Francis Ngannou News

Tom Taylor - February 21, 2018

In the wake of Derrick Lewis’ latest thunderous knockout win, which came against a gritty Marcin Tybura, fans immediately began clamoring for a matchup between him and fellow knockout artist Francis Ngannou. From the looks of it, the UFC has been listening.

Justin Golightly - February 14, 2018

From steroid allegations to body shaming, Derrick Lewis has been all over Francis Ngannou after he came up short in his fight against Stipe Miocic. He was already criticizing the fighter, but this only intensified after Lewis found out Ngannou’s pay in the main event title fight at UC 220. If Lewis is able to beat Marcin Tybura on Sunday, it sounds like he’ll be looking for a title shot himself, even if it’s just to drink beer and gas out. “For sure, that’s all I really care about [is money]. Now that I’ve seen that – what’s his name, Francis [Ngannou]? – he got $500,000 just fighting for the belt. Let me fight for the belt next. They can give me $500,000. Sh-t, I’m going to gas out too. Guaranteed $500,000? You don’t have to worry about me training before a camp. I’ll be drinking a beer right after weigh-ins.”

Tom Taylor - February 11, 2018

Last night, in the co-main event of UFC 221, rising heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes picked up the biggest win of his career thus far, wrestling Mark Hunt to an impressive unanimous decision triumph. While Blaydes got the win he was chasing, he did have to weather some adversity in this fight, as Hunt very nearly put him down with punches in the first frame. Luckily, though, his chin held strong, and he was able to survive this scare.

Tom Taylor - February 8, 2018

Last month, in the main event of UFC 220, the hype train of Francis Ngannou came to an abrupt halt at the hands of UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. For five rounds, the champ out-fought the challenger, exposing major deficits in his wrestling and his cardio in the process. Speaking on a recent episode of his podcast, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan (one of the biggest drivers of Ngannou’s hype train before UFC 220) discussed the outcome of the UFC 220 main event.

Justin Golightly - January 31, 2018

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Derrick Lewis, better known as The Black Beast. He’s coming back in action at UFC Austin on February 18th to fight Marcin Tybura, but he’s got his eyes on another fighter. Francis Ngannou is taking some time off after coming up short against Stipe Miocic, but whenever he comes back, Lewis is up to throw down with the big man. He doesn’t stop at the call-out though, he alleges the 31-year old is at least 40 and is on performance enhancing drugs. “Yeah, I’ll fight [Francis Ngannou] on sight you know. This guy over here, every time somebody ask me a question about him, I say something nice, but every time somebody say something about him, he’s like trying to talk down on me saying I’m not on his level, talking about how I’m too slow and this and that. I really don’t care, but, don’t try and talk sh-t about me every chance you get. He talks sh-t, but he’s never like, ‘Oh, I want to fight Derek.’ He’s always talking down on me, but he doesn’t want to fight me.”

Justin Golightly - January 25, 2018

At UFC 220, the knockout machine Francis Ngannou was put up against another unstoppable fighter in now record-breaking champion Stipe Miocic. It wasn’t the performance that was promoted or expected, resulting in Miocic taking the contender into the deepest of waters and dominating him to a decision victory. After his first loss since 2014 and a super quick rush to a title shot, Ngannou will be stepping away from the sport for an undisclosed amount of time and reconnecting with family before regrouping and coming back strong. “In my dark way, I’m taking some time off which will benefit my personal life by going back home to enjoy family and friends . Then I’ll be back to set businesses up.” — Francis Ngannou on Twitter.

Tom Taylor - January 25, 2018

We’re now almost a week removed from Francis Ngannou’s tough loss to UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. This loss was as lopsided as they come, as Ngannou emptied his gas tank early, and spent the rest of the five-round affair clinging to life opposite the patient and powerful Miocic. While Ngannou’s first crack at the UFC heavyweight title was more or less a disaster, his coach Fernand Lopez feels there are a few positives that can be taken away from the bout: namely, Ngannou showed he’s got heart.

Tom Taylor - January 23, 2018

Last Saturday night, in the main event of UFC 220, Francis Ngannou’s hype train came to a skittering halt, as he was out-wrestled, out-paced, and altogether out-fought by UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic. In the pre-fight promotion for this bout, Ngannou was sold as an unparalleled force of destruction, an unstoppable behemoth, the second coming of Mike Tyson. And yet in the end, he looked about as human as a professional cage fighter can look: out of breath, bewildered, bruised, beaten. While UFC color commentator Joe Rogan was one of the biggest contributors to Francis Ngannou’s massive pre-fight hype, he is now saying that he’s heard Ngannou didn’t even train grappling ahead of UFC 220. Rogan made this claim on the Monday episode of The JRE MMA Show Podcast.

Chris Taylor - January 21, 2018

Dana White discusses Francis Ngannou’s first UFC setback and what could come next for Stipe Miocic. "I don't see why he couldn't fight at heavyweight."@danawhite asked @dc_mma if he'd be interested in a title shot with @StipeMiocicUFC. Can we get this, please? #UFC220 https://t.co/FljOglKMIB

Tom Taylor - January 21, 2018

Last night, in the main event of UFC 220, hulking French-Cameroonian knockout artist Francis Ngannou lumbered into the cage with the goal of defeating Stipe Miocic and winning the UFC heavyweight title. In the end, however, the massively hyped Ngannou was outclassed by the champion, whose cardio and wrestling were simply too much to deal with. Now, it’s back to the drawing board for the undeniably talented Ngannou. Though he certainly has some holes in his game that need filling, it seems he’s keen to learn from this loss, and use it as fuel for his continued evolution.

