Cameroonian athlete Ngannou started MMA at the age of 26. People thought he was too late to start this sport and that it would be impossible for him to become a champion. However, he ignored the criticism, continued to work hard, and earned his place in the UFC.
Critics continued to disturb him even in the professional league, saying he was too one-dimensional to become a champion, but their words were not strong enough to knock out Francis Ngannou. In 2021, the Cameroonian fighter managed to reach for the trophy by surpassing his opponents.
After that, Ngannou wanted to elevate his career in a completely different direction; he wanted to become a boxer. The UFC did not respond positively to this situation, and for this reason, the champion left the UFC.
Within a short period of 22 months, Francis Ngannou became one of the most recognized and highest-paid boxers in the world. He migrated from Cameroon to France via a route he himself described as “hell.”
Along the way, his life was in danger, and he lived homeless in Paris. However, the hardships he endured were worth it for his achievement of becoming the first African UFC champion in 2021.
The success he gained through this struggle is something many athletes would not have the courage to pursue, as they would reject the risk with a wave of the hand. Now, he has reached the place he desired. He shared his experiences with BBC Sport, stating:
“From the beginning, at the very beginning of my life, I understood you have to take risks. In fact, that’s how I got here. That’s how I got to MMA.” He continued,
“It’s not like it was without risk. But you have to be able to accept the risk to even start the journey. You have to accept the failure. It could have not worked. Would I have been OK with it? Yes. It was my decision.”
“If you don’t finally get your dream, at least you chased it. Not all the people get to their dream, but also not everyone has the courage to give up their comfort zone and take hurt for their dream.”
Ngannou plans to compete in both MMA and boxing simultaneously in the future. “I want to achieve whatever is possible. I have no limits. Limits, you might end up breaking them, but it doesn’t mean you should stop,” said Ngannou.
“At this point in time, I just want to see how far I can go and what else I can do before the sun sets. I’m just discovering myself.”
