Fernand Lopez Owonyebe (born November 12, 1978) is a Cameroonian-French former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

(MMA) and current MMA coach. He is best known for establishing

MMA Factory MMA Factory is a mixed martial arts gym based in Paris, France. It is considered the largest MMA gym in France, and is notable for producing UFC Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou and former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion, Ciryl Gane. Over ...

, the biggest MMA gym in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, as well as being the former trainer of former

UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

Francis Ngannou and current trainer of former

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Interim Heavyweight Champion

Ciryl Gane Ciryl Jacky Gane (born 12 April 1990) is a French professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. A professi ...

Early life

Lopez was born in 1978 in a small village in

Lekié Lekié is a department of Centre Province in Cameroon. The department covers an area of 2,989 km and had a total population of 354,864. The capital of the department lies at Monatélé. It is named after the Lekié River. Subdivisions T ...

and grew up in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...

. His father was a college professor and his mother was a high school teacher. In his youth his father signed him up for lessons in combat sports such as

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. ...

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

Judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

and

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

to defend himself from bullies. In 1997, Lopez immigrated to

where he worked as an

Electrical Engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the ...

. On the side he would attend

sports science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sport and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally inc ...

classes at

INSEP INSEP, the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (Institut national du sport, de l'expertise et de la performance), is a French training institute and center for excellence in sports that trains elite athletes. It is located on th ...

while playing Rugby in the

Pro D2 Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was i ...

league. 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. During this period, Lopez discover to

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

(BJJ) leading him to gain an interest in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

Mixed martial arts career

Lopez joined Mathieu Nicourt's Free Fight Academy where he initially trained in BJJ. Once his neck recovered, he resumed training in other combat sports like Wrestling and Boxing. On 11 March 2006, Lopez made his professional MMA debut after a year of training. The bout took place at Xtreme Gladiators 2 where he submitted Cedric Deschamps via choke in the first round. Lopez's professional MMA career lasted for four years from 2006 to 2010. He fought in various promotions such as M1 Global and

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

, where his final record was ten wins and seven losses.

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. In 2013 Lopez and his business partner, a police officer, opened a gym called 'Cross Fight' which was later renamed '

'. Initially this academy had two students, but grew very fast to become the biggest gym in France with over 600 students. MMA Factory was one of only three gyms to receive sponsorship from Reebok, with the other two being AKA and SBG. His most notable student was Francis Ngannou, who became the

UFC Heavyweight champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

in 2021 after defeating

Stipe Miocic Stipe Miocic (born August 19, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. Miocic i ...

in a rematch at

UFC 260 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. When Ngannou was 26, he moved from

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west- central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; th ...

to France in order pursue his dream of becoming a

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

. Didier Carmont met Ngannou and then introduced him to Lopez and the MMA factory. Lopez saw the potential of Ngannou and convinced him to try MMA even though Ngannou originally wanted to do boxing. Lopez gave Ngannou some MMA gear and allowed him to train and sleep at the gym at no cost. Lopez and Ngannou worked very well together, with Ngannou having a successful winning streak in the UFC and eventually getting his first title shot. However Lopez was criticized after Ngannou lost to Stipe Miocic in a title bout at

UFC 220 ''UFC 220: Miocic vs. Ngannou'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on January 20, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between curre ...

. 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. Ngannou moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

to train at

Xtreme Couture Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts is an American mixed martial arts training organization headed by former UFC Champion and former co-founder of Team Quest, Randy Couture. Xtreme Couture was founded with the flagship gym in Las Vegas. Since t ...

. Lopez has trained

who won the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship after defeating

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts i ...

on August 7, 2021, at

UFC 265 ''UFC 265: Lewis vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 7, 2021, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background An interim UFC Heavyweight Championshi ...

. Lopez has also trained many other fighters such as

Nassourdine Imavov Nasourdin Abdoulazimovitch Imavov (born March 1, 1995) is a French mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of April 11, 2023, he is #12 in the UFC middleweight rankings. Backgrou ...

Ion Cuțelaba Ion Nicolae Cuțelaba (born 14 December 1993) is a Moldovan professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and raised in Chișinău, Cuțelaba began train ...

and

Taylor Lapilus Taylor Lapilus (born 8 April 1992) is a French mixed martial artist and boxer who currently competes in Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former TKO Major League MMA Bantamweight Championship. Backgroun ...

Notable fighters trained

* Francis Ngannou - former

- former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion *

Christian M'Pumbu Christian M'Pumbu (born June 2, 1977) is a French-Congolese professional mixed martial artist. He was the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion. Background M'Pumbu was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the ...

* Mickael Lebout *

Karl Amoussou Karl Amoussou (born November 21, 1985) is a French-German professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Cage Warriors, where he is the current Welterweight Champion. A professional competitor since ...

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 10–7 , Matteo Piran , TKO (punches) , ADFC - Round 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 , Abu Dhabi,

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 9–7 , Patrick Vallee , KO (front kick) , 100% Fight - VIP , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:53 ,

Aubervilliers Aubervilliers () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, Île-de-France region, northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Albertivillariens'' or ''Albertivillariennes''. Geography Locali ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 9–6 , Eric Cebarec , Decision (unanimous) , 100% Fight - VIP , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 8–6 , Christophe Daffreville , Decision (unanimous) , PFC 2 - Pancrase Fighting Championship 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and l ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 7–6 , Patrick Vallee , KO (head kick) , 100% Fight - 100 Percent Fight 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 7–5 , Danijel Dzebic , Submission (heel hook) , M-1 Selection 2010: Western Europe Round 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hil ...

, North Holland,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Nicolas M'Bog , Decision (unanimous) , PFC - Challengers 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Karim Mammar , TKO (punches) ,

- Belgium , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:12 ,

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 5–4 , Cedric Severac , Submission (rear-naked choke) , PMKE - Pro MMA Kempo Elite , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:58 ,

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 4–4 ,

Igor Araujo Igor may refer to: People * Igor (given name), an East Slavic given name and a list of people with the name * Mighty Igor (1931–2002), former American professional wrestler * Igor Volkoff, a professional wrestler from NWA All-Star Wrestling ...

, KO (knee) , Yamabushi - Combat Sport Night 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:29 ,

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

, Switzerland , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Wojciech Jamrozik , TKO , PK - Pro Kumite , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 , Swindon,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershir ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 , Vasily Krilov , TKO (punches) , M-1 MFC: Fedor Emelianenko Cup , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Kamil Uygun , TKO (punches) , M-1: Slamm , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Almere Almere () is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, Netherlands, located about 20 km to the east of Amsterdam (as the crow flies) across the IJmeer. Bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde, the municipality of Almere comprises ...

Flevoland Flevoland () is the twelfth and youngest province of the Netherlands, established in 1986, when the southern and eastern Flevopolders, together with the Noordoostpolder, were merged into one provincial entity. It is in the centre of the countr ...

. , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Delivrance Nsomboli , Submission , MYT - Mix-fight Yveslines Tournament , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

, , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Aziz Karaoglu , TKO , OC - Masters Fight Night 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; "'' Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and to ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ali Yilmaz , TKO , OC 5 - Outsider Cup 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 ,

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in No ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Cedric Deshamps , Submission (choke) , XG 2 - Xtreme Gladiators 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Fernand Living people French male mixed martial artists Cameroonian emigrants to France Cameroonian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu French practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Cameroonian male taekwondo practitioners French male taekwondo practitioners Cameroonian male judoka French male judoka 1978 births Cameroonian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial arts trainers Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu