There was once a hero named Francis! It was a huge crowd that took to the streets of Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala, to welcome the heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on Monday, April 26, 2021. Surrounded by the sweetness of the shouts of joy, an immense procession composed of young people in a trance of joy, songs and a colorful spectacle accompanies the car where the champion armed with his gold belt displayed a face with a kilometre smile. It was in this atmosphere of euphoria that Batié’s darling child came to present his trophy. 

Douala vibrated on Monday, April 26, 2021. For good reason: the triumphant welcome given to Francis Ngannou, the heavyweight world champion of the MMA and the UFC. The native of Batié, a region located in the west of Cameroon, in parade in the economic capital of Cameroon with the gold belt in hand, was greeted by an immense crowd with a thunder of applause, shouts and songs made in Cameroon, a motorcycling procession with uninterrupted horns, all in an atmosphere where the national flag floats permanently, symbol of the origins of the new champion UFC knockout by K.O of the American Stipe Miocic. 

Francis Ngannou, the Cameroonian colossus of 113 kg, nicknamed The Predator, went to the services of the governor of Douala as soon as he got off the plane, to present him this world trophy which is above all that of Cameroon. In front of the representative of the Cameroonian government, he expressed his gratitude to the people for the ongoing support he continues to give them. The triumphant welcome afforded him speaks volumes about this consideration and this mark of great sympathy. “I want to thank you for your support on a daily basis. That’s what has kept me going so far. Three years ago I failed in my mission and I promised you I would bring that belt home. And it is because of the daily encouragement I receive from you that is my motivation and my strength, it is because of this that I was able to accomplish this mission.” said Francis Ngannou before the Governor of Douala, Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua.

After this moment of communion with the representative of the head of state in the Cameroonian economic capital, Francis Ngannou crisscrossed the streets of the city where the inhabitants were jostling to touch the golden belt or shake the hand of the international champion, king of the MMA. He also took part in a party called “Evening of the Unbeatable” and organized in his honour by the mobile phone company MTN Cameroon.He plans to continue his honorary tour in Yaoundé and then in the west of the country, precisely in his native village, Batié.

Remember that Francis Ngannou, new heavyweight champion in MMA and UFC, had to go through many difficult trials during his life. At the age of 10, he made a living working in the mines to support his parents.  He then went to Europe where, unfortunately, he had to go to prison in Spain in a migrant camp. This difficult stage will be followed by a rather complicated life in Paris, the French capital as paperless.Francis Ngannou was in a situation of extreme poverty and very often spent the night on the streets. But, as if by chance, he met Fernand Lopez of the MMA Factory who showed him the way in the MMA. This is where the career of the Cameroonian began until this international success and title of world champion.

Cameroonian Francis Ngannou knocked out the American, of Croatian origin Stipe Miocic in the 2nd round, this Sunday, March 28, 2021 in the Apex of Las Vegas during the UFC 260 which took place behind closed doors. He became the first African to win the UFC heavyweight title.

The victory of the indomitable lion, nicknamed “The Predator” against Stipe Miocic, to show his reputation as a formidable and expeditious fighter. Three years after being defeated by the latter in 2018, the former resident of the MMA Factory took his revenge and knocked out his opponent irreversible.  

Born in Batié, north of Yaoundé in Cameroon, Francis Ngannou is 34 years old. Predestined to a bright future, it has become more than 7,000 kilometers away, heavyweight world champion at the UFC.  

Many people doubted me. I don’t know if I can find a word to express how I feel,” the new world champion told US commentator Joe Rogan. 
“I always won a lot of fights, but I kept that anger, that grudge from my childhood. I knew if I was given the opportunity to do something big, I would do it. It’s like you’ve had your eyes on an objective for years and it’s finally happening. This is something that no one could believe but happened. Many people doubted me and I managed to prove them technically wrong,” said the Cameroonian world champion.

THE NEW HEAVYWEIGHT KING HAS ARRIVED 👑 #UFC260 pic.twitter.com/0ElFSDvyu1

— UFC (@ufc) March 28, 2021

After a series of tight and close-knit shots, which hurt the American, Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou knocked down his opponent with a left hook after only 52 seconds in the second round to snatch the heavyweight title.

The indomitable lion of Cameroon, now has 16 victories against 3 defeats in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), of which he is now the man to beat in this category

The breakthrough of Senegalese wrestlers in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) began to become a reality. After the precursor Bombardier, Reug Reug recently joined the MMA with two victories in as many battles. Sensei Yatma Lô, who specializes in martial arts and is also the host of the show “Tatami” on the RTS, offers advice to Senegalese wrestlers so that they can go to the top in this very tight environment composed of real “gladiators”.

“Those who make MMA are real killers in quotation marks” «If you do not know how to hit a healed mawashi, a healed mae, a kick back or a kick back, it will be difficult to make a career in MMA. Even if it is in the fight with strikes, they (the Senegalese wrestlers) do not know how to strike well too. That is an observation. To do MMA, it is always good to go and train. It is not because you have more than a hundred kilos that you know how to hit. Or it is not because we know how to fight with strikes that necessarily we must be a good fighter in MMA. Those who do MMA are real killers in quotation marks, people who know how to fight on the street, because they do street fights in a way”. he explained.

«Senegalese wrestlers must have the rudiments of MMA» «Senegalese wrestlers only have to go to karate, taekwondo, English boxing,… They have to go and learn how to hit, kick-boxing, learn how to fight with hands and feet. Because in the Senegalese struggle, it is a matter of fighting and striking. On the other hand, in the MMA, we only strike essentially. My advice to our wrestlers is to train, have a good kick-boxing coach, a good French boxing coach, a good English boxing coach, of karate or taekwondo to be able to get out of it and have the rudiments to allow them to have the fundamentals of MMA.” he said.

«The struggle with strikes is attractive, the MMA has money» “I am not one of those who promote the evolution of the MMA a little. I am not in favour of the spread of this discipline, because the Senegalese do not know it very well. There are some who want to do MMA, why? Because they have to make money. A batting wrestler earns 150 million FCFA, while at MMA they are paid this amount? It is not obvious. So I think that if it’s to earn money, the fight with strike is much more attractive than the MMA which has a lot of money anyway.” he concluded.