Fernand Lopez Owonyebe[1]
Born (1978-11-12) 12 November 1978[2]
Lekié, Cameroon[3]
ResidenceParis, France
NationalityCameroonian
Height5-ft 9 in
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionMiddleweight
TeamMMA Factory (2013–present)
Free Fight Academy (2005–2013)
Mixed martial arts record
Total17
Wins10
By knockout4
By submission3
By decision3
Losses7
By knockout6
By submission1
UniversityINSEP[3]
Université de Bourgogne UFR STAPS
Notable school(s)Lycée General Leclerc
Websitewww.fernandlopez.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Fernand Lopez Owonyebe[1] (born 12 November 1978) is a Cameroonian-French former mixed martial artist (MMA) and current MMA coach. He is best known for establishing MMA Factory, the biggest MMA gym in France,[4][5] as well as being the former trainer of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and current trainer of former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane.[6]

Early life

Lopez was born in 1978[7] in a small village in Lekié and grew up in Yaoundé.[3] His father was a college professor and his mother was a high school teacher.[5][3][7]

In his youth his father signed him up for lessons in combat sports such as Taekwondo, Boxing, Judo and Wrestling to defend himself from bullies.[3][7]

In 1997, Lopez immigrated to France where he worked as an Electrical Engineer.[3][5][7] On the side he would attend sports science classes at INSEP[7] while playing Rugby[7] in the Pro D2 league.[3] However a neck injury sidelined him in Rugby and he had to have surgery to treat it, rendering him unable to move his neck for three years.[5][3][7] During this period, Lopez discover to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) leading him to gain an interest in mixed martial arts.[3]

Mixed martial arts career

Lopez joined Mathieu Nicourt's Free Fight Academy where he initially trained in BJJ.[3] Once his neck recovered, he resumed training in other combat sports like Wrestling and Boxing.[3]

On 11 March 2006, Lopez made his professional MMA debut after a year of training.[3] The bout took place at Xtreme Gladiators 2 where he submitted Cedric Deschamps via choke in the first round.[8]

Lopez's professional MMA career lasted for four years from 2006 to 2010.[9][10] He fought in various promotions such as M1 Global and Shooto, where his final record was ten wins and seven losses.[9]

Coaching career

After retiring as a professional fighter, Lopez became an MMA coach at Free Fight Academy for a few years before deciding to establish his own gym.[3][5]

In 2013 Lopez and his business partner, a police officer, opened a gym called 'Cross Fight' which was later renamed 'MMA Factory'.[3][5][7]

Initially this academy had two students, but grew very fast to become the biggest gym in France with over 600 students.[3][11] MMA Factory was one of only three gyms to receive sponsorship from Reebok, with the other two being AKA and SBG.[4]

His most notable student was Francis Ngannou, who became the UFC Heavyweight Champion in 2021 after defeating Stipe Miocic in a rematch at UFC 260.[12] When Ngannou was 26, he moved from Cameroon to France in order pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer.[10][13] Didier Carmont met Ngannou and then introduced him to Lopez and the MMA factory.[14] Lopez saw the potential of Ngannou and convinced him to try MMA even though Ngannou originally wanted to do boxing.[13] Lopez gave Ngannou some MMA gear and allowed him to train and sleep at the gym at no cost.[10][13][14][15] Lopez and Ngannou worked very well together, with Ngannou having a successful winning streak in the UFC and eventually getting his first title shot.[14] However Lopez was criticized after Ngannou lost to Stipe Miocic in a title bout at UFC 220.[16] Since then the relationship between Lopez and Ngannou has deteriorated, with Lopez stating that Ngannou has ego problems and had refused to pay gym membership fees after he had achieved success.[17][18][19] Ngannou moved to the United States to train at Xtreme Couture.[6][20]

Lopez has trained Ciryl Gane who won the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship after defeating Derrick Lewis on 7 August 2021, at UFC 265.[6][21]

Lopez has also trained many other fighters such as Nassourdine Imavov, Ion Cuțelaba[22] and Taylor Lapilus[23]

Notable fighters trained

Controversies

Cédric Doumbé leveled accusations of domestic violence against Fernand Lopez following his victory at PFL Europe 3. He claimed to have witnessed an incident while on the phone with Lopez's ex-wife.[26][27]

