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Francis Ngannou was one of the many sportspeople recognized as one of 'Marvel’s Earth’s Mightiest Athletes' at the 2021 Sports Humanitarian Awards.
Francis Ngannou, who dethroned Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, was clearly elated to be one of the recipients of the award. When he was called to the stage, 'The Predator' delivered a heartfelt speech, looking back on his rags-to-riches journey.
"First of all, I wanna say thank you to ESPN and Marvel for the great opportunity to all the world. All I can is: 'wow'. I get to represent Black Panther. This is amazing. Just eight years ago, I was crossing the Mediterranean to make it from Africa to Europe, then I was homeless in Paris, sleeping in the streets. I just had a dream to become something. That's the thing about dreaming. If you believe in yourself, you can be your own hero or a hero to somebody else. Thank you, everyone. Keep dreaming. Keep fighting. Wakanda forever," said Francis Ngannou.
According to ESPN's press release, the 2021 Humanitarian Awards took place in New York last week to honor the athletes, sports franchises and leagues who are "using the power of sport to make a positive impact on society".
Francis Ngannou's tough road to success
Francis Ngannu was born in the village of Batie, Cameroon, in 1984. 'The Predator' grew up with his aunt after his parents divorced when he was six years old. Due to a financial crisis, Nganou started working in sand mines from the young age of ten.
Years later, the UFC heavyweight champion developed an interest in boxing. He moved to France in 2012 to pursue a career in the sport, but was jailed for crossing the border illegally.
The following year, Ngannou started training in MMA. After competing in several French MMA promotions, the 34-year-old made his UFC debut in 2015.
At UFC 260 in March earlier this year, Ngannou defeated Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight championship. He has 11 wins in the UFC, with all of them coming by way of KO/TKO or submission.
Francis Ngannou will most likely challenge the winner of the upcoming interim heavyweight title clash between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis.
