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Could Syndicate Be Francis Ngannou's New Home?



Ngannou has been everything that the UFC heavyweight division needs: a fresh face, a dominant finisher, a charismatic interview, and more. So, you can imagine the excitement when their most hyped prospect decided to make the switch and move from his home gym in Paris to Las Vegas. While his switch was made in part by his desire to make use of the UFC Athlete Health and Performance Center, finding a new home gym will also be a necessity.



Enter Coach John Wood and Syndicate MMA.



Although Ngannou has made to official decision about where he'll be training, Wood made no secret about how much he'd love to have the heavyweight on board when talking to The Top Turtle Podcast.



"Who wouldn't want to work with the guy? He is an incredible athlete in terms of size, speed, talent; everything is there."



But it isn't just a want. Wood has even started the process of chatting with Ngannou and talking to him about the benefits of the gym.



"I've had a couple conversations with him. He's come to the gym."



However, the visit may have been a little different than most fans might expect.



"He was actually in the kids class, playing around with the kids and doing that whole thing....He's an awesome guy. He loves kids. The first time I met him, he took my kid right out of my hands and took my baby and started playing with him."



At first glance at the mammoth of a man, some might not be too willing to turn their child over to him. Wood joked that he had little choice.



"There was nothing I could do even if I wanted to [laughs]."



With all joking aside, Wood expressed with real sincerity that he'd love to have the heavyweight on board.



"Very nice guy, super athlete. Obviously, yes, I would love to work with him… Ultimately that's up to him and we hope to have him here."



But at the same time, Wood stated that he wants Francis Ngannou to want to be here, and that that was the most important thing.



"The way we work at Syndicate and why we've built such a strong team and family is that I want guys who want to be here and I want it to fit with our gym, my mold and my coaching… I want us to sell ourselves. I'm not a big go out and recruit a bunch of guys and try to make people want to be here. I want people to want to be here."





