3 things every Francis Ngannou fan needs to know

MMA is full of stories with fighters overcoming hardships to reach fame and glory. However, it is unlikely that any fighter has gone through as difficult and awe-inspiring a journey as Francis Ngannou. The UFC heavyweight champion has been through the adventure of a lifetime.

It is a well-known fact that Francis Ngannou was born into extreme poverty, where he had little education and had to work in sand mines as a 10-year-old to make ends meet. However, there are many more facts about 'The Predator' that would melt the hearts of his fans.

Here, we look at three things every Francis Ngannou fan needs to know:

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#3 - Francis Ngannou didn't tell his family he was escaping from Cameroon

Francis Ngannou with his family. (via Instagram)

Although Francis Ngannou grew up in poverty and hunger, he always dreamed of becoming a boxer in France. But to bring that fantasy closer to reality, he had to escape his hometown of Batie, Cameroon. At 26, Ngannou decided to escape Cameroon and travel through Nigeria, Niger, and Algeria to reach the western coast of Africa in Morocco.

However, leaving his hometown for another country involved many risks for Francis Ngannou, including death. Speaking about the experience on Joe Rogan's podcast, he said:

"I went to the village three weeks earlier just to see everything because I was like 'Okay, this might be the last time because I might never come back.. I might just die out there. At least, I see my family for the last time.'"

Francis Ngannou also revealed that while he did not tell his sister where he was going, his mother didn't even know he had planned to leave. Ngannou said:

"I went to my mom and sometime I was staring at her (and) was thinking like maybe it is the last time, man.. and sometime she crossed my eye and (said), 'Why are you looking at me like this?' And I'm like 'No, nothing..' A lot of was going on in my head".

Watch Francis Ngannou's interview here:

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#2 - Francis Ngannou once had to swallow money to save it from pirates

Francis Ngannou. (via Instagram)

Francis Ngannou realized he couldn't carry all his money while leaving Cameroon. He gave some money to his sister so that she could wire it to him later. In his appearance on 'The Joe Rogan Experience,' Ngannou said that he didn't carry all his money because he could get robbed while traveling.

He said:

"I gave some of my savings to my little sister to keep it because where we were going, I didn't know how exactly it looks like but from what I'd heard, you could cross mafia and all those people.. You can get robbed and every kind of sh*t, so you better don't have all your money on you, if you don't get killed, or if you don't kill yourself.."

After crossing Nigeria, Francis Ngannou would need to have a visa. He revealed that since the illegal immigrants did not possess visas, the authorities would strip them of their valuable belongings.

He told Joe Rogan:

"So, here was a game - 'Who knows exactly how to hide something'. You're going to have some money, some savings on you that nobody can find.. And they know how to find it because they've been doing it for years. All the time, you have to come up with a new way of saving money. Sometimes, we have to wrap money in paper and swallow it in order to get somewhere. Because you know you can't get there without getting frisked."

Watch Francis Ngannou share details about working in sand mines:

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#1 - Francis Ngannou has opened free MMA gyms for kids in his hometown

A training session at the Francis Ngannou Foundation. (via Instagram)

Having grown up in extreme poverty, Francis Ngannou understands the troubles of children who don't have access to= facilities. After becoming an international star and UFC heavyweight champion, 'The Predator' hasn't forgotten his roots.

"I’m seeing myself when I was there [in Cameroon], how powerful my dream was and I’m like, ‘Okay if there are only like three or four kids in all this village who have the same dream and it’s as powerful as mine was, it’s worth it. I’m not Francis Ngannou, I’m not a UFC fighter, and I’m not ‘The Predator.’ I am just the Francis Ngannou that was born and raised there and I’m seeing myself in them," said Francis Ngannou.

Francis Ngannou has opened two MMA gyms, called the Francis Ngannou Foundation, in Cameroon's cities - Batie and Buea. The first facility opened in Batie in 2019. Francis Ngannou opened the second in Buea in May 2021.

Francis Ngannou's foundation in Cameroon does amazing work for local communities.But the founder doesn't go easy on the students 😅(📹 via @Francis_Ngannou & UFC) pic.twitter.com/XhZ8STgd1w

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) March 25, 2021

At the inauguration of the second Francis Ngannou Foundation, 'The Predator' said:

"The Foundation is to give kids opportunities, for them to understand that someone cares about them. We just want to empower them so that they can pick up their dreams and follow them."