Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou is no longer just another citizen of Cameroon. A worldwide superstar, he is trying to keep his feet on the ground by maintaining his links with his hard past, as shown by a viral video on the web.
A veritable icon in the world of combat sports for some time now, Francis Ngannou’s popularity is growing. In Cameroon and beyond, the 37-year-old fighter is truly a star who is adulated everywhere. Heavyweight champion in the UFC between 2021 and December 2022, the Predator, as he is known, has entered another dimension since his English boxing bout against Tyson Fury on 28 October. Already a feared contender, he confirmed his power against the greatest boxer in the world today with a fierce battle that is currently earning him unprecedented honours.
Ngannou in the streets of Cameroon
Francis Ngannou is now one of Cameroon’s most beloved personalities. Warmly congratulated by First Lady Chantal Biya last weekend at the Ballon d’Or Camerounais awards ceremony, Ngannou will this time receive the congratulations of the people. As is often the case when he is in the country, the current number 10 WBC heavyweight boxer visits the ladies who sell his wares by the roadside.
Recently, as a viral video on the Twittosphere shows, Francis Ngannou repeated the same ritual. However, things quickly got out of hand as the locals swarmed the Predator, who had to leave the scene quickly on his motorbike. The video shows the MMA fighter, dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow shorts, getting on a motorbike driven by a man, his superhero of the moment. With his imposing build, the Predator clung on to the motorcyclist before escaping under the gaze of a frenzied crowd.
“My life in Cameroon was hard, very hard”.
Originally from the village of Batié, Francis Ngannou has not forgotten where he comes from. The man who experienced poverty, work in the mines, clandestine migration and hardship before becoming a star in combat sports does everything he can to support the people of Cameroon. “My life in Cameroon was hard, very hard. If I could go back in time, I would never choose this life. But in the end, that childhood served me well, because it was exactly what I needed to get where I am today,” he said a few days ago on the Club Shay Shay podcast.
Now at the top of his game, Francis Ngannou shares his story and his assets with the people of Cameroon. Through his foundation, he supports disadvantaged young people in Cameroon by providing them with education and training opportunities. He has also opened an MMA academy where mixed martial arts enthusiasts train. In any case, Cameroon’s strongest man knows what he means to his country and has plans to make it proud. While he could easily attempt a conquest of the heavyweight throne in English boxing, Ngannou doesn’t want to hear about it.
“I want to take a bit of cash and go home”.
At the recent Ballon d’Africain awards ceremony in Morocco, Francis Ngannou made his intentions clear: to have fun and fill his bank accounts. “I just want to have good fights, beat people up, avoid being beaten up, beat people up and take a bit of cash and go home”. As a result, he only favours exhibition fights, including the long-awaited rematch with Tyson Fury. In addition to the British Gypsy King, other big names such as Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua are also being considered.
At the start of 2024, the PFL star will unveil his schedule for the year. We already know that he is only expected to fight around two times next year.
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