Despite his hulking size you might be forgiven for thinking that Francis Ngannou earned a living in some other way than by punching people in the face inside of a cage but his softly-spoken voice betrays the 6'4", 260lb frame from which it comes.
Once you learn about Ngannou's story and the obstacles he had to overcome, it's remarkable that the Cameroonian made it as far as the bright lights of the UFC.
Fueled by little more than a love of Mike Tyson and a desire to escape the poverty of his native land, Ngannou's emigrated to France and it was there where he met Fernand Lopez of Paris' MMA Factory.
Speaking to MMAJunkie, Lopez said he immedaitely knew that Ngannou had something special.
My colleague called me and said there was a huge guy asking to train in the gym. The next day, I got to the gym, and Francis was there. I talked with him, and I gave him two bags full of clothes and stuff like gear and gloves, and I said, ‘Please train MMA.’
The very same day, he did an MMA class for beginners. He didn’t know anything about MMA, but the way he was moving and the way he was thinking – he was so smart and such a fast learner, not to mention so incredibly strong. I knew if he kept training, he could be a champion.
It was clear to Lopez that Ngannou needed more than just MMA coaching. He needed a place to live.
He asked to keep his bags in the gym because outside wasn’t safe for him. That’s the moment I knew he was homeless. I offered for him to sleep in the gym. Meanwhile, we started to work on everything to get him a decent place to live. He just fell in love with MMA.
Ngannou earned himself on the UFC roster and since December of last year, he was won his first two fights by stoppage. This Saturday against Bojan Mihajlovic he will be looking to hand the Serb his first defeat in ten years.
But, as improbable as his journey has been, Ngannou isn't forgetting what it took to get him to the UFC and the opportunities he might be able to give to people back home in Cameroon who are stuggling, just as he was.
I want to give some opportunity for children like me who dream of this sport and don’t have an opportunity like me. The last time I was in Cameroon, I brought a lot of materials for boxing and MMA to open a gym. Now I just bought a big space to start the gym, as well.
A lot of children now in Cameroon, because of me, they have a dream. They say, ‘I will be a champion in MMA. I will do boxing like Francis,’ because they saw me when I was young. I didn’t have anything. I didn’t have any opportunity. And today, they see me, and they are dreaming. They are thinking that something is possible. Even when they are so poor, something is possible in life. … It’s not easy. It’s so hard, but it’s possible.
