoping that things go well."
