Coach: Ngannou ‘Changed My Life’ With Fury Payment

Ngannou tasked his team with getting him ready for a tough battle against the best boxer in the world. In return, he paid them very well.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou made a lot of money boxing Tyson Fury in October 2023. And he made sure the people that got him to that fight made a lot of money too.

Ngannou is reported to have made more than $10 million for his razor-thin split decision loss to Fury. Coaches are paid anywhere from 5% to 20% of a purse, sometimes with a max amount stipulated for big money fights like this. It doesn’t sound like Ngannou cheaped out when it came to his longtime coach Eric Nicksick of XTreme Couture.

“It was the most money I’ve ever been paid by a fighter – it was unbelievable,” Nicksick said in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio. “It was more than I expected. Obviously, Francis has always taken great care of me, but it floored me.”

“When I saw my Wells Fargo account that morning, it literally brought me to tears. That’s a true story. Literally brought me to tears because he changed my life – not only from a professional standpoint, but a monetary standpoint.”

“It allowed me a lot of financial freedom,” he continued. “To allow me to be able to enjoy my coaching, enjoy being a dad and a husband and I get to take my kids to Park City this weekend, my daughter’s 16th birthday. Helped us buy a new car.”

“There’s a lot of things with Francis moving over to boxing, and the way he takes care of his team. He loves every single one of us and he shows it. He takes care of us, and I couldn’t thank him enough.”

Eric Nicksick and Dewey Cooper picked “The Predator” up after his loss to Stipe Miocic in 2018 and transformed him into UFC championship material. They then helped him accomplish the impossible against Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia. UFC management used to accuse Ngannou of being difficult to work with, but it’s clear that those who work for him are very happy with how he operates.