Russell Sai - January 20, 2018

Stipe Miocic became the first man in history to defend the UFC heavyweight title three consecutive times on Saturday night at UFC 220 in Boston. Miocic was matched up against the feared and powerful knockout artist Francis Ngannou and was able to put the brakes on Ngannou’s quick rise and exposed some holes in his game. The UFC heavyweight champion ended up winning a five-round unanimous decision and cemented his place in history.

Tom Taylor - January 20, 2018

In the main event of UFC 220, Stipe Miocic attempted a record-setting third-straight defense of the UFC heavyweight title. His opponent was surging French-Cameroonian knockout artist Francis Ngannou. Much like Volkan Oezdemir before him, the challenger Francis Ngannou came out extremely aggressive. And much like Daniel Cormier before him, Miocic weathered the storm, defended intelligently, and picked his shots. Once he’d survived his challenger’s initial barrage, Miocic began to land, and even seemed to wobble his challenger on several occasions. Despite several scares, however, champion and challenger survived to the second.

Justin Golightly - January 18, 2018

In response to President @realDonaldTrump’s recent alleged controversial comments on immigration, UFC heavyweight contender @Francis_Ngannou called Trump “a shame for America.” He said more, too. Hear his impassioned response below. #UFC220 pic.twitter.com/qM6hJSqWYa — MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) January 18, 2018

Justin Golightly - January 18, 2018

On February 16th, MARVEL’s highly anticipated Black Panther film will release in theaters, but this weekend another African superhero will step into the spotlight. Francis Ngannou has carved a trail from Batié all the way to Boston; from the sand mines to a gold belt. His story is a movie waiting to be put on the silver screen in and of itself. There is no question that Saturday is the hypothetical film’s climax. He’ll be fighting Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title. Such a huge event deserves a promo worthy of the moment. R/MMA contributor MikeFightPromoEditor stepped up to the challenge and absolutely nailed it. Flags is up !!! #UFC220 pic.twitter.com/C5Lt3j1TKQ

Justin Golightly - January 17, 2018

From the sand mines and homelessness in France, Francis Ngannou has overcome everything and entered a world of crisp suits and headlining UFC 220. Ngannou’s journey has been nothing short of incredible, but it’s not just about him, it’s about where he came from. His rise to success leads hopeful footsteps that people back home can follow. Whether that dream be fighting for a UFC championship, or simply finishing school, Ngannou wants to show generations of people that anything is possible. “This is going to close the chapter of my childhood and teenage years. All that time I have been frustrated with my whole life, with a feeling that I was always the last one who never had a chance. So I want to close that. I want to leave that behind me. This journey now is not only mine, it’s for all Cameroonians and for the whole of Africa and all of France, too. In Africa, when I started the journey, I was by myself. No one believed me at that time, and today all of them believe in me and they almost rely on me. It’s very important, because I can bring hope to someone or help someone to be ambitious and tell them that everything is possible.”

Tom Taylor - January 16, 2018

This Saturday, in the main event of UFC 220, surging French-Cameroonian sensation Francis Ngannou will get his anticipated crack at Stipe Miocic and the UFC heavyweight title. This title fight will serve as the crescendo of a Ngannou’s rocket-fuelled rise through the UFC ranks. In roughly two years, the hulking knockout artist has evolved from relative unknown to downright MMA star – and he’s already being paid accordingly.

Tom Taylor - January 9, 2018

On January 20, in the main event of the stacked UFC 220, surging French-Cameroonian heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou will step into the Octagon with UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Over the course of his destructive run in the UFC’s Octagon, Ngannou has flaunted some truly terrifying punching power – something many fans and pundits believe could spell disaster for Miocic. That said, Ngannou has not yet been tested by a truly elite wrestler. As a former NCAA standout, Miocic could well be that wrestler.

Justin Golightly - January 9, 2018

The danger of Francis Ngannou has reached mythic proportions as UFC 220 draws closer and closer. In his short but meteoric rise, Ngannou has become almost a folk hero. His documentary is a crazy eye-opening rags to riches story and we all know by now that he has record-breaking punching power. However, his head coach Fernand Lopez says there are still a lot more that no one has seen yet, from his ground game to even more lethal striking techniques. Quite frankly, he’s afraid of what Ngannou can do to opponents. “I think there are a lot of fighters in the UFC who we’ve never seen the best of because they’ve never had the opportunity to showcase the skills they have. If you’re going to a decision every time you fight, you may have time to show everything, but this guy [Francis Ngannou], he’s spent like one hour in [the cage] his whole career. People really don’t know what this guy can do. Submissions, heel hooks, if you see this guy does a heel hook or guillotine someone, it’s crazy. He’s got a very quick, very nasty guillotine, very nasty heel hook. There are so many skills he can do.”