Francis Zavier Ngannou is a French-Cameroonian MMA fighter. Nicknamed “The Predator,” he used to compete in the heavyweight division at the Ultimate Championship (UFC). Ngannou was born on September 5, 1986, in Batie, Cameroon. He initially wanted to be a boxer; however, he had to change his plans due to an illness, only to chase his dream later.
He made his way to Paris, France, to train for boxing but got introduced to MMA instead. He met Francis Carmont, who helped him train to become an MMA fighter. He made his UFC debut against another debutant fighter, Luis Henrique, at UFC on Fox 17 on December 19, 2015. He won the fight by KO in Round 2. Since then, he has gone on to be a 1-time UFC heavyweight champion and a 6-time winner of the Performance of the Night bonus. He was the first UFC champion who was Cameroonian. His final fight at the organization was against Ciryl Gane on January 22, 2022, which he won via unanimous decision.
Ngannou currently has a MMA of 17 wins (12 by knockout, 4 by submission, and 1 by decision) and 3 losses (3 by decision). He made his professional boxing debut against the current WBC Heavyweight Champion, Tyson Fury, on October 28, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but came up short via a split decision loss in a closely contested fight. He is set to face the former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 8, 2024, in a heavyweight boxing showdown, Ngannou will also make his Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) debut in 2024.
Francis Ngannou’s Height
Francis Ngannou currently stands 6 feet, 4 inches, or 193 cm tall. The average height of a fighter in the heavyweight division of the UFC is 6 feet, which makes Ngannou slightly above the average stature. Ngannou also has a reach of 83 inches.
Francis Ngannou’s Career Highlights
Francis Ngannou has had some awesome fights over the years. Here are a few of them:
December 19, 2015
Francis Ngannou made his UFC debut and faced Luis Henrique at UFC on Fox: Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2. He earned his first UFC win by defeating Henrique via KO/TKO in 2 minutes, 53 seconds in Round 2.
December 9, 2016
Francis Ngannou faced Anthony Hamilton at Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov. He defeated Hamilton through submission by a kimura lock during 1 minute, 57 seconds in Round 1.
December 2, 2017
Francis Ngannou faced Alistair Overeem at UFC 218: Holloway vs Aldo 2. He defeated Overeem by KO/TKO through a punch during 5 minutes into Round 3.
January 20, 2018
Francis Ngannou faced Stipe Miocic at UFC 220: Miocic vs Ngannou. This was a fight for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. However, Ngannou lost to Miocic via unanimous decision during 5 minutes in Round 5.
November 24, 2018
Francis Ngannout faced Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2. He defeated Blaydes via KO/TKO with a punch in 45 seconds during Round 1. He also won Performance of the Night for this fight.
June 29, 2019
Francis Ngannou faced Junior Dos Santos at UFC Fight Night: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos. Ngannou defeated Dos Santos by KO/TKO through a punch during 1 minute, 11 seconds in Round 1. He also got Performance of the Night for this fight.
May 9, 2020
Francis Ngannou faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje. He defeated Rozenstruik via KO/TKO through a punch during 20 seconds in Round 1. He also got Performance of the Night for this fight.
March 27, 2021
Francis Ngannou faced Stipe Miocic again at UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou. This was again a fight for the UFC heavyweight championship. However, this time, Ngannou defeated Miocic by KO/TKO through a punch in 52 seconds during round 2 of the bout. He got Performance of the Night for this fight besides becoming the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.
January 22, 2022
Francis Ngannou faced and defended his UFC heavyweight championship against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane. He defeated Gane by unanimous decision. This was also his last fight for the UFC.
October 28, 2023
After splitting from the UFC in early 2023, Ngannou signed a contract for a 10-round fight with the current WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury. Billed as 'Rumble in Riyadh,' this fight took place on October 28, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ngannou lost the bout via a single-point split decision; he was, however, praised for his performance against Fury.
Last Updated on February 23, 2024
Last Updated On October 29, 2023
FAQs
A. Francis Ngannou is currently 37 years old.
A. Francis Ngannou’s nickname is “The Predator.”
A. Francis Ngannou is from Batie, Cameroon.
A. Francis Ngannou was the UFC Heavyweight Champion at UFC.
A. Francis Ngannou is set to face Anthony Joshua in his upcoming fight on March 8, 2024.
