Francis Ngannou Says He Bet On Justin Gaethje To Win Freedom 250 Fight

Justin Gaethje was a massive underdog to Ilia Topuria, and (almost) no one thought he'd win ... except apparently for Francis Ngannou!

"I knew. I put my money on Gaethje," the Predator told TMZ Sports on Monday.

Figurative cash? We asked ... Nope.

"I bet on Gaethje. I saw the odds and I'm like there's something wrong with these bookmakers. What's wrong, this is Justin Gaethje. Even when the guy loses, he always shows up and puts on a show."

Francis continued ... "He's a guy who's good at taking people's souls out. I was like he's being counted out, why? I put money on Gaethje."

"Thanks to him, I had a wonderful day. I'm having a beautiful week," Ngannou said, flashing a big smile.

FYI, Ilia was around a 6-to-1 favorite over Justin ... and you'd be hard-pressed to find an "Expert" who predicted Gaethje was going to upset Topuria.

We also asked Ngannou about the co-main event. After all, Francis is only one of two men who have beaten Ciryl Gane in the UFC.

While Gane wasn't the heavy underdog against Alex Pereira like in the main event, most fans predicted Poatan would beat him and become the first fighter to ever be champion in three weight classes.

Ngannou also saw that one coming.

Ngannou referenced his conversation with TMZ Sports in March saying ... "I wasn't very surprised. If you remember us talking about this two months ago, I was telling you exactly how it was going to go. I thought [Alex] could've lasted a little more, maybe one more round, but that was my prediction. All along the way that was my prediction. Never changed. I never had a doubt about it."

And, as for the event as a whole ... Francis thought it was awesome.