Former professional fighter, Fernand Lopez is the co-founder of the MMA Factory, an MMA club that opened in 2012 in Paris. Two great champions of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) were trained there: first Francis Ngannou then Ciryl Gane that he always trains. The two fighters will also face each other next July in a highly anticipated fight.
Fernand Lopez works for a supervised and responsible practice of MMA. He also actively campaigned for the legalization of this sport in France. Today it is one of the best coaches from MMA to the world.
At the microphone of Bixente Lizarazu, he looks back on his journey and talks about his relationship with Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane.
A bright future for French MMA
Fernand Lopez accidentally discovers MMA. While playing rugby, he suffered a cervical disc herniation which physically diminishes it. After his operation, he is looking for a sport in which he could have more control over his impacts to spare his neck. He discovered MMA and fall in love with this sport in which it becomes professional fighter before starting to train the best.
In 2012, he founded his own MMA club, the MMA Factory. Open to everyone, men and women alike, it trains 90% beginners to this discipline. Fernand Lopez explains that he wanted to have a very structured club delivering a quality education. His coaches are thus able to adapt to the specificity of each student while instilling in them martial values.
When I look over my shoulder, I realize that there has been a long way to go – Fernand Lopez
Legalized in January 2020, MMA is more and more followers with the French. Above all, the performance of Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, the two fighters trained at the MMA Factory, prove, according to Fernand Lopez, that “There is pedagogy in France and that we do a good job there”.