28 October 2023 , 11:33
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Francis Ngannou's week in Saudi Arabia has consisted of plush surroundings, designer suits, worldwide media attention as he fights for the lineal world heavyweight title against Tyson Fury.
It's a far cry from his most humble of beginnings as he began a year-long adventure from his native Cameroon to France via series of different African nations, at one point travelling over the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean on an inflatable paddling boat in order to pursue fighting in France.
The fighter knew that he wouldn't be able to become a superstar in the world of fighting just by competing and training in his home country, and hatched a plan to get across the world without any money. He first headed to Nigeria, before making his way through an awkward border process to Algeria and eventually Morocco.
From the French-speaking Northwestern African country, he realised that the only way to get to Europe was across the water. The fighter had to eat from bins as he plotted his journey, and was even hospitalised during his first attempt when he was sliced across the stomach attempting to get over a barbed-wire fence.
In order to avoid the infrared motion detectors and helicopters that were trying to catch him on his blow-up paddle boat, Ngannou wrapped silver foil around the boat he was travelling in to avoid detection. After making it across the treacherous waters to Spain, Ngannou was being still being scouted by Moroccan police in a helicopter but called the Red Cross who came and saved him.
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He ended up spending two months in a Spanish prison, but with no physical records of his existence after using a fake ID to travel, Ngannou was eventually let out. He hopped on a train and evaded the fare to get to France after deciding that it would be too difficult to get across more water to the UK, where borders were stricter.
Once arriving in Paris, he met a fellow Cameroonian who was sleeping in a car park and stayed there before arriving at the MMA Factory where coach Fernand Lopez lent him gear and allowed him to sleep on the gym. "We found a Cameroonian guy, he said 'I'm sleeping in a parking lot, if you want I will show you where' and I was like, 'I really want that'," he explained.
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Ngannou went 5-1 before being picked up by the UFC in 2015 and after a tough journey to the top that saw him humiliated at the first time of asking by Stipe Miocic, he was crowned heavyweight champion in 2021. It ended up being Miocic who he had to viciously knock out in order to win the belt, before defending against former teammate Ciryl Gane last year.
Once it came time to negotiate a new deal, however, Ngannou decided to take a bet on himself once again and turn down a massive multi-fight deal for millions of dollars that would have seen him fight the legendary Jon Jones. He opted to leave the UFC and join MMA's No.2 promotion PFL while pursuing boxing.
And over the summer after announcing his deal to return to the cage, talks began to seriously heat up for a showdown with one of either Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder. Eventually, Saudi Arabian officials arrived and offered him an undeniable eight-figure deal to compete for the lineal heavyweight championship of the world.
Life sure has changed for the boy from Cameroon.