Several statements and revelations were made by the key individuals on social media during this period. Fernand Lopez acknowledged engaging in violent behavior towards his ex-wife, offering apologies.[26][27]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
17 matches 10 wins 7 losses
By knockout 4 6
By submission 3 1
By decision 3 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 10–7 Matteo Piran TKO (punches) ADFC - Round 2 22 October 2010 1 4:20 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 9–7 Patrick Vallee KO (front kick) 100% Fight - VIP 19 June 2010 2 2:53 Aubervilliers, France
Win 9–6 Eric Cebarec Decision (unanimous) 100% Fight - VIP 19 June 2010 2 5:00 Aubervilliers, France
Win 8–6 Christophe Daffreville Decision (unanimous) PFC 2 - Pancrase Fighting Championship 2 17 April 2010 3 5:00 Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
Loss 7–6 Patrick Vallee KO (head kick) 100% Fight - 100 Percent Fight 2 13 March 2010 1 0:40 Paris, France
Loss 7–5 Danijel Dzebic Submission (heel hook) M-1 Selection 2010: Western Europe Round 1 5 February 2010 1 0:59 Hilversum, North Holland, Netherlands
Win 7–4 Nicolas M'Bog Decision (unanimous) PFC - Challengers 1 6 December 2009 2 5:00 Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
Win 6–4 Karim Mammar TKO (punches) Shooto - Belgium 27 June 2009 1 0:12 Charleroi, Wallonia, Belgium
Win 5–4 Cedric Severac Submission (rear-naked choke) PMKE - Pro MMA Kempo Elite 6 June 2009 2 2:58 Lyon, France
Loss 4–4 Igor Araujo KO (knee) Yamabushi - Combat Sport Night 5 2 May 2009 2 1:29 Geneva, Switzerland
Win 4–3 Wojciech Jamrozik TKO PK - Pro Kumite 21 February 2009 1 1:03 Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Loss 3–3 Vasily Krilov TKO (punches) M-1 MFC: Fedor Emelianenko Cup 15 May 2008 1 N/A Russia
Loss 3–2 Kamil Uygun TKO (punches) M-1: Slamm 2 March 2008 1 N/A Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands.
Win 3–1 Delivrance Nsomboli Submission MYT - Mix-fight Yveslines Tournament 8 December 2007 N/A N/A France
Loss 2–1 Aziz Karaoglu TKO OC - Masters Fight Night 6 11 November 2006 2 N/A Wuppertal, Germany
Win 2–0 Ali Yilmaz TKO OC 5 - Outsider Cup 5 13 May 2006 1 2:31 Duisburg, Germany
Win 1–0 Cedric Deshamps Submission (choke) XG 2 - Xtreme Gladiators 2 11 March 2006 1 N/A Paris, France

References

  1. 1 2 "Fernand Lopez Owoyenbe : Entraîneur militant". Karate Bushido (in French). 28 April 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "MMA Fighter - Lopez Owonyebe". www.mmafreeagent.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Bissell, Tim (18 January 2018). "Feature: Fernand Lopez and the Factory behind Francis Ngannou". Bloody Elbow.
  4. 1 2 "Fernand Lopez: The Mastermind Behind Francis Ngannou And MMA Factory Paris". MMAnytt.com. 5 December 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Avant-gardiste, par Fernand Lopez - Le MMA, comme une évidence pour Fernand Lopez". By Athlete (in French). 30 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Coach Fernand Lopez insists that future Ciryl Gane vs. Francis Ngannou fight won't be personal". MMA Junkie. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gendron, Guillaume. "Fernand Lopez Owonyebe : Zéro tracas". Libération (in French). Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  8. ↑ Sherdog.com. "XG 2 - Xtreme Gladiators 2". Sherdog. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  9. 1 2 Sherdog.com. "Lopez Owonyebe MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 Dundas, Chad. "From Homeless to UFC's Next Big Thing: Francis Ngannou's Amazing Journey". Bleacher Report.
  11. ↑ "Interview Fernand Lopez : boss du MMA Factory, head-coach de Ngannou". La Sueur (in French). 24 February 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "UFC 260 results, highlights: Francis Ngannou brutally knocks out Stipe Miocic to claim heavyweight title". CBSSports.com. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 "MMA : le parcours hors-norme de Francis NGannou, nouveau champion du monde des poids lourds". France Bleu (in French). 29 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 Coleman, Joe (28 March 2021). "New UFC champ Ngannou slept rough on way to top, loved Mike Tyson and packs a punch". talkSPORT. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  15. ↑ Lesage, Julien (28 March 2021). "Francis Ngannou, ex-SDF et champion du monde de MMA : "Il sait ce qu'il a enduré pour y parvenir"". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  16. ↑ "Coach Fernand Lopez Responds To Critics Following Francis Ngannou's Loss At UFC 220". MMAnytt.com. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  17. ↑ ""I Feel Like You Have an Ego Problem" - Francis Ngannou's Coach Drops Insider Details". EssentiallySports. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  18. ↑ Lynch, James (11 February 2021). "Fernand Lopez: Traduction de l'interview "Line Movement"". MMA DEFERLANTE (in French). Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  19. ↑ "Coach Fernand Lopez Claims Ngannou Refused To Pay Gym Membership". MMA News. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  20. ↑ "Who Are Francis Ngannou's Coaches and Training Partners?". EssentiallySports. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  21. ↑ Nolan King (28 June 2021). "UFC 265 heads to Houston with Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane interim heavyweight championship headliner". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 28 June 2021. (in English)
  22. 1 2 Rigaud, Robin. "UFC Sunrise : Ion Cutelaba s'attaque à une légende !". MMAFACTORY (in French).
  23. 1 2 "Former UFC fighter Taylor Lapilus has a goal to return to the promotion in 2020". MMA Junkie. 12 December 2019.
  24. ↑ Dundas, Chad. "From Homeless to UFC's Next Big Thing: Francis Ngannou's Amazing Journey". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  25. ↑ "Christian M'Pumbu élève au MMAFACTORY". MMAFACTORY (in French). 1 April 2016.
  26. 1 2 "Fernand Lopez admet des actes de violences conjugales : « J'ai levé la main sur mon ex-conjointe »". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  27. 1 2 Parisien, Le (7 October 2023). "« Première touche, je suis KO » : l'ex-femme de Fernand Lopez décrit les violences dont elle a été victime". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 16 January 2024.
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