Francis Ngannou has revealed UFC great Georges St-Pierre gave him career advice after the final fight of his career in 2017.
St-Pierre is widely considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history and retired after winning the middleweight belt against Michael Bisping at UFC 217.
The former two-time welterweight champion - who only lost twice in his career - was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2020.
Heavyweight champion Ngannou revealed he bumped into St-Pierre when the Cameroonian was just five fights deep into his UFC career in 2017.
And 'The Predator' said St-Pierre advised him to be decisive on his retirement from the sport when he decides to do so.
“I watched his last fight in Madison Square Garden against Michael Bisping, that was his comeback after four years and his performance that night was just incredible," Ngannou said on his YouTube channel.
"But he told me backstage, ‘Man, it’s not easy to come back. If you ever retire, don’t come back after four years.’ Really cool.
"So I got to connect with his friend who was his manager at the same time. Yeah, very good person.”
Ngannou defends his heavyweight title for the first time against interim titleholder Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on January 22.
The fight marks the last on the undisputed champion's current UFC deal and he is refusing to sign a new contract, stating he feels "unprotected" with the terms offered by the promotion.
Ngannou is keen on challenging heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury and is demanding a clause in his new UFC deal that would allow the crossover fight.
But 'The Predator' is playing a risky game as a loss to Gane at UFC 270 would leave him as a free agent if he does not re-sign with the promotion.
UFC president Dana White clashed with Ngannou over pay issues and stated the heavyweight is "free to leave" after his deal expires.
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Ngannou was not in the UFC whilst St-Pierre was in his heyday, but has labelled the fighter as a "legend" after meeting him on several occasions.
French is spoken as a second language in St-Pierre's native Canada and Ngannou's home country of Cameroon, with this acting as a "connection" between the two fighters.
“I think Georges St-Pierre is just a legend. I wasn’t around when he was here, but I had the opportunity to meet him a couple of times," Ngannou continued.
"Very great guy, very humble, you couldn’t imagine that he’s the Georges St-Pierre that he was on TV, which is a superstar and everything.
"Very calm guy, French-speaking so he’s very proud of that side of that French connection, that’s why we connected. Great fighter."
