Francis Ngannou's mindset has been called into question as his dispute with the UFC threatens to overshadow his title fight against Cyril Gane.
The Cameroon star is preparing to face rising French star Gane in his maiden title defence at UFC 270.
However the build-up has largely been dogged by Ngannou's dispute with the UFC over his contract and former UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier is concerned that if the champion is not "locked in" he could find himself stunned by Gane.
Cormier told his MMA talkshow 'DC & RC' : "I got to be honest man, I've heard whispers that all the the the things that Francis Ngannou is dealing with, outside of the actual fight, maybe taking its toll a little bit mentally.
"I'm not sure but we will see. I know that Francis Ngannou is a man and he's going to fight in any circumstance he's got the ultimate equaliser but he has got to be locked in if he is going to keep his championship after Saturday night."
Ngannou has been in a contract stand-off with UFC president Dana White over his pay which he has compared with boxing star Tyson Fury and his lucrative purses.
White then told Ngannou he was free to leave despite planning further talks with the company's champion over renewing his deal.
Ngannou has continued to hint at a future in the boxing ring and has called out the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
To engage in these opportunities, Ngannou would require a new clause in his contract that would allow him freedom to negotiate outside of the promotion.
He is unwilling to sign a new deal to compete in the UFC if the clause is not inserted and will see out the final fight against Gane.
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UFC analyst Brendan Schaub has warned Ngannou that he is facing a "different fight" in the build-up to his clash against the Frenchman which could take away the "shine" from any victory.
"There's nothing like two really, really good heavyweights," Schaub said during a recent episode of the The Schaub Show. "I think the narrative on this, Francis Ngannou has been in a different fight.
"Francis Ngannou has been in a fight with the UFC brass. Which is, whenever you're in a fight with the UFC brass you're never going to get the shine you deserve.
"Take a page out of [Tyron] Woodley's book, even the Diaz brothers man, whenever you get into a dispute with the UFC they control the narrative, unfortunately. And it's not like Francis Ngannou has a big podcast where he can go on and rip off what's going on.
"He'll do an interview with TMZ or an outlet or Marquel Martin, his agent at CAA, will do some interviews but those aren't going mainstream... The UFC controls the narrative and it's a bit of a shame